{"id":274169,"date":"2024-09-09T15:31:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T15:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=274169"},"modified":"2024-09-10T13:06:48","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T13:06:48","slug":"frce-named-top-organization-in-safety-by-department-of-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=274169","title":{"rendered":"FRCE named top organization in safety by Department of Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For the second time in three years, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) earned recognition as the safest organization within the Department of Defense (DoD) with the 2024 Safety and Occupational Health Management System (SOHMS) Achievement Award in the organizational category.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Occupational Health and Safety Director Phillip Santee of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness presented FRCE with the SOHMS Achievement Award during a ceremony held at the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants\u2019 Association National Safety+ Conference in Aurora, Colorado, Aug. 26.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

FRCE Executive Officer Capt. Randy Berti said receiving this award represents a significant milestone for the depot and its safety journey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSafety is one of the core tenets of this command, and having our hard work recognized by the Department of Defense is an honor,\u201d said Berti. \u201cBy fostering a culture where safety is a top priority, we ensure that each person \u2013 from our safety professionals to our artisans on the floor \u2013 makes it home every night. It has been a long journey, but our collective commitment to safety excellence is what sets FRC East apart from other commands, and I am proud of this achievement.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The SOHMS Achievement Awards are presented annually by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness to recognize commands and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional performance in the implementation and sustainment of a safety and occupational health management system that aligns with DoD goals and objectives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Compliance and Quality Department Head Amy Morgan, the command has introduced several safety and occupational health initiatives over the past two decades, all of which have played a pivotal role in earning the depot this prestigious award.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cImproving safety in a complex, industrial facility, especially one with over 4,000 civilians and contractors, is no small task,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cWe have implemented a vast number of safety projects over the last 20 years that have improved our workplace, all of which took time and effort from everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morgan said some of the safety initiatives the depot has implemented include mandatory head and hand protection policies, aircraft-specific work stands and upgraded fall protection equipment. Additionally, FRCE established two safety doctrines based on international standards and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, while also requiring many of its employees to complete a 10-hour OSHA safety training course.<\/p>\n

In 2004, the depot adopted the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001, which provided a framework for systematically assessing hazards, implementing risk control measures, and reducing workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents. FRCE has since transitioned to an updated version, the International Organization for Standardization 45001 certification.<\/p>\n

The command subsequently adopted OSHA\u2019s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), a federal program that recognizes employers and workers in private industry and government agencies who have implemented effective safety and health management systems. VPP focuses on preventing fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system of hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training and leadership commitment and employee involvement. In 2019, the United States Department of Labor recognized FRCE as a VPP Star Site, making FRCE the first naval aviation command to reach that level. FRCE attained VPP Star recertification in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Industrial Hygiene Branch Head Brian Snow said since the adoption of these safety management systems, workplace safety at FRCE has improved.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can see the direct results of our safety management systems in the numbers,\u201d said Snow. \u201cIn 2002, before we implemented the safety management systems, we had 835 OSHA-recordable mishaps; last year, we only had 27. As of right now, we only have 18 and we are nearly three-quarters of the way through the calendar year, so we are tracking to be just about where we were last year, if not fewer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to Morgan, protecting employees from workplace injuries and illnesses plays an essential role in providing capable and quality aircraft to the warfighter. Since 2016, FRCE has seen a 53% decrease in Federal Employees\u2019 Compensation Program costs and a significant decrease in lost workdays due to injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy increasing our safety training and education, providing better safety equipment, engaging in more peer-to-peer safety talks and, most importantly, fostering a culture of safety, we significantly decrease both the number of on-the-job injuries and the costs associated with those injuries,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cAvoiding these costs, which can run into the millions of dollars, helps support our command\u2019s financial stability and, in turn, ability to continue supporting our warfighters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFewer injuries mean more employees are here to support our workload,\u201d Morgan explained. \u201cThe more people we have out on the floor, the faster we can return aircraft to the fleet, which is why lowering the number of lost workdays is so important. In 2020, we had 146 lost workdays and in 2023, we only had 62. The work we do here is very important, and so are our people, so this is a win-win situation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The SOHMS Achievement Award is one of many accolades FRCE has garnered for its safety and occupational health efforts. The depot has been recognized with many other prestigious awards. In 2024, FRCE earned the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Shore Safety Award in the Large Industrial Activity category, the command\u2019s third receipt of this award; a seventh CNO Aviation Safety Award; and its seventh consecutive Gold Award, along with four Million Hour Awards, from the North Carolina Department of Labor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though FRCE has received many awards for safety excellence this year, Snow said the SOHMS Achievement Award is the highest honor the depot has received in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SOHMS Achievement Award is awarded to one command and one individual throughout the entire Department of Defense,\u201d Snow explained. \u201cWe\u2019re not talking about just within the Department of the Navy \u2013 no, we are talking about the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and all of the DoD agencies who have submitted nomination packets to compete for this award.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us to be selected for this award is impressive to say the least,\u201d Snow continued. \u201cWe are now the example for other commands to emulate.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Morgan highlighted that, in addition to the significance of this award, it recognizes the effectiveness of the foundational and cultural changes made by the command to improve safety.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t the depot\u2019s first time receiving this award; we also won it in 2022,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cTo be able to say we are the best of the best in all of the DoD in terms of safety, is a tremendous honor, but to say we have won this award twice within the past three years, is even better. It tells us we are doing something right by continuously improving and, more importantly, sustaining our safety management systems.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Morgan attributed the success of FRCE\u2019s safety and occupational health initiatives to the collective effort of the entire workforce.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis award was earned by the entire command,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cIt\u2019s not just one person. It\u2019s not just the safety division. It\u2019s everyone working together as a team to really lean forward into safety by following the processes and procedures that keep us all safe. It says a lot about the workforce here because without their commitment to our safety programs, we wouldn\u2019t be where we are today.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the second time in three years, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) earned recognition as the safest organization within the Department of Defense (DoD) with the 2024 Safety and Occupational Health Management System (SOHMS) Achievement Award in the organizational category.\u00a0 Occupational Health and Safety Director Phillip Santee of the Office of the Under Secretary of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=274169"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":274171,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274169\/revisions\/274171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=274169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=274169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=274169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}