What if every employee could work an entire career Injury Free?
That question echoed throughout the 2026 Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) Conference, held September 16-18 in Newport News, Virginia, where safety professionals from across the Commonwealth gathered to share ideas, discuss challenges, and explore new ways to build safer workplaces.
For New River Electrical (NRE), that question has become much more than a conversation starter. It’s a challenge that continues to shape how the company approaches safety, leadership, and continuous improvement.
That commitment earned NRE the inaugural DOLI Pioneer Award.
Presented by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI), the award recognizes organizations that are helping advance workplace safety through innovation, leadership, a commitment to prevention, and a willingness to think differently about what an Injury Free future can look like. NRE was selected for its dedication to workplace safety and its integration of the What IF? initiative into its culture.
For NRE, the recognition represents more than a single achievement; it affirms a mindset.
RECOGNIZED FOR A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SAFETY
As the award’s first recipient, NRE is recognized among employers helping move the safety professional forward by challenging traditional approaches, embracing continuous learning, and inspiring others through their commitment to safer workplaces.
MORE THAN AN AWARD
Jennifer Langley, Senior Vice President of Safety & Quality, accepted the award on behalf of NRE and reflected on the mindset that drives the company’s approach to safety.
“We don’t see this award as recognition that we’ve arrived or that we’ve figured everything out. We see it as recognition of the decision to keep asking questions, keep learning, keep improving, and never allow yesterday’s success to become tomorrow’s complacency.”
Rather than focusing solely on accomplishments, Langley emphasized the lessons learned along the way. She spoke about the importance of listening, learning from challenges, and asking not who is responsible when something goes wrong, but what can be done differently moving forward. That philosophy has become a defining part of NRE’s safety culture, rooted in curiosity, continuous improvement, and a commitment to getting better together.
THE POWER BEHIND “WHAT IF?”
The Pioneer Award aligns closely with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry’s What IF? initiative, which asks a simple but powerful question: What if you could work your entire career Injury Free?
For NRE, that question is not about chasing a statistic. It’s about creating a workplace where every employee feels empowered to speak up, every leader remains open to learning, and every team member understands their role in protecting one another.
The question has sparked conversations about leadership, accountability, communication, and trust. It has challenged teams to move beyond reacting to incidents and instead focus on building the conditions that help prevent them in the first place.
As an employee-owned company, that approach aligns naturally with NRE’s culture. Ownership means more than having a stake in the company’s success. It means looking out for the people beside you, having the courage to raise concerns, and working together to make each day safer than the last.
SHARING THE INJURY FREE MINDSET
The conversation continued beyond the award presentation.
During the conference, Brandon Meade, Director of Environmental Health & Safety, led a session on NRE’s Injury-Free Mindset, sharing insights on the role leadership, engagement, ownership, and proactive decision-making play in building a stronger safety culture.
By sharing NRE’s experience, Meade helped contribute to a larger industry discussion about how organizations can move beyond compliance and create cultures where safety is truly embedded in everyday decisions.
LOOKING AHEAD
The recognition comes at a time when organizations across Virginia are rethinking what workplace safety can become.
As James (Jim) S. Frederick, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, shared: “By working collaboratively with workers, employers, and partners, we will continue strengthening protections, promoting best practices, and supporting safe, fair, and healthy workplaces where people and businesses can thrive.”
That spirit of collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement is exactly what the Pioneer Award was created to celebrate.
For NRE, receiving the inaugural award is an incredible honor. But it isn’t the finish line. It’s a reminder to keep asking questions. To keep learning from one another. To keep finding better ways to lead, communicate, and improve.
And above all, to keep working toward a future where every employee has the opportunity to build a long, successful, and Injury Free career.
