The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Albany Field Office has earned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) prestigious Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Award ⎼ OSHA’s highest honor for exemplary achievement in workplace health and safety.
The VPP Star Award recognizes employers/employees that have developed and implemented robust safety and health management systems, demonstrating continuous improvement and exceeding OSHA safety standards.
Awards Ceremony & OSHA OFFICIALS
With New York’s scenic Hudson River in the background, remarks were given by New York District Commander Col. Eric Swenson and Chief of Operations and Readiness Division Randall Hintz. OSHA administrators Richard Mendelson and Rita Young also addressed the audience.
Two separate honors were bestowed: first, OSHA officials presented a plaque to the Albany Field Office personnel acknowledging the achievement at the facility. Albany Field Office team members Eric Marcy, Loren K. Bleau and Derek Sanderson accepted the award on behalf of the field office; then OSHA officials presented the VPP Star Flag to the Albany Field Office. Michael Condon and Eric Gundersen accepted the flag on behalf of the organization and swiftly hoisted it atop the flagpole flying it over the facility as a daily reminder of the commitment to safety.
Army Corps employees at the Albany Field Office were also individually recognized for their support to the VPP Star achievement. Each employee received the Civilian Service Achievement Medal and a commemorative USACE/VPP emblemed jacket. The festive celebration included a formal cutting of a red, white and blue cake and concluded with Army Corps Leaders accompanying OSHA officials on a tour of the facility.
Albany Field Office Chief Michael Wright stated: “I’m extremely proud of all our employees at Troy Lock & Dam. Their hard work participating in and adopting safety and prevention measures has made this day possible. We recognize the importance of serving the public by facilitating the safe, efficient transport of cargo, U.S. Coast Guard and recreational vessels from around the region. We’re committed to a culture of safety.”
albany field office: SELECT COMPANY
Receiving the VPP Star Award places albany Field Office is in select company. Consider the following:
▶ One (1) of only 19 businesses in OSHA’s Albany Region to achieve VPP Star Certification ⎼ there’s 50,000 - 60,000 businesses in the Albany area.
▶ One (1) of only 68 businesses in the OSHA Region II area to achieve VPP Star Certification. Region II encompasses New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that includes over 1 million businesses total.
▶ Is the second in the New York District of the Army Corps to achieve VPP Star Certification; both are part of the Operations and Readiness Division.
▶ Only the fourth VPP Star recipient in all of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worldwide.
FIELD OFFICE OPERATIONS
Albany Field Office operates Troy Lock & Dam handling commercial and recreational traffic on New York’s inland waterways and supports navigation through drift-collection and river patrols across the Hudson River, Champlain Canal and Lake Champlain. The Navigation Section conducts dredging operations, asset inspections and executes major maintenance activities.
New York District Commander Col. Eric Swenson said: “This prestigious award recognizes the excellent culture of safety developed by our employees at Troy Lock & Dam. This facility serves New York’s regional waterways with a number of critical missions ⎼ it’s vital that staff are ready for challenges at a moment’s notice. This is a great day for the District and its employees.”
CULTURE OF SAFETY
Some factors contributing to the VPP Star Award include:
▶ Implementing a culture of safety with Leadership actively leading safety initiatives rather than just endorsing them.
▶ Redefining success by measuring and rewarding incident-prevention efforts instead of just tracking injury rates
▶ Purpose-driven training so employees understand not just what safety protocols to follow but why they matter to their safety and the Team.
▶ Moving beyond incident response to actively looking to identify and mitigate hazards before an incident occurs.
These improvements were judged to effectively control/prevent occupational hazards and reduce employee injuries and illnesses. As a result, the work site has a lost-workday-incidence rate below the industry average for this type of facility.
EXTENSIVE CANAL SYSTEM
Troy Lock & Dam serves as the eastern gateway to New York State’s extensive canal system that includes 524 miles of waterways and 56 locks. It facilitates safe navigation of billions in commerce each year ⎼ construction equipment, bulk commodities and oversized loads (large turbines, generators and steel) that cannot be transported by highway.
It also saves money and energy. The New York State Canal Corporation notes the canal system is a considerably cheaper mode of transportation for shippers: one gallon of fuel will move a ton of cargo further by barge than truck or rail.
Chief of Operations and Readiness Division Randall Hintz stated: “I want to commend all employees whose efforts made this award possible. Our Division places a premium on health and safety demonstrated by how these employees carry out their work each day. We aim to continue meeting the highest standards of health and safety. Congrats to all!”
SERVING THE PUBLIC
The award takes on greater significance considering Troy Lock and Dam is a waterfront facility that serves the public keeping traffic on inland waterways safe and efficient and contributing to the regional economy. Stringent safety protocols are paramount. With the OSHA VPP now firmly in place at Albany Field Office, Troy Lock & Dam facility, its assets and employees are better positioned to safely and reliably execute their missions benefiting the region.