Sponsored by the United States Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs. According to OSHA, implementing a safety and health program is one of the most effective ways to reduce injuries and illness. An effective program can increase worker satisfaction, improve productivity, and reduce costs associated with workplace injuries.

 “Safety is integral to our organizational values and mission accomplishment,” remarked Captain Jeff Kilian, EXWC Executive Officer. “There is nothing we do in peacetime that is worth risking the lives or health of our people. The preventable loss or injury of any military/civilian member is unacceptable.”

NAVFAC EXWC Safety Director, Beth Bradford, spoke on the importance of the week’s events.

“The aim of this week's curriculum is to enhance understanding of proactive safety and health programs,” Bradford explained. “Due to the diversity of our organizational make-up, we deliberately emphasized subjects associated with events relevant to both on and off-duty activities.”

Training sessions were hosted by EXWC subject matter experts and covered a variety of topics, including ladders, small boats, earthquakes, vehicles, and hazardous materials and waste. Each one-hour session conveyed critical information for use in everyday tasks or in the event of an emergency.

NAVFAC EXWC is a command of more than 1,200 dedicated federal employees, contractors, and military personnel who provide specialized facilities engineering, technology solutions, and life-cycle management of expeditionary equipment to the Navy, Marine Corps, federal agencies, and other Department of Defense supported commands.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/.