Contractors at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant hit safety milestone

PIKETON — Fluor-BWXT (FBP), contractors for the Department of Energy (DOE) at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant not only work productively to decontaminate and decommission (D&D) the site but do so with a prominent safety record.

The contractors reached a milestone of eight million safe work hours without a recordable injury — the first time in the site’s history that this has been achieved.

“I am extremely proud of this team for their vigilance in making sure we all go home safe every day,” said President and CEO, Greg Wilkett. “It’s not about the numbers, it’s not celebrating, it is 100% about everyone here staying safe.”

The site leadership, the safety team, and the workforce are focusing on safety, which has created a culture that has lifted the site to the top of the list for safe workplaces across the DOE Environmental Management complex.

“Everyone here works hard to make sure we are doing a good job with D&D,” he said. “But we had to change the mindset to not only doing good work but doing good work safely.”

Twice a year, the site conducts a safety survey with all employees to gather suggestions to continue to improve safe work practices. The first survey was conducted in 2013 and yielded a 38% satisfaction rate. Today, employees at the site say safety is at 90%.

“It’s a process of trust and an open-door mentality, about listening to the front line and taking what they say seriously,” Wilkett said. “We asked for results, we shared those results then we asked for solutions and shared where we implemented those solutions. Because of that, we’ve become one of the safest places to work in the complex.”

To honor this occasion, employees at the site celebrated with a cookout conducted by leadership on the grills, ice cream from Whitt’s, and a gift provided by FBP. Before food service, more than 1,500 site employees donned high-visibility vests and formed the shape of an eight to commemorate the milestone.

To learn more about FBP, please visit www.fbports.com or call 740.897.2331.