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ORAU receives two National Safety Council awards for its commitment to occupational safety

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ORAU’s Environment, Safety & Health team members are (left to right): Kevin Freytag, James Buckner, Jennifer Clary, Bo McNeil, Scott Cox, Andrew Owens, and Christina Baloga.

ORAU has been recognized with two awards for achievement in occupational safety from the National Safety Council (NSC): the Occupational Excellence Achievement Award and the Six Million Work Hours Award.

The Occupational Excellence Achievement Award is given to companies that record exceptional safety numbers during the previous calendar year. To qualify for this award, ORAU experienced zero fatalities during the previous calendar year, and our lost-workday case incident rate was equal to or less than 50% of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) rate for our industry, as classified by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code. ORAU’s lost-workday case incident rate is 0.00 compared to the BLS industry average rate of 1.2. All data submitted to the NSC is self-reported and verified.

ORAU received the Six Million Work Hours Award for continued work without the occurrence of an occupational injury or illness involving days away from work for at least six million consecutive work hours. The six-million-hour record was recorded between June 28, 2022, and March 31, 2026. Eligibility is based on self-reported data submitted by the participating workplace in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.  

“We take great pride in our strong workplace safety record,” said James Buckner, ORAU director of Environmental Safety and Health. “Being recognized with these awards serves as a testament to the outstanding teamwork, proactive communication, and commitment to safety that exists across every department in our company.”

Learn more about the NSC.

ORAU Media Contacts and Information

About ORAU

ORAU integrates academia, government and industry to advance the nation’s learning, health and scientific knowledge to build a better world. Through our specialized teams of subject matter experts, decades of experience, and collaborations with our consortium of more than 170 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU is a recognized leader when the priorities of our federal, state, local, and commercial customers require innovative solutions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORAU is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and government contractor.

Media Contacts

Pam BoneeDirector, CommunicationsCell: (865) 603-5142
Wendy WestManager, CommunicationsCell: (865) 207-7953