DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. –The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System participated in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Safe and Sound Week campaign, August 13-17, 2018.
Safe and Sound Week is a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and understanding of safety and health programs within the workplace. This is the first year AFMES participated in the campaign.
“The AFMES Safety Office chose to participate to allow all employees at every level the opportunity to show their commitment to safety as opposed to just saying we are committed to safety,” said Jeremey Lee, AFMES safety, environmental and occupational health specialist. “Participation in the Safe and Sound week allowed our employees to take a break from their day to day routine and understand how safety is not just a program but culture of awareness focused on the importance of safety.”
The week started off with forensic toxicology participating in a safety scavenger hunt and a find-and-fix exercise before the DoD DNA Operations lab held their own safety scavenger hunt. There they had to identify any unsafe issues with the lab.
“We had a fantastic turnout during all our numerous safety events,” said U.S. Army Col. Louis Finelli, AFMES director. “It was even reported that there were more hazards found during the find-and-fix-it exercises and scavenger hunts than what were staged. This is actually a good thing because we want to recognize good hazard prevention and how it’s key to avoiding accidents, injuries and damage to equipment.”
The week wrapped up with a spill exercise, a shelter-in-place exercise and a fire drill.
“This was an opportunity to put our performance based safety management system to the test by actively engaging employees at all levels,” said Mike Leone, AFMES safety manager. “Participation in the Safe and Sound week allowed our employees to take a break from their day to day routine and understand how safety is not just a program but culture of awareness focused on the importance of safety.”
AFMES ended the day with a safety picnic where Finelli thanked everyone for participating and for the Safety Office for hosting the event and creating a culture of safety.
“Good hazard recognition assists our facility in remaining compliant with the numerous regulatory authorities that we deal with, said Finelli. “Please continue looking for hazards and reporting them to your supervisors and our safety office.”
For more information on risk management or to report a safety hazard, contact Leon at 302-346-8640.