KAHC receives Army Safety Excellence Award streamer

By Tereasa Wade, KAHC Public Affairs OfficerDecember 3, 2015

Kenner Army Health Clinic receives Army Safety Excellence Award streamer
Fort Lee MEDDAC's Medical Company commander, Capt. Lori B. Gatrell, Fort Lee MEDDAC's Medical Company first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Tiffany Horne, KAHC and Fort Lee MEDDAC commander Lt. Col. Brett H. Venable and Sgt. Maj. Dave B. Francis, KAHC sergeant ma... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEE, Va. (Dec. 3, 2015) -- Kenner Army Health Clinic added a new Army Safety Excellence Award Streamer to its command flag Monday. It acknowledges the facility's aggressive accident prevention activities over the past year. It is the second such award in the past five years.

"This streamer represents our staff's commitment to safety. I'm very proud of the Kenner team for earning this recognition," said Lt. Col. Brett H. Venable, clinic commander.

Receiving the award is the latest step in Kenner's journey to becoming a "High Reliability Organization," Venable noted. An HRO is one that avoids catastrophic errors in industries such as health care where normal accidents can be expected due to high risk factors and complexity.

"At Kenner, we are committed to creating a safety culture where every employee feels empowered to speak up and voice safety concerns," said Venable. "Open communication is one of the keys to achieving our goal of zero preventable accidents."

Virgilio Munoz, Kenner safety manager, spearheaded the command's safety campaign and ensured the clinic met all requirements for the streamer. "Safety is a command priority at Kenner and this prestigious award is a reflection of our safety culture," Munoz said.

The award recognizes the clinic for not having a Class A or Class B accident, which are defined as a high-property loss or damage value of more than $500,000 or an injury causing a permanent partial disablement or three or more people injured in an accident. In addition, the clinic achieved 100-percent completion of composite risk-management training and the Army Readiness Assessment Program.

The ARAP serves two purposes. First, Munoz said it is a great tool that allows employees to provide feedback on the unit's safety culture. Second, the ARAP provides recommendations to the command on how to address safety challenges identified in the survey.

Risk management also is an important part of Kenner's safety program. Soldiers must meet specific safety standards, including completing a risk assessment for privately owned vehicle travel of more than 225 miles, being certified to ride motorcycles through the Motorcycle Safety Program and wearing a reflective safety belt or vest while walking or running on roadways during periods of limited visibility or darkness.

"The clinic holds online and face-to-face safety training on a quarterly basis to promote these measures," Munoz said.

By earning this award, the clinic is authorized to display the Army Safety Excellence Streamer on both the Medical Department Activity colors and the Medical Company guidon over the next year.

For more information about workplace and seasonal safety at the Army level, visit the website https://safety.army.mil.

For more information about Kenner's program, call the safety manager at (804) 734-9445.