Wright-Patterson Area Office recognized as the third U.S. Army Corps of Engineers VPP certified site

By Todd Hornback, USACEFebruary 8, 2016

Wright-Patterson Area Office recognized as the third U.S. Army Corps of Engineers VPP certified site
The Wright-Patt Resident Area Office employees, Dayton, Ohio, are recognized as the third Corps of Engineers certified site for Voluntary Protection Programs. Leonard Litton, acting director, Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

"As an office, we have not had a lost-time accident since 2005," Hearn said. "I can't be more proud of the employees who have helped us through this certification."

The area office continues to be well below the industry standards for injury and illness rates. The area office created nine committees, comprised of employees, as participants in the program and encourage all employees to look out for one another and keep safety as their number one goal.

As the committee chair for crane safety, Chris Childs, construction control representative, said the VPP certification is, "really creating a culture of safety. When VPP came and we decided to do committees, we felt we had a need to look specifically to cranes."

The importance and realization of incorporating safety into a construction project comes to life as the team completes the $40 million hangar--part of the Air Force National Museum located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. With workers lifting beam configurations weighing in at 126,000 pounds, the resident office committee created a 239-page crane lift plan for the hangar project.

According to Chris Hesse, a resident office project engineer, the support of leadership is an integral part of the VPP success story.

"It gives me the tools. If I need to look at a safety issue, I know I have the support," Hesse said.

That support goes through the command to district leadership. Louisville District Commander Col. Christopher Beck confirmed during the ceremony his support to the entire Wright-Patterson Area Office team.

"I would like to congratulate everyone in the office," Beck said. "This is the launching off point of what this really means."

Addressing Hearn and Jefferson, Beck added, "What you two and this entire team have shown--the commitment and culture to safety. It's not just one player or one worker--it's the team."