Cole Ayres Named NSC Rising Star of Safety for Respirator Tracking System

Cole Ayres, Senior Industrial Hygienist at United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC in Wartburg, Tennessee, was named to the National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety Class of 2026. As respiratory protection program administrator, Ayres created an equipment tracking and event reporting system that digitized respirator failure reports tracking around 32,000 respirator issuances per year.

Performance Indicator Analysis

Leading and lagging performance indicators are based on the number and nature of manufacturer defects, equipment alarms and failures. These indicators are analyzed to identify potential issues and improvement initiatives, according to Safety+Health Magazine.

Committee Leadership and Training Enhancements

Ayres leads the UCOR Respiratory Protection Committee. Feedback from the committee indicated that the improvements enhanced worker training and improved worker protection. The changes produced an 82 percent reduction in respirator failures since November 2024.

Recognition Details

The NSC Rising Stars of Safety program recognizes emerging professionals for contributions to workplace safety. Ayres’ work focused on digitizing failure reports and using data to drive targeted improvements at the Oak Ridge site, according to Safety+Health Magazine.