Blue Grass plant contractor AECOM received the Industry Leader award from the National Safety Council for work performance in 2017.

“The Industry Leader award is presented annually to the top five percent of National Safety Council members for outstanding safety performance in relation to lowest total incident rate with respect to employee work hours,” said Dorian Karas, emergency preparedness manager, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass.

AECOM is one of the five companies that make up the joint venture and is responsible for systemization, operation and aspects of closure of the Blue Grass plant. The joint venture companies focus strongly on safety and have multiple programs and initiatives in place to ensure workers are safe at work and go home safely each day, Karas said.

“The Blue Grass plant’s safety programs are a collaborative effort and include daily and monthly team-level safety meetings, job planning, task analysis, the condition-reporting system and peer observations,” Karas said. “These programs were pivotal in reaching this award.”

The plant’s lost-time injury rate is 100 percent lower and recordable injury rate is 63 percent lower than industry average, as calculated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. As of July 31, 2018, the project has completed 10,358,876 hours and 1,553 days without a lost-time accident. The plant has also held OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star Status since 2011.

“Safety is our number-one concern and focus,” said Jeff Brubaker, site project manager, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “Protecting our workers is our highest priority.”