SMDC, MDA come together for joint 'Safety Day'

By Jason B. Cutshaw, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public AffairsJune 3, 2016

SMDC, MDA come together for joint 'Safety Day'
Sgt. Maj. Wanda D. Vereen, G-1 sergeant major, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, spends time at the Civil Air Patrol safety exhibit during the Missile Defense Agency and USASMDC/ARSTRAT's eighth annual Joint S... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- With summer approaching, two Redstone Arsenal commands focus on the health and safety of their employees.

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command and the Missile Defense Agency hosted the eighth annual Joint Safety Awareness Day and Health Expo to promote safety awareness June 2 at the Von Braun Complex on Redstone Arsenal. The command also combined safety training with Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, or SHARP, and suicide prevention training.

"Army regulation requires that military and civilian personnel receive SHARP training annually, both face-to-face and online," said Dr. Julie Lindahl, SMDC SHARP program manager. "For the last two fiscal years we have taken an out-of-the-box approach and moved away from the standard PowerPoint presentations. This year is even more out-of-the-box as we broke down the silos and collaborated with other internal programs.

"This first-ever training initiative is a direct reflection of the workforce speaking up at the SHARP process improvement forums indicating they wanted quality training in a reasonable amount of time," she added. "So we listened and orchestrated a three-for-one event that meets the mission while still being fun and informational. SHARP is not just about response and intervention, it starts with communication, education, and prevention. It is all about the people, because without the people, we can't complete the mission."

USASMDC/ARSTRAT hosted another Safety Day for its team members stationed at Colorado Springs, Colorado, on the same date.

The purpose of the joint venue is to promote safety awareness; to minimize the risk of unintentional death, injury or damage caused by mishaps; promote proactive safety measures within the command elements in Huntsville and recognize June as National Safety Month. The day's activities focused on safety demonstrations and inspections performed by members of Redstone Arsenal, Colorado Springs and their surrounding communities.

The Safety Day expo highlighted SMDC's and MDA's commitments to employee safety and health by bringing in local vendors to demonstrate and promote safety awareness.

"In our day-to-day lives and routines, we sometimes get complacent," said Bobby Taylor, SMDC command Safety manager. "Safety Day gives us that moment to stop and reflect on ways we can make our personal lives and the lives of our loved ones safer. We do it in conjunction with National Safety Month and the focus is reducing the leading causes of accidents and injuries while at work, while traveling and at home.

"Safety Day is a testament to our leadership and employees here at SMDC," he added. "I also cannot express my appreciation enough to the exhibitors, who volunteer their time to provide safety information to improve the lives of our Soldiers, civilians and families."

MDA and SMDC employees and family members at Redstone Arsenal got a firsthand chance to learn about local safety and health issues unique to Alabama and the Tennessee Valley. They learned about several issues confronting them both indoors and outdoors.

Exhibits and safety demonstrations in Huntsville included: Fleet Feet sporting safety equipment; ISSI UXO and Consulting LLC unexploded ordnance safety; S.W.A.T. Environmental; Bicycles Etc., bicycle safety; Alabama Department of Transportation; Safe-T-Shelter, storm shelters; HealthSource; Rocket Harley Davidson, motorcycle safety; Terminix, pest control; Power Home Tech, home security and alarms; SARTEC Search and Rescue Team (with dogs); North Alabama Firearms, weapons safety; Redstone Arsenal Fire Department; Lowe's, home and ladder safety; University of Alabama in Huntsville, severe weather safety; Redstone Arsenal Veterinary Activity; Fox Army Health Center Health and Wellness, ergonomics, hearing and vision conservation, bone density; Army Ready and Resilient Campaign; Redstone Arsenal Substance Abuse Program; Firestone, tire safety; Grainger Industrial Supply; Industry Safety Equipment; Brister's Martial Arts; City of Huntsville Natatorium, water safety; Land Trust, hiking safety; Civil Air Patrol; and Winning Edge, sports safety.

Related Links:

Safety Day Flickr page

USASMDC/ARSTRAT web page

USASMDC/ARSTRAT Facebook page

USASMDC/ARSTRAT Twitter page