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2016 Safety in Action™ Icons Honorees Announced; Recognizing Exceptional Contributions in Safety at Work

Oxnard, CA – April 8, 2016 – DEKRA Insight, a global leader in safety at work, today announced the 2016 Safety in Action™ Icon honorees , those individuals whose inspirational, influential, and innovative contributions to safety have touched lives and changed the way people work.
The honorees are:
  • Michael Coplen, US Department of Transportation - Through his leadership, he modernized rail culture, stimulated substantial change across the entire industry, and set a new standard for safety excellence.
  • Audie Stout, BNSF Railway - His leadership as a facilitator and union officer helped break down barriers between union and management, and focused stakeholders on advancing safety for all employees.
  • John Hollowell, Shell - He led the development of the groundbreaking process “Partners in Safety” that transformed the way Shell and its contractors partnered to advance safety culture and performance.
  • Christina Sistrunk, Shell - She was instrumental in achieving the best safety performance year in the history of Shell deep water and pioneered “Partners in Safety”.
  • William “Bill” Holder, Manhattan Mechanical Services – He is a safety mentor whose commitment to exposure reduction has had a profound impact on thousands of EHS professionals, employees he has gotten excited about safety, and others he has turned into dedicated safety leaders.
  • Ken Larson, Maersk - He set the standard for safety excellence in some of the most challenging environments in the world, including deep water offshore, onshore Africa, and in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.
“At this year’s Safety in Action conference we honor those who’ve made a real difference in safety. This inaugural class of Icons are individuals who assure the wellbeing of co-workers every day through their contributions to safety. We are celebrating their achievements by publically thanking them for their steadfast resolve and dedication. Their unwavering commitment to safety deserves our gratitude,” commented Jim Spigener, Icons Presenter and Senior Vice President of DEKRA Insight.
The Safety in Action™ Icons is a new addition to the annual Safety in Action™ Conference (#SIA2016) which brings together thousands of people, across all industries to do one thing: improve safety at work. The Icons were peer nominated from organizations of all sizes, types and industry sectors
Read the full stories on each of the 2016 class of Safety in Action Icons.
About the Safety in Action™ Conference
The Safety in Action™ Conference is about turning ideas into outcomes. It’s the only event in the world where employees from every level gather to address the top issues affecting safety today. Engaging breakout sessions and workshops focus on real-world applications of the latest safety thinking. Presenters represent a range of disciplines and backgrounds, offering the most diverse conference experience in the field. The result is dynamic networking and discussion, provoking the kind of action that moves safety forward for everyone. Almost 2,000 executives, safety professionals, facilitators, team members, and union leaders attend annually. The conference offers more than 100 presenters and panelists sharing their safety expertise over the span of 200 unique sessions and workshops focused on critical safety issues.
About DEKRA Insight
As the global leader in safety at work, DEKRA Insight is a consultant and business partner to many of the world’s largest chemical, oil and gas, transportation, utilities, pharmaceutical, and agriculture companies. We bring a passionate, scientific approach to the process of helping clients transform safety. Our knowledge and experience enables clients to mitigate risk to their employees, assets, and reputation in a quantifiable manner—and in the process, enhance business performance. DEKRA Insight represents the collective expertise of our legacy businesses, each an institution in safety: BST, Chilworth, RCI Safety, Russell Consulting International, Optimus Seventh Generation, and partner RoundTheClock Resources.
DEKRA Insight has over 500 employees in 22 offices and 16 countries. We are a service unit of DEKRA S.E., a global leader in safety since 1925 with over 35,000 employees.