Facility Engineering Services KCP at Kansas City National Security Campus Recertified as “Star” Participant in DOE Voluntary Protection Program

The U.S. Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program (DOE-VPP) Team from the Office of Worker Safety and Health Assistance (EHSS-12) recently completed a review of Facility Engineering Service KCP, LLC (FES) operations at the Kansas City National Security Campus. After a 1-week onsite assessment by the DOE-VPP team, Mr. Todd Lapointe, Director of the Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security, recertified FES as a Star participant, the highest level of recognition in the program. FES entered the DOE-VPP in 2006 and it was previously recertified as a Star participant in 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018. In 2018 and 2023 FES received a Legacy of Stars award for outstanding injury prevention, outreach, and mentoring.

The DOE-VPP recognizes contractor participants for exceeding the basic requirements of DOE safety and health regulations, Orders, and Standards and promotes excellence in contractor safety and health programs. DOE-VPP encourages participants to seek continuous improvement in safety and health through cooperative efforts by managers, employees, bargaining units, and DOE.

A review of the last three years of Total Recordable Cases (TRC) and Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) cases revealed that FES maintained rates well below the industry average for its North American Industry Classification System code as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, FES has not reported any recordable injuries or illnesses or had any DART cases in the past three years.

During the course of the assessment, FES demonstrated that it continues to maintain a strong safety culture that is ingrained in its workforce and promoted by management. FES has an active employee base willing and ready to raise concerns. FES staff understand the different mechanisms available to them to ensure work areas are adequately analyzed for safety and health hazards, thus maximizing positive health and safety outcomes. Interviewed employees consistently took responsibility for contributing to a safe work environment for themselves and their peers. Managers and workers alike understand the hierarchy of controls as applied to their various work area hazards, and felt confident in their ability to talk to certified safety professionals when needed. FES staff showed that they successfully strive to ensure adequate hazard prevention and controls in all facilities where FES employees work in constant collaboration with other onsite contractors.

The Team consisted of Mr. Moises Atiles, who served as team leader for this assessment, and Mr. Matthew Ramsey.

More information on the DOE-VPP can be found here or you can contact the team at [email protected].