An organizational culture of safety-mindedness and a commitment to high-velocity learning earned Fleet Readiness Center East the 2018 Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Shore Safety Award in the Large Industrial Activity category.

The annual CNO Shore Safety Awards provide recognition to the commands with the best overall command safety programs, with an emphasis on risk management and mishap prevention. The CNO recently announced the 2018 winners of the honor, which is the top Navy award for safety.

“Winning the 2018 Shore Safety Award helps emphasize the quality of our safety management system here at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), and the hard work we have done to make gains in safety,” said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. Mark E. Nieto. “It’s a huge honor and I’m proud that the Chief of Naval Operations has recognized our depot for its exceptional safety record, but more importantly I’m proud that our workforce has embraced a culture of safety.”

FRCE’s application went first to the Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers level, where headquarters leadership selected FRCE’s safety program to represent the COMFRC command at the CNO competition.

A safety record that has steadily improved over the last several years and a can-do attitude toward mitigating risks before they result in injury are what sets FRCE apart from the competition, said Brian Snow, the depot’s assistant safety director. FRCE has implemented several safety initiatives that have led to a dramatic reduction in workplace injuries at the depot. Beginning in 2004, FRCE adopted the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18000, the internationally accepted standard for occupational health and safety management systems. In 2006, FRCE implemented the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program, which focuses on preventing fatalities, injuries and illnesses through a system of hazard prevention and control; worksite analysis; training; and management commitment and worker involvement.

“Having the right standards and programs in place has definitely contributed to the strong safety culture at FRCE, but what really makes the difference is our people,” Nieto explained. “Our entire workforce is committed to safety, and it shows when you look at our numbers, and the advances we have made over the years. You don’t get these kinds of results unless safety is part of every worker’s day-to-day routine, and everyone is on board with constantly aiming for improvement.”

The teamwork required to strengthen the safety culture at FRCE has led to positive transformation in the realm of safety and recognition for the workforce’s efforts.

“The way I like to look at it, once you start getting a good safety record, you can get the command recognized for all the hard work of making the workplace safer,” Snow said. “But it’s not all based on mishap numbers. This year the CNO award included other criteria for the application, such as high-velocity learning. We had to include examples of that in all the various categories we had to address. That, in conjunction with our safety record and the things we’ve been accomplishing, I believe that’s why we were selected for the award.”

The commitment to high-velocity learning – which focuses in part on attacking and solving problems when they occur and sharing information – is a product of not just the work being done by the safety program at FRCE, but also of leadership that values the safety of the depot’s employees, Snow said.

“From the commanding officer on down, everybody treats safety concerns the same way,” he said. “When a problem is identified, how do we react to it? Do we react negatively or positively? Do we address it immediately, or put it on hold and try to figure things out later, and kind of just let it die on the vine?

“Here, once we discover a problem, we jump on it immediately, and we try to get as many people involved in it as we can to try to get different perspectives, then go forward with a solution,” he continued. “In my opinion, that’s the best way to do it, and we try to do it as soon as possible to keep people from getting injured due to our inaction. Instead of letting a problem continue to fester, we try to do something about it immediately.”

“We don’t want safety hazards to persist or worsen when we could be finding ways to mitigate the problem,” Nieto agreed. “Employing the high-velocity learning approach of attacking the problem in a timely manner, with as much input and from as many angles as possible, and then sharing what we have learned is the most effective approach from an organizational perspective, and it has helped us get out in front where safety is concerned.”

Leadership’s willingness to make a fiscal investment in safety has also made a difference. FRCE was built in the 1940s, which means the depot requires continual upkeep; however, leadership is dedicated to immediately addressing potential safety concerns and finding proactive solutions to repair the aging facility and bring it in line with current safety standards.

“Our people are the FRC’s primary resource, and it’s important to provide them with a safe and healthy work environment,” Nieto said. “Safety is our top priority, and we have to be willing to invest in safety to keep it at the forefront of our mission. As long as we keep the spotlight on safety, the rest of our focus areas – quality, throughput and cost – will continue to fall into place.”

“The important thing people need to understand is that we are interested in them. We are invested in them,” Snow added. “We’re interested in keeping them safe, and we’re interested in them going home as safe and as whole as when they came to work. We do complex industrial work that at times can be repetitive and taxing, and we are interested in finding ways for them to complete these tasks more easily, which keeps them safer.”

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