As the crew of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) rapidly approaches refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) maintenance period, new challenges and hazards present themselves.

The hangar bays are filled with civilian contractors and moving parts. The mess decks are unrecognizable. As new equipment and various tubes and piping are added to bulkheads and overheads, safety becomes crucial to the crew's success.

George Washington has expanded its role in crew safety. Particularly, hard hats, safety goggles and hearing protection are now mandatory uniform items aboard ship to keep pace with the increased dangers.

"We are in an industrial environment, which means work is constantly going on around the ship," said Electrician's Mate (Nuclear) 2nd Class Sean Mok, George Washington's mishap report coordinator. "People are grinding, performing hot work, and working on the overheads where things could fall. A lot of shipyard systems are being added around the ship where people can walk into it. With all the work going on around the ship, it's inherently more dangerous than our normal operations. In an industrial environment, it's very important to have a hard hat and goggles because you don't know what work is going to be going on in your work space or where you're transiting."

In the injury reports last year, there were only two concussions reported through medical. However, in 2014, when GW went through a six-month maintenance period in Japan, eight concussions were reported. Mok said eye injuries can be difficult to track because they aren't put in their own category of injury. If someone cuts their eye, it's noted in the cuts and lacerations category for tracking.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a concussion is a blow or jolt to the head that affects the way the brain works normally. It can happen from a car accident, hitting your head on something on the bulkhead, or even a fall. A majority of eye injuries result from small particles or objects striking the eye.

Safety department issued gear to the crew in order to ensure all crew members remain safe while performing daily tasks. They also issued out multiple types of safety gear depending on each Sailor's work requirements.

"So we have three different types of work goggles," said Mok. "We have the regular safety glasses, the over the glasses which are a lot bigger than the other ones, and then we have goggles. The difference is that the goggles are like the ones we use for maintenance. They have an edge that forms a small seal against your face so if you're doing something like deck work and you have really fine particulates that regular glasses won't block those out, the ones with a seal will."

Safety department often polices the ship ensuring all Sailors are wearing the proper safety gear and not walking into harm's way.

"We are here to make sure everyone is safe," said Mok. "We aren't here to punish people for not wearing PPE (personal protective equipment). We just don't want people to get hurt. I think getting hurt is the worst punishment of all, because it's so preventable."

Mok said when people do get injured and go to medical, their department then fills out a report on how the injury happened. These reports are sent to the ship's safety department and forwarded to the Navy Safety Center to be transferred into data. This data is kept approximately two to four years so if a Sailor gets out of the service and tries to receive disability for the injuries, the ship will have a record of what happened and when the injury occurred.

An article on http://www.concussion.wellicornell.org says although it is rare, concussions can result in symptoms lasting longer than six weeks, such as dizziness, headaches and difficulties concentrating. Moderate to severe traumatic brain injury can cause severe problems with attention and short-term memory, as well as difficulties performing tasks and feeling slower as a whole.

Long-term injuries not only impact Sailors directly, but also affect their families and future career options depending on the severity. When protective equipment isn't used properly, it only heightens the risks of injuries and increases the potential for more serious and long-lasting effects.

"Safety is paramount," said Mok. "Safety department is here to make sure people go home every day. We aren't here to make things difficult and we are willing to work with people. But if you aren't protecting yourself, we can't protect you."

Anyone who sees an unsafe activity aboard George Washington should report it safety department by calling j-dial x7600 or x4762.

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For more news from USS George Washington (CVN 73), visit www.navy.mil/.