Huntsville Center first in USACE to receive Safety and Occupational Health Star Recertification
Photo By Lillian Putnam |
Huntsville Center safety team pose for photo at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, March 13,......read moreread more
Photo By Lillian Putnam | Huntsville Center safety team pose for photo at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, March 13, 2026, after evaluators announce HNC will be the first in USACE to receive Safety and Occupational Health Star Recertification, with the recommendation now moving forward for final approval by the Department of the Army. see less
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Huntsville Center first in USACE to receive Safety and Occupational Health Star Recertification
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville has become the first organization within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to successfully complete the Army Safety and Occupational Health, SOH, STAR recertification evaluation, with the recommendation now moving forward for final approval by the Department of the Army.
Following a multi-day assessment conducted March 10–13, evaluators recommended Huntsville Center for continued SOH STAR status, citing a mature safety culture, strong leadership engagement and a safety management system fully integrated into mission execution.
The SOH STAR Program recognizes organizations that successfully implement and sustain the Army Safety and Occupational Health Management System, or ASOHMS. Organizations must demonstrate strong leadership commitment, workforce participation, risk management and continuous improvement, along with successful Department of the Army assessments.
Col. Robert Hilliard, Huntsville Center commander, explained the significance of this milestone to the organization.
“Huntsville Center is the first organization within USACE to achieve this level of SOH STAR recertification distinction, which reinforces HNC’s position as a leader in safety excellence and sets the benchmark for others across the enterprise,” he said.
During the assessment, evaluators conducted document reviews, site visits and workforce interviews to determine whether Huntsville Center continues to meet the standards required to maintain SOH STAR designation.
“When we do Army STAR evaluations, there’s a particular method,” said Marty Werdebaugh, Headquarters USACE
Safety and Occupational Health chief and SOH STAR evaluator. “We do document reviews, site visits, and we always ensure that we interview employees for validation.”
Assessors met with leaders, supervisors and employees throughout the organization to gain a full understanding of how safety practices are applied in daily operations.
“We met with leadership the first day, employees and supervisors the second,” said Werdebaugh. “We received a good representation of how all three levels of participation are working together.”
Under the SOH STAR program, organizations undergo reevaluations approximately every four years to ensure their safety management systems remain effective and continue to improve.
Officials said the evaluation confirmed Huntsville Center’s safety culture has continued growing since HNC first earned SOH STAR status in 2022.
“The first thing that was very transparent is the sustained safety culture that you all have maintained,” said Troy Larson, Headquarters USACE Safety and Occupational Health manager and SOH STAR evaluator. “The safety culture has not only continued, but it has grown beyond the safety office.”
The evaluation highlighted communication practices as a major factor in sustaining the safety culture.
According to evaluators, Huntsville Center consistently reinforces safety messages through multiple communication channels, including town halls, program review boards, TV monitors, SharePoint sites and routine meetings.
“Emails are not always the answer,” Larson stated. “It’s the other communication methods that you have focused on that all adds up.”
Those efforts help ensure safety remains visible across the workforce and encourage employees to actively participate in hazard identification and risk mitigation.
The evaluation also recognized workforce engagement initiatives that support safety and wellness across the organization. Programs such as employee wellness activities, recognition efforts and daily safety discussions were cited as examples of how Huntsville Center encourages participation beyond traditional compliance requirements.
Jeremy McCraine, Huntsville Center Safety chief, explained how safety is embedded in the daily operations rather than treated as a separate compliance function.
“Safety is integrated in all that we do. It’s the foundation of how we do business,” he said. “Our leaders, supervisors and employees all play a role in identifying hazards, managing risk and ensuring everyone goes home safe.”
Based on the assessment results, Huntsville Center exceeds the criteria required for SOH STAR recertification. The recommendation now moves forward for final approval by the Department of the Army.
“Safety is all about taking care of the people,” McCraine said. “The recertification would not have been possible without all of Huntsville Center making safety a core value.”
