UCOR receives two prestigious safety awards

OAK RIDGE, TN — Oak Ridge-based UCOR, an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs, has received two distinguished safety awards. The company has garnered the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Legacy of Stars award through the agency’s Voluntary Protection Program. UCOR is also being recognized with the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA) 2020 VPP Innovation Award.

UCOR team with Legacy of Stars award: (l to r) Leah Beckworth, Cassie Kennedy, Natalie Graham, Jill Howell, Brianna Humphrey, Annette Eaves, Freda Boyd, Rick Taylor, Phillip Holder, Clint Wolfley, Ken Rueter, Bill Langford. Image courtesy of UCOR

Ken Rueter, UCOR President and CEO, said, “These awards and recognition are examples of the UCOR team and workforce delivering on our mutual commitment that we all go home the same way we come to work every day. This happens through our management engagement and the shared governance of the company, where everyone has a seat at the table.”

DOE presents the VPP Legacy of Stars award to contractors that excel in outreach and demonstrate sustained excellence in worker safety and health. To qualify for the award, UCOR earned the DOE VPP Star of Excellence for four consecutive years—2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 – maintaining a total recordable case rate of injuries 75 percent lower than the industry average throughout. In addition, UCOR maintains DOE’s Star status, the agency’s highest achievement level for outstanding safety and health programs.



The 2020 VPP Innovation Award from the VPPPA specifically recognizes the Oak Ridge Environmental Management Cleanup Project, Case Management Approach. This award shines a spotlight on UCOR’s innovative Case Classification Review Team (CCRT), which ensures timely, consistent classification of reported injuries and illnesses in the workplace, teaming amongst labor, management, the client, and has been extremely effective during the pandemic. The case management program elements and structure are recognized as best in class and applicable across all industries. The VPPPA intends to present the award to UCOR at 2021 Annual Conference.

Stacy Thursby, VPPPA National Board of Directors member and Chair of the Awards Committee, applauded UCOR’s recognition. “While 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, seeing the dedication and commitment to safety that our award winners bring to this industry is inspiring,” she said.

VPPPA is considered the premier global safety and health organization. The organization places stringent criteria around their awards, which are designed for sites that go above and beyond in efforts to improve safety and health of their workforce.

UCOR was previously named one of America’s 16 safest companies by EHS Today magazine.

UCOR, an Amentum-led partnership with Jacobs, is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup partner. Since August 2011, UCOR has worked to reduce environmental risk by cleaning up legacy facilities from the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, allowing DOE to repurpose the land and buildings for use as a multi-purpose industrial park, national park, and conservation area. The company is also cleaning up contaminated facilities that are no longer in use at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex, reducing environmental risk and helping the DOE Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration to continue their missions.

Published October 17, 2020