New Star for Safety at Pantex

Plant honored with Star of Excellence Award for outstanding safety record

B&W Pantex has once again been honored by the Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program (DOE VPP) for its exemplary safety record.

The DOE awarded B&W Pantex the VPP Star of Excellence for its safety performance during 2011, singling out the plant as one of the top performers in safety within the DOE. This is the third year Pantex has been honored by the VPP.

“We know the honor truly belongs to the nearly 3,300 Pantex employees, their hard work and excellent safety performance led to the Star of Excellence Award,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

A team of Pantex employees began the push for VPP recognition in 2008, forming a committee to develop the application, which was submitted in October 2009. That effort paid off in March 2010 when Pantex earned DOE VPP Star Status. The safety performance at Pantex led to the Superior Star Award in 2011 and the Star of Excellence Award this month.

Employee involvement is a hallmark of the safety culture at Pantex, which is led by employees who volunteer on numerous safety committees and initiatives.

“The key to Pantex’s success in safety has been active employee involvement at every level, promoted by the strong leadership of our employee-led safety teams,” said Jim Stevens, Manager of the Environment, Safety, Health and Quality Division at B&W Pantex. “Safety has to become a daily standard that is factored into everything you do.”

The DOE VPP Star of Excellence Award is granted to a site that maintains a Total Recordable Case rate 75 percent lower than the industry average. Pantexans have also shown their dedication to safety by working more than 6.7 million hours without a lost time injury.

B&W Pantex manages and operates the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. B&W Pantex is also the proud recipient of the DOE’s Voluntary Protection Program STAR status for safety excellence. The company was also named one of America’s safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine and has received numerous awards from the National Safety Council.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560
gcunning@pantex.com