Throughout the years, RTSC Polar Services Company has received many awards and recognition for their Environmental Health and Safety Leadership as well as their heroic feats down in Antarctica. Please read below to learn more about some highlighted awards they have received:

Raytheon Six Sigma President’s Award

Fuel Drums for Deep-Field Caching, 2010

Each year, hundreds of fuel drums are processed and placed in remote deep-field caches to support the science done at Antarctic camps. This winning project introduced a new processing method which reduced the number of labor hours required and reduced the potential environmental impact from spills.

Colorado’s Environmental Leadership Program Gold Leader Award

2006 and 2007

Colorado’s Environmental Leadership Program Gold Leader Award makes Polar Services one of the premier environmental stewardship organizations in the state of Colorado. It recognizes Polar Services efforts in Antarctica on conservation and re-use efforts, safe fuel storage, fuel spill prevention and response, education and training, permit compliance, and environmental impact assessments.

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Business Environmental Education Award, 2006

All Antarctic Program participants must go through training at Orientation pertaining to the Antarctic Conservation Act and National Science Foundation policies and procedures for environmental management and protection. One example providing demonstrable effects of this training was the reduction of water consumption by 5 million gallons at McMurdo Station from 2004-2005. As a result, water conservation efforts helped reduce fuel usage and ultimately reduced air emissions associated with power production.

Raytheon Environmental Health and Safety Leadership Award

Fuel Off-load, 2003

Every year a fuel tanker arrives to the Antarctic coastal port at McMurdo Station to off-load millions of gallons of fuel. In 2003 the annual sea ice was too thick to allow the fuel tanker to dock at the ice pier. It was critical to get the fuel before the six month winter darkness set in. Raytheon Polar Services personnel devised a safe and ecologically sound plan to off-load the 6.6 million gallons over 4 miles of unstable ice. Operating 24-hours a day for six days, the project was completed successfully. This effort saved the research season for more than 100 scientists and their projects.

Raytheon Hero Award

2002

In April 2002, the South Pole doctor developed a life-threatening illness requiring a mid-winter medical evacuation, a feat which had never been attempted. The temperatures at the South Pole in winter are well below the -40F operational minimum standards set by the U.S. Air Force. Knowing that the South Pole community’s well-being was dependent on having a healthy doctor, Polar developed an unprecedented medical evacuation plan involving a Twin Otter flight path from Canada, through South America and on to the South Pole and back. The temperatures hovered at -90F when the plane touched down at the South Pole to safely evacuate the doctor back to South America and on to his successful recovery in the U.S.

Raytheon Environmental Health and Safety Leadership Award and Raytheon Six Sigma Chairman’s Award

Transforming the Polar Safety Culture, 2002

When Raytheon took over the contract for Polar Services in April 2000, the injury rate was near 20. Every year since, Raytheon Polar Services has made great strides to reducing the injury rate for its employees both in the US and in Antarctica. This process also resulted in the Raytheon Six Sigma Chairman’s Award for Polar Services employees.

 

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