Photo By Keith Hayes | (Left) Isaac Padilla, investigative issistant, Criminal Investigation Division; and...... read more read more
Two Civilian Marines from Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., have been sworn in as the newest Special Government Employees and are ready to mentor other military installations and private industry on how to earn the coveted Voluntary Protection Program Star.
“Isaac Padilla and Michael Reyes finished their training recently as our two newest SGEs and both have also been named as the VPP Star Employees of the Quarter for the base,” said Danielle Heinze with the Business Performance Office and the co-chair of the VPP steering committee aboard
MCLB Barstow.
Padilla is an investigative assistant with the Criminal Investigation Division and Reyes is a physical security specialist, both part of Security and Emergency Services.
“I volunteered to become an SGE because I have been a member of the VPP Steering Committee since I first came to MCLB in 2016, so taking that one step higher to become an SGE will allow me to help out other worksites,” Reyes said.
“We’re proud of our safety record and I want to pass on my knowledge of safety practices to other entities.”
“It’s an intriguing program that allows me to assist other agencies to create a safe workplace,” Padilla said.
Information taken from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s website indicates the value of the SGE program to promote safety as the primary concern for any military or civilian workplace: “The SGE Program encompasses the spirit of VPP - industry, labor, and government cooperation. This cooperation embodies the idea of continuous improvement, which allows SGEs to bring a unique perspective to the team effort and take back to their sites ideas and best practices to further improve worker protections.”
Reyes said his and Padilla’s SGE training took place in La Jolla, Calif.
“All of the SGE’s are civilians,” Reyes said. “The training was a three-day period with eight hours of classroom instruction each day.”
“I thought it was really great that Col. (Sekou) Karega (MCLB Barstow’s commanding officer) was there,” Padilla added. “He attended the training even though he can’t be an SGE because he’s active duty military. Having a base commander involved in the SGE program is pretty much unprecedented.”
Neither of MCLB Barstow’s newest SGEs will be idle for long as they join the dozen other SGEs aboard base in their missions.
“I put in for VPP mentoring missions to Chicago to help Morton Salt to recertify their Star status,” Padilla said. “I also applied to help a private company in Missouri to recertify and to help Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina to get their first VPP Safety Star.”
“I have applied for a mentoring mission in Colorado Springs, Colo., from the 27th to the 29th of November to help the New Star Corporation recertify their VPP Star,” Reyes said.
“Safety is a concern everywhere, not just at work but in the home,” Padilla said. “Since I’ve taken the SGE training I look at everything from a safety angle.”
“It’s an honor to be an SGE as well as the VPP Star Employee of the Quarter,” Reyes said. “Being an SGE allows me to pass on my knowledge to other facilities,” he added. “What I teach someone can save a life.”
| Date Taken: | 06.14.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2018 14:51 |
| Story ID: | 281989 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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