FORT BELVOIR, Va. (Jan. 30, 2014) -- Workplace safety is critical for organizations across the Army. However, safety in a medical environment is especially important to ensure that employees and patients are protected from a variety of serious hazards common to clinical operations.
The Voluntary Protection Program was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1982 to recognize workplaces that go above and beyond the basic compliance standards by employing an effective safety and health management system. The system demonstrates a cooperative and proactive safety partnership of management, labor, and regulatory agencies. These workplaces are identified as model sites, showing the employees, industry and the community that they are leaders in safety and health.
The Department of Army informally adopted this approach in 2012 and selected the U.S. Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) as the pilot organization for the Army. In June of 2012, the MEDCOM Safety Management System (MS2) was established and a concept of operations (CONOPs) and implementation plan was developed and published. The CONOPs, signed by Army Surgeon General and MEDCOM Commander Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, requires all MEDCOM military treatment facilities (MTFs) and other O6 level (colonel) and below commands to enroll in the multi-phased process to achieve "Star Status."
According to Mary Profitt, safety director for Northern Regional Medical Command, NRMC officially launched the program in June 2012 following the official release of the CONOPs by MEDCOM. Barquist Army Health Clinic, Fort Detrick, Md., McDonald Army Health Center, Fort Eustis, Va., and Kenner Army Health Clinic (KAHC), Fort Lee, Va., were the first MTFs within the region to begin the process.
The MS2 program is designed to reduce accidents by building a safety-conscious culture in the workplace through the execution of safety practices and procedures. To achieve star status, organizations must complete three stages of assessments focused on management leadership and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard prevention and control, and safety and health training.
Profitt is quick to point out that while safety is a key coordinator in the process it is not the lead on executing the program. Commanders have a critical role in giving the initiative proper visibility and support, and effective implementation depends on employee involvement from all areas of the organization's staff. Successful organizations have established a MS2 steering committee or appointed one or more MS2 "Champions."
"Of course, safety serves as a critical advisory component for the MS2 program, but successful organizations have achieved true engagement by every employee, and the program is high on the list of commander priorities," Profitt said. "As a whole, MTF commanders within the region are embracing this commitment to safety in pursuit of "Star Status."
It typically takes three years to complete the program. Kenner, which started in September 2012, is in the third phase and will be assessed in June of this year. If successful, Kenner will be the first MTF within the region to receive the Army Star Strong flag -- only 21 months since inception.
Colonel Thomas Bundt, KAHC commander, understands the importance of workplace safety and thinks this new program emphasizes safety among his staff and is proud of how quickly Kenner was able to start and sustain the process well in advance of the standard timeline.
"The staff has done a fantastic job throughout," Bundt said. "Every component of this valuable program and has demonstrated this through multiple venues and inspections. We have every confidence this commitment will continue to evolve and improve, and that KAHC will soon achieve Star Status in the MS2 program."
Throughout the process, the NRMC Safety Office conducts assessments of each stage with the MTF. All assessments are conducted by a trained assessor within MEDCOM and a contract employee from the Department of Defense VPP/Safety Management Center of Excellence.
Following the assessment, the medical facility's leadership and MS2 steering committee/champion receives an exit briefing and a written report in the form of a gap-analysis spreadsheet. The committee is then tasked to address identified issues and submit their corrective actions through a secure web-based tool managed by the Center of Excellence. These actions are validated by both NRMC and MEDCOM Safety Offices before the organization moves onto the next stage.
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