Stories

Everyone knows that change is inevitable.  Some things, however, stand the test of time – like the safety record of KBR’s maintenance support team at the DuPont™ Tedlar® Production Facility in Circleville, Ohio which has been operating for fifteen years without a lost time incident.  The team, which supports maintenance operations at the DuPont™ facility, also boasts seven years without a recordable injury.

This impressive achievement was recently recognized by the state of Ohio with the Safety Council Recognition Award.  The award recognizes the Circleville team’s “commitment to the safety of Ohioans” and their efforts to make Ohio a “better place to live, work, and raise a family.”  The award was presented to KBR by a representative from the Governor’s office during a monthly meeting of the Pickaway County Safety Council meeting.  It was the county safety council that nominated KBR for the Governor’s award after KBR had received numerous safety awards at the county level.

Doug Scruggs, Director of Operations for KBR’s Dupont work, says the Circleville team is full of excellent performers.  “Courage to Care is evident in employee actions. They are constantly contributing new ideas about safety processes and practices,” Scruggs said.  “The Zero Harm message is widely displayed around the facility and communicated as a top priority by leaders on the ground at the facility and by those at the corporate level.”

Scruggs explained that the safety processes at the project site are considered a model for best practices by other companies and by safety officials in Ohio.  KBR employees regularly make educational presentations about safety practices to state and county safety councils.

At the Circleville plant, those safety processes are rigorous, thorough, and rooted in a Zero Harm culture.  The culture is fostered and promoted on a weekly and daily basis.  From the start, new employees at the plant receive an extensive amount of safety training.  The whole KBR team – which includes electrical, mechanical, and civil groups – has a weekly safety meeting which includes a discussion of how they can learn from other recent incidents within the company.  Every morning each craft has a daily safety toolbox meeting where a supervisor or special guest presents a safety topic. 

The importance of Courage to Care and KBR’s Keys to Life are consistently reinforced.  Site Manager Jim Brown and Safety Manager John Stant walk the plant everyday visiting each work site to evaluate its Job Safety Analysis (JSA).   Most importantly they empower their employees to stop any job at any time if they do not feel completely safe.

“Receiving this recognition from the Governor’s office and the state of Ohio is a point of personal pride for every single member or our team,” Stant said. “We each take very seriously our personal responsibility to maintain a safe work environment that ensures everyone goes home safe at the end of the day."

It is easy to see why the Circleville plant has been recognized by both state and county safety officials – including the Governor himself.