DOE Awards Idaho Site Team Member Outstanding Safety Culture Award

Idaho Environmental Coalition safety professional Saprena Lyons, second from left, receives the Fiscal Year 2023 Contractor Individual Outstanding Safety Culture Award this month at the U.S. Department of Energy Safety Culture Improvement Panel (SCIP) Annual Meeting and Safety Culture Workshop. Also pictured from left: SCIP co-chairs Jack Zimmerman and Todd N. Lapointe, and SCIP Executive Secretary Julie A. Goeckner.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - An employee of the Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) contractor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site, recently received recognition for her efforts to enhance safety last year.

Saprena Lyons, a safety professional at IEC, received the Fiscal Year 2023 Contractor Individual Outstanding Safety Culture Award this month at the DOE Safety Culture Improvement Panel (SCIP) Annual Meeting and Safety Culture Workshop. Lyons manages the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), safety culture and Human Performance Improvement at IEC.

DOE developed the Outstanding Safety Culture Awards program with SCIP objectives in mind. These objectives include a host of safety priorities, such as using safety advancements and evaluating safety continually to enhance safety culture throughout the DOE complex.

The award is meant to recognize individuals for superior or model actions over a period of one fiscal year that exemplify the desired behaviors identified in DOE's Integrated Safety Management System Guide.

Last year, Lyons led IEC and EM's Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) in hosting the 2023 SCIP Workshop, where hundreds of participants gathered from across the DOE complex to discuss aspects of safety culture.

Lyons took the lead on planning workshops, securing a venue for the event and organizing speakers. The three-day workshop provided an opportunity for about 300 professionals to network and learn from the experiences of other industry professionals.

"Attendees came from many DOE sites and private organizations, which included international representation. This event may not have happened without Saprena, and all who attended benefited from the topics that were discussed," said IEC Safety and Health Program Senior Manager Brian Perkes. "Her efforts displayed all aspects of safety culture, including leadership, employee engagement and organizational learning."

Lyons has long been a leader in VPP, ISMS and the overall safety culture at ICP. Her knowledge and experience have helped improve ISMS and other programs at ICP. She shares her knowledge through one-on-one mentoring sessions with other safety leaders and takes a lead role in safety events.

"As the IEC safety culture leader, she meets regularly with the DOE Idaho safety culture advisor as well as with the safety culture leaders of other local DOE contractors. These meetings facilitate information-sharing, communication of leadership tools, and a venue for safety leaders at all levels of the organizations to openly share on safety culture topics," said Richard Denning, ICP facility safety team supervisor and safety culture advisor. "These regular meetings facilitate effective partnering with other contractors, and with the DOE field office, that helps us all work to the overall goal of safe mission accomplishment."

-Contributor: Leamarie Mitchell