Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Shannon D. Barnwell | NORFOLK (September 13, 2022) - Danny Woodard, Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) guides...... read more read more
Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and the Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) organized a NAVSUP Enterprise-wide safety training and mentoring event held at NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Sept. 12-16.
As part of NAVSUP’s Get Real Get Better mindset, NAVSUP Director, Facilities, Security and Safety Division Keith Scott, contacted NAVSAFECOM and received unparalleled support. That support was specifically delivered in the week-long training event facilitated by NAVSAFECOM Director of the Shore Safety Directorate Jonathan Wilson and NAVSAFECOM Navy Safety Career Program Manager Keith Wilson. Together, NAVSUP and NAVSAFECOM established a working group with NAVSUP echelon III command collateral duty safety officers (CDSO), program managers, and supervisors of industrial operations.
“NAVSUP’s commitment to getting better has resulted in 19 of their CDSOs and industrial supervisors gaining a better understanding of the critical safety programs they manage, their responsibilities as CDSOs and supervisors, and how they are well equipped to ensure NAVSUP gets and stays better,” noted Wilson. “NAVSAFECOM is one of many resources throughout the Navy that can assist and mentor commands in getting better.”
NAVSAFECOM champions the Safety Management Systems (SMS),the CNO-led, fleet and support activity-owned, Naval Safety Command-enabled, defense in-depth system that inculcates continuous learning, problem solving, risk ownership and mitigation at the right level and encourages reporting of hazards and near misses, resulting in no unnecessary harm to people or damage to equipment.
February of this year, the Naval Safety Center became Naval Safety Command. The change reflects the emphasis that the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) place on safety. NAVSAFECOM now conducts assurance assessments of Echelon II and below organizations. The command has the authority to inspect higher headquarters, evaluate their risk management certifications, inspections and assessment processes, and execute no-notice unit inspections. The intent is to effectively identify and correct problems before they grow into larger systemic issues.
Prior to the event, the combined working group processed internal taskers to obtain feedback about hazardous operations with a focus on occupational safety and health. The team also evaluated five years of historical data associated with workplace injuries, workplace deficiencies, sustaining metrics for medical surveillance compliance, and for safety training compliance.
Through command inspections and assessments, NAVSUP HQ identified that not all CDSOs across the enterprise maintained the same level of understanding of their responsibilities or of the requirements of Navy Safety and Occupational Health Manual (OPNAV M-5100.23). NAVSAFECOM provided certified safety professionals (CSPs) to help mentor NAVSUP CDSOs on the manual. The training staff reviewed applicable safety programs with the CDSOs prior to joining them on multiple site inspections of NAVSUP Fleet Logistic Center Norfolk’s operations during the event. The CSPs worked to ensure the CDSOs could effectively apply classroom knowledge in real-world applications by identifying hazards and
recommending risk mitigation actions.
The Naval Station Norfolk Safety and Occupational Health Director, Michael Works provided reports training and presented information about Base Operating Services (BOS) safety services and how to effectively work with the installation safety offices, what services they provide and some limitations with the safety services they provide. This was essential information since NAVSUP depends on the installation safety offices to provide support across the enterprise.
Jeff Henning and Pamela Koepke from the NAVSUP Hazardous Material Pollution Prevention Branch provided training for the command’s HAZMAT program and common risks associated with hazardous materials storage and operations across the enterprise. The presentation and site visit at NAVSUP FLC Norfolk Consolidated Hazardous Inventory Management Program center provided an in-depth review of the HAZMAT program with hands-on application to improve transfer knowledge into real-world environments.
Naval Medical Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Portsmouth, Virginia, Department Head Megan Ward-Johnson and Team Lead Rebecca Overton provided a presentation on industrial hygiene, medical surveillance, and common indoor air quality issues associated with molds or other hazards. Through peer networking, training and echelon II collaboration the CDSOs now have a well-rounded understanding of safety programs, CDSO responsibilities, and are equipped to help NAVSUP Get Better.
“Events to this point have been limited to Teams meetings, which of course have been periodic and an hour at a time,” shared Mark Porterfield, NAVSUP Enterprise Occupational Safety and Health Program manager. “While we can share some good information, we’ve not gone into the kind of depth of information which can be distributed over a number of days like this training event.”
When the determination was made to conduct the training in Norfolk, personnel from various NAVSUP FLC Norfolk divisions provided support for the event to include: Code 300 Director, David Cass; Facilities and Safety Division Director, Mark Chandler; and Collateral Duty Safety Officer Lance Tillman, Code 500 Division Director Michael Johnson, and Command IG Monica Agarwal were instrumental in assisting the conduct of the training week. This involved many logistical functions, locating and reserving conference space, coordinating lunches, taking steps to contract with Naval Facilities Command (NAVFAC) for drivers and van rentals for transporting attendees from the classroom to various NAVSUP operations in Norfolk, and providing the students welcome aboard information to assist them with their stay in Norfolk.
For the future, NAVSUP will continue evaluation and developing metrics to expand the command’s awareness of safety hazards and risks associated with NAVSUP operations. The NAVSUP safety office, in collaboration with NAVSUP echelon III commands, will conduct job hazard analysis of mission, tasks, and functions to ensure hazards are mitigated and risk is communicated and managed at the appropriate levels. The way ahead includes building stronger partnerships with BOS safety offices and other service providers to resolve occupational safety and health deficiencies at the appropriate level and establish a means to escalate unacceptable risk, assessing contracted operations to ensure adequate safety and occupational health oversight is established and hazards associated with contracted operations are properly communicated and mitigated, and remain vigilant of attrition rates in medium to high hazard operations to ensure proficiency and competency levels of the workforce are sustained during turnover of personnel.
“Get Real Get Better is about continuous improvement. It is about ‘Embracing the Red’ and working together to find and fix problems from the deck plates to the command triad,” said Rear Adm. Peter Stamatopoulos, commander, NAVSUP and 49th Chief of Supply Corps. “This means every employee in our supply community - officer, enlisted, civilian - needs to understand how the work they do contributes to generating readiness and sustaining Naval forces worldwide.”
NAVSUP is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars.
Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and
https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2022 16:33 |
| Story ID: | 429814 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 242 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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