With help from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), the Savannah River Site (SRS) recently hosted its annual Safety Expo, featuring over 70 informational booths designed to educate and engage employees on a range of topics that underpin the site’s legacy of safety culture and performance.
Office of Environmental Management
May 21, 2024
minute read time
Booths at the Savannah River Site Safety Expo offered fun games that engaged attendees in safety discussions.
AIKEN, S.C. — With help from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM), the Savannah River Site (SRS) recently hosted its annual Safety Expo, featuring over 70 informational booths designed to educate and engage employees on a range of topics that underpin the site’s legacy of safety culture and performance.
This year’s event, held at a new location, the New Ellenton Parks and Recreation Center in New Ellenton, South Carolina, welcomed more than 4,000 attendees from all SRS contractors for two days of safety engagement.
It was sponsored by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the SRS management and operations contractor. SRNS shared information with site employees ranging from safety, security and environmental stewardship to personal health, wellness and other community services designed to improve quality of life.
“Every year, the SRS Safety Expo brings employees from across the site together to celebrate and reinforce our workforce’s strong safety culture,” said Rick Sprague, SRNS senior vice president, Environment, Safety, Health and Quality. “Involvement in these events is what empowers our team with the knowledge necessary to continuously improve safety at work, at home and in the community.”
This year’s Savannah River Site Safety Expo was bigger than ever, as its new location allowed for the event to expand, including more informational booths and vendors.
Twenty-six employee-led Local Safety Improvement Teams (LSITs) hosted interactive booths at the expo, along with participants from EM liquid waste contractor Savannah River Mission Completion, the U.S. Forest Service, Savannah River National Laboratory and security services contractor Centerra-SRS, as well as several community organizations.
The expo featured multiple new initiatives intended to promote safety engagement. Attendees collected stamps on their LSIT “passport” from various LSIT booths and submitted it for a chance to win a prize. The site implemented a QR code registration system to improve the collection of attendance information.
“This year’s Safety Expo really showcased our workforce’s passion for safety,” said Ashley Allen, H Area Operations support specialist and H Area Wise Owls LSIT chair. “I enjoyed the addition of the Local Safety Improvement Team passport; it was a fun way to encourage employees to engage with these teams while we promoted safety. Pairing that experience with delicious food and the outdoor atmosphere made it difficult to leave an incredible event.”
The Safety Expo empowers employees by providing opportunities to expand safety knowledge, according to Lea Simons, Safety Expo planning lead and Health and Safety manager.
“Empowered employees are happier and healthier; we saw so many smiling faces this year,” Simons said.
SRNS President and CEO Dennis Carr said safety has and always will be a core value at SRS.
“Thank you to everyone who comes together each year to make this event possible and encourage our employees to become more engaged with the safety organizations across the site,” he said.
-Contributor: Fallan Flatow
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