Argonne-West recognized for safety performance

The National Safety Council recognized Argonne-West for completing 12 consecutive months without a lost workday or restricted work activity. The award was presented to Robert Benedict, deputy associate laboratory director for Argonne-West, by the Department of Energy during its annual safety meeting.

“This remarkable achievement would not have occurred without the involvement and leadership of our employees in assuring their own safety and that of their colleagues,” Benedict said.

While the National Safety Council award was for calendar year 2003, the actual record achieved was 561 days without a lost workday and without a worker placed on work restrictions. This occurred between Oct. 15, 2002, and April 28, 2004. During this time, the recordable event rate also decreased significantly. Recordable events include lost workday cases and those requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.

Argonne credits the improvements in site safety performance to improved communication and increased worker involvement in safety. Actions taken include new employee committees aimed at recommending safety improvements to address worker-identified weaknesses, a safety poster initiative by employees to foster attention on safety, periodic all-employee meetings for updates on performance, and employee awards for outstanding contributions to safety and quality at the site.

In 2003, the site launched a campaign to improve management attention and worker involvement in safety. Since then, worker committees have identified dozens of actions to further reduce injuries. Many of these actions are now complete. Actions that continue include improved snow and ice removal to reduce slip and fall injuries, reinvigorating the Facility Representative Program to foster worker involvement, improved road maintenance and repairing broken sidewalks.

Argonne National Laboratory brings the world's brightest scientists and engineers together to find exciting and creative new solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

For more information, please contact Betsy Connell (208/533-7837 or elizabeth.connell@anlw.anl.gov) at Argonne-West.