158th Infantry Brigade Honored for Safety Achievements

By Art Powell, U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, AlabamaApril 9, 2015

Safety award for 158th Infantry Brigade
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Farnsworth, left, director of Army safety, presented the Safety Excellence Streamer for "Safety Excellence" to Col. Paul Kreis, right, commander of the 158th Infantry Brigade, in an April 8, 2015, ceremony at the U.S. Army Combat R... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The hard work necessary to build a successful safety culture within the 158th Infantry Brigade, Camp Shelby, Mississippi, was recognized in a ceremony April 8 at the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Farnsworth, director of Army safety, cited proactive risk management as the key for any unit striving to achieve a safety culture such as that of the 158th.

"I think about proactive risk management and the very important role that it plays in all of our formations across the Army," Farnsworth explained. "It requires proactive, engaged leaders at all echelons. And when you do that right, you end up with zero losses, zero Class A and B accidents, people who are risk-conscious and manage and mitigate that risk, on duty and off."

Farnsworth presented the Safety Excellence Streamer for "Safety Excellence" to Col. Paul Kreis, 158th commander, who explained how his unit addressed a safety problem and worked to build a safety culture.

"First is being self-aware and admitting there is a problem," Kreis said. "When I looked at my unit, I had to be honest and say, 'I have a problem.' That's a tough thing for people to do: Look at themselves and say something is wrong. The next step was identifying how to fix it and the next step was finding the right person to help me fix it. It's a commander's responsibility and I had to put the right person with the right tools in place to help me steer in the right direction."

The 158th did steer in the right direction and met the requirements of the safety excellence award. It implemented accident prevention measures and completed 12 consecutive months without a Soldier or unit at fault in a Class A or B accident and achieved a 100 percent completion of risk management training and completion of the Army Readiness Assessment Program within the last 24 months.

"That's what we want and that's what we try to encourage," Farnsworth said. "I'm happy to recognize units like the 158th that take it to the right level."

For additional information on the Army Safety Program, visit:

https://safety.army.mil

Related Links:

U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center