Our Company
Safety
Our focus on safety has made us an industry leader, but we continue to pursue our goal: Making sure no one gets hurt, ever.
Safety Culture
Employees are trained in safety practices during onboarding — practices that are reinforced through employee-led safety committees, safety moments before meetings, safety briefings, and continuous learning modules.
The company compiles safety metrics in our internal safety data management system and shares reports of incidents and root-cause analyses with employees on a regular basis. We also developed a new app, Safety Compass, to create a more seamless way for employees to report safety hazards, access the company’s safety policy and similar resources, track metrics and trends, and mitigate small issues early.
Our “Call Before You Dig” program urges members of the public to seek information regarding the location of underground electric cables or gas pipelines to avoid striking them unintentionally. Second- and third-party excavation is the leading cause of damage to gas pipelines; from 2019 through 2023, we reduced excavation damage at our gas utilities by 20.2%.
We continue to strive for a perfect safety record. We have made tremendous progress, cutting our OSHA recordable rate from 1.78 in 2006 to 0.45 in 2023 — our second-best performance ever, and nearly 75% safer than the industry average. In 2023, we set a company record for the lowest number of more serious injuries — those resulting in lost days or restricted duty.
We reduced second- and third-party excavation damage to our gas utilities by 20.2% from 2019 through 2023.
The Call Before You Dig program makes it easy for the public to get information on underground electric cables and gas pipelines before starting excavation projects.
Safety — OSHA recordable incident rate1
Number of recordables per 100 employees
In 2023, Dominion Energy had 0.45 recordable incidents per 100 employees. A 75% reduction from 2006 and nearly 75% safer than the industry average.
- Pro forma for SCANA and Questar.
- Average of Bureau of Labor Statistics 2022 industry data for electric power generation, transmission, and distribution (NAICS code 2211) and natural gas distribution (NAICS code 2212).
Operational Safety
From security fences at our facilities to inspections that ensure our infrastructure and equipment meet stringent safety standards, we take extensive precautions to protect our employees, contractors, customers, and the public from hazards. Our " Safety First opens in a new window " website includes guidance on electric and natural gas safety, nuclear safety and preparedness, and safety tips for storms and natural disasters. We also promote the 811 “Call Before You Dig” program to protect contractors, homeowners, and others from contacting dangerous equipment during projects. To keep the public informed about nuclear safety, we also provide fact sheets; emergency-preparedness guidelines specific to each of our nuclear stations; Protective Action Zone maps and Reception Centers in the event of an evacuation; and general information on safety planning.
In addition, we maintain a website targeted for first responders opens in a new window (who are often the first on the scene in an emergency), with learning modules on topics including our distribution systems (for both electric and natural gas infrastructure), responding to fires or downed lines, and guidance on precautions to protect the public during an event. This website is also available to the general public.
Safety is a top priority to protect our employees, contractors, customers, and the public from hazards.
Using Robots to Enhance Safety
In 2023, Dominion Energy won a Top Innovative Practice “Best of the Best” award from the Nuclear Energy Institute for using robotics to enhance employee safety. By equipping a robotic dog from Boston Dynamics with a traditional radiation detector, a 3D radiation detector, and a Localized and Mapping Platform, Dominion Energy’s nuclear operators at Surry Power Station were able to evaluate newly installed shielding within the containment chamber and assess radiological conditions without exposing employees to radiation. This technology can be used in any location to minimize hazards to personnel.
In our gas businesses, we use integrity programs that include numerous oversight, diagnostic, and preventive-maintenance tools to mitigate potential issues long before they can become a problem. The integrity programs include emergency shut-down systems and public awareness campaigns. One such public awareness campaign enables customers to order a free “scratch and sniff” opens in a new window postcard to learn to identify the smell of mercaptan — the “rotten egg” odorant we add to natural gas to alert customers of potential gas leaks.
Employee Spotlight
Charles Allen
Many things have changed during Charles Allen’s nearly four decades at Dominion Energy, but one thing has remained constant: the company’s commitment to safety.
Dominion Energy’s aim is to ensure that no employee ever gets hurt. While we have not yet achieved that standard across the company, some business segments have delivered outstanding results. In 2023, Dominion Energy Virginia’s transmission division went the entire year without an OSHA-recordable injury. Our Roanoke Rapids and Gaston Power Stations in North Carolina have gone more than 28 years without an OSHA recordable, and more than 52 years without an injury leading to lost days or restricted duty (LD/RD).
Maintenance Coordinator Charles Allen is one of the employees at Roanoke Rapids who has contributed to that stellar safety record. A native of Northampton County, North Carolina, Charles joined the company right out of college in 1986. In his first quarter-century he worked as a mechanic, and has served in his current role for the past 13 years.
“My role at the station is very diverse, meaning I wear a lot of different hats,” Charles says. “It can be hectic but at the same time it keeps my job enjoyable and challenging.”
When he isn’t keeping the lights on for his community, Charles enjoys activities such as hunting, fishing, riding ATVs, camping, and spending time with family and friends. “People probably wouldn’t know this about me but I also enjoy racing online,” he adds. “I have a racing simulator at home and join races from time to time.”
“I have had an enjoyable career at Dominion Energy in my 38 years and have seen a lot of changes through the years. I have been fortunate to have worked with so many great people over the years that have taught me a lot not only about work but about life in general. I am nearing retirement and though I look forward to it I will sure miss the many people that I have met and worked with.”
As a maintenance coordinator at Roanoke Rapids, Charles Allen focuses first on safety.
A Dominon Energy employee of 38 years, Charles Allen has worked hard every day to maintain a stellar safety record.
Employee Spotlight
Selma Spratley
Selma Spratley holds one of the most important jobs at Surry Nuclear Power Station. She credits hard work and the values she learned from her parents.
“Be it a big job or a small, do it right or not at all,” Selma Spratley’s mother used to tell her. That motto has served Selma well throughout her four-decade career at Dominion Energy, where she works as a superintendent of health physics operations at the Surry Power Station in Virginia — 12 miles from her home, in the same county where she grew up and attended school.
Overseeing nuclear safety operations was not part of her original career plan. But after she graduated Hampton University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, an acquaintance mentioned an opening at Surry. She applied, received an offer — “and the rest was history.”
When Selma joined the company Surry Power Station had been in operation for only a decade. Its two reactors generate 1,600 megawatts of power and provide about 14% of Virginia’s electricity. In 2021, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended Surry’s operating license through the early 2050s — allowing the station to serve customers for a total of eight decades. Selma has played an integral role at the station for more than half that time.
“I believe I'm the first Black female to hold this role at Surry, and I am proud of that because I worked my way up to where I am now,” Selma says. “It was a lot of hard work and I try to set an example for the younger people coming in — that hard work does pay off.”
In addition to her mother’s advice, Selma also received some wise counsel from her father that also has stood her in good stead: “Do what you know is right and don’t worry about the rest.”
Selma Spratley is the first Black woman to work as a superintendent of health physics operations at the Surry Power Station in Virginia.
For over four decades at Dominion Energy, Selma Spratley has been proving that hard work pays off.