NAVFAC Southeast receives CNO safety award

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast was announced the winner of the 2021 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Award for Achievement in Safety Ashore, Medium Industrial Command on March 14.

The award recognizes outstanding support and achievement in safety and occupational health.

“This is truly the definition of a team award,” said NAVFAC Southeast Director of Occupational Health and Safety Dale Powell. “An occupational health and safety program can only succeed if there is total buy-in from every individual throughout the command. This is what NAVFAC Southeast has been able to accomplish this past year.”

NAVFAC Southeast promoted safety by consistently engaging first line supervisors and conducting scheduled periodic reviews of the safety program throughout the fiscal year. As a result, the safety program achieved the lowest 2021 In-House Days Away, Restricted, or Transfer (DART) rate of all the Continental United States (CONUS) Facilities Engineering Commands (FECs).

The DART rate is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calculation that determines how safe an organization has been during the year in reference to particular types of workers’ compensation injuries – the safer the work environment, the lower the rate will be.

“The command’s supervisors apply Navy and NAVFAC safety policies in every aspect of their employee’s work assignments and tasks,” said Powell. “This type of daily interaction only strengthens our command’s safety philosophy, ‘I am my neighbor’s keeper’.”

The command also manages a Near Miss Program which is intended to encourage incident reporting for events that have already happened, but did not result in impact or injury. The program rewards individuals who submit a report on a potentially unsafe work hazard, which if not corrected, could lead to property damage or personal injury.

“This program solely exists for the health and well-being of every employee while they are at work,” said Powell. “All of the safety training, medical monitoring, sharing of lessons learned, and reporting of ‘near misses’ is designed to ensure each employee is able to return home to their family and friends without injury.”

NAVFAC Southeast continues to promote a culture of safety by emphasizing that the success of their safety program demands every individual’s full commitment to include safety measures into the forefront of everyday life and is part of the Commanding Officer’s Philosophy.

“The safety and wellness of my team and contractors is of utmost importance to me,” said NAVFAC Southeast Commanding Officer Capt. Jorge Cuadros. “I’m incredibly proud of my team for making safety as high as a priority in their daily routine as I do.”

NAVFAC Southeast will compete with seven other ashore commands to be one of the Navy’s nominations for the Secretary of the Navy Safety Excellence Awards, which will be announced at the end of the year.