Photo By Sgt. Mason Runyon | The 9th Mission Support Command (MSC) Safety Team received four separate awards for...... read more read more
The 9th Mission Support Command (MSC) received four exceptional safety awards for the 2021 fiscal year, recognizing the accomplishment of maintaining safety standards across the command. The awards received include the Secretary of the Army, U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC), U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), and the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) Exceptional Organization Safety Award.
Limited safety incidents, adherence to regulations, and command emphasis displayed from platoon to division level, are the reasons behind the 9th MSC earning these awards.
“This truly is a 9th MSC award,” said 9th MSC Safety Director Joseph Richardson.
Richardson, or “Safety Joe” as he is affectionately known as at the 9th MSC, attributes maintaining a consistently safe program to a variety of things, such as a weekly safety messages from Commanding General (CG) Brig. Gen. Mark Siekman that goes directly to every Soldier and civilian email. The team conducts annual staff assisted visits (SAVs) to every reserve center in the area of operation (AO), where they provide the units with recommendations on how to improve and the tools needed to improve.
“These aren’t ‘gotcha’ inspections where we are trying to find something wrong with them,” said Richardson. “If they have a failing safety program, then that reflects on us for not providing the support they need.”
The safety team works to create a climate where everyone, no matter rank or position, is a safety officer. They encourage anyone to speak up if they are witnessing actions or routines that aren’t meeting the appropriate safety standards.
“We aim to involve everyone who is within the 9th MSC,” said 9th MSC Occupational Safety Specialist Jhade Bugauisan. “When we take visits, we provide answers and information for anyone to pass along, in hopes of educating everyone from top to bottom.”
In order to continue a safe and efficient program, the team has to navigate its own set of obstacles. The 9th MSC AO, is the largest in the Army Reserve spanning seven time zones and thousands of miles, as well as having the command with most safety programs covered in the Army Reserve as well.
“We have 21 of the 24 Army safety programs under the 9th MSC,” said Richardson.
Some of these 21 safety programs they are responsible for include general safety requirements, explosives safety management, motor vehicle accident prevention program, medical safety, chemical agent safety management, electrical safety, and many more.
The team also has to maintain all of these in a reserve command that is composed heavily of TPU (troop program unit) Soldiers, where a significant portion of the force is not active duty.
“The members of my safety team are the only trained civilian safety professionals, so we rely on the additional duty safety officers (ADSOs) to be our eyes and ears in the units,” said Richardson. “We request that the ADSOs accompany us on our visits so that we can help show them the things we are looking for and how to correct anything that isn’t being done properly.”
They also utilize a fellowship program to train safety professionals on a full time basis. Having a command that deals with 21 of the 24 safety programs, they can provide a plethora of valuable training that they won’t get from any other Army Reserve unit, establishing them with a great record of producing outstanding safety professionals.
“It’s a two year paid program that provides a fantastic opportunity and great experience for any aspiring safety professionals,” said Bugauisan.
The team attributes the consistent success of the program to learning from their mistakes, with just a dash of good luck.
“We have been fortunate that the safety incidents that occurred were not as serious as they could have been,” said Richardson. “We turn those into lessons learned.”
However, the team also acknowledges that the work put into the program as well as the reiteration of how important safety is, from the NCOs, leadership, the CG, and everyone really pays dividends in making people realize how seriously they take it.
The one thing the team would admit to saying they do well, is that they are genuinely concerned for Soldiers and Civilians in this command and their well-being. Any actions or steps they take are motivated by a desire to prevent any harm befalling anyone in the 9th MSC.
“This is not a job to me, it goes beyond that,” said Bugauisan. “This is a duty that is fueled by a drive to help others.”
Richardson would go on to say that in the 15 years he has worked in safety service, the 9th MSC has the best safety culture of any that he has seen.
“I have not experienced the level of safety communication with any other organization that I have been part of, in the way that I experience it here at the 9th MSC,” said Richardson. “I have worked with brigades, companies, battalions, divisions, and the 9th has the best safety culture.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2022 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 429316 |
| Location: | HONOLULU, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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