OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, September 18, 2025 – UCOR’s Chief Safety Officer, Jimmy Hughes has been named as one of the nation’s Rising Stars of Safety by the National Safety Council. The award recognizes safety professionals age 40 or younger committed to improving safety within their organization through impactful initiatives.
“This year’s Rising Stars of Safety demonstrate what it means to be a safety leader and safety hero,” said NSC CEO Lorraine Martin. “Their dedication to creating a culture of continuous improvement is key to spreading the value of safety across our workplaces and communities. We thank these honorees for their role in making others safe and saving lives.”
Hughes began his safety work at UCOR in 2016 as a Safety and Health Specialist where his duties included providing safety oversight for construction subcontractors. Subsequently, he was promoted to Senior Safey and Health Operations Manager at East Tennessee Technology Park. In early 2025, Hughes’s dedication to safety and commitment to the workforce saw him promoted to UCOR’s Chief Safety Officer, overseeing a staff of 500.
Throughout his safety career, Hughes has strongly advocated for ensuring that safety is integrated into every aspect of the work cycle for every member of the workforce. He understands the high-hazard nature of the work UCOR does as the company plays its role moving from cleanup to clean energy in East Tennessee.
“It’s important that UCOR is proactive with our safety culture, such as using electronic monitoring to prevent heat stress,” said Hughes. “We are always looking for new and better ways to keep our workforce safe. That’s why we developed our ‘Mission Ready’ program that asks workers to be aware of their physical, mental, and emotional readiness and to support co-workers in the same.”
Hughes will be formally recognized during the 2025 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in Denver later this month.
About the National Safety Council. The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
About UCOR. UCOR is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor. The company’s ~2,500 workers are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their important missions. Learn more about the company at UCOR.com.
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Photo: Jimmy_Hughes.jpg
Caption: UCOR Chief Safety Officer Jimmy Hughes, was named as one of the National Safety Council’s 2025 Rising Stars of Safety.
Download release: UCOR NR 2025-05
