Safety incident rates at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant are exceeding standards of similar industries.

“Our safety performance is excellent,” said Bret Clausen, safety manager, PCAPP. “We’ve had our best 12-month safety incident rate in the last four years.”

Workplace safety is measured by a Total Recordable Incident Rate, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration statistic comparing safety conditions in all United States industries. It measures recordable safety incidents, defined as an incident in which an employee requires medical treatment, missed work or has a work-related health issue as identified by a medical professional.

As of July, the PCAPP safety incidence rate was 0.27 recordable safety incidents per 100 employees over the prior 12 months. This rate translates to a total of five recordable injuries among the plant’s workforce of more than 1,500 employees in the past year. These low safety rates also helped contribute to the recent PCAPP milestone of 7 million hours worked without a lost-time injury.

The rate is more than eight times lower than the latest national standard for hazardous waste treatment and disposal plants, which is 2.2 incidents per 100 employees. The combined incidence rate for all industries in the United States is 2.8, approximately 10 times higher than PCAPP.

“When we compare ourselves against other industries, like grocery stores for example, they have a safety incidence rate of 4.9, which is 20 times higher than we are,” said Ken Harrawood, project manager, Bechtel Pueblo Team. “Every day, our workers ensure that safety is first and foremost at the top of our priority list.”