FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii -- Nominations for unit and individual 2016 safety awards are due to U.S. Army Pacific safety office by Oct. 31.
To be considered for a safety award, both individuals and units must have made significant improvements and contributions to accident prevention efforts in Fiscal Year 2016 according to the Department of the Army Pamphlet 385-10, Army Safety Program.
Detailed guidance on submitting a nomination is found in DA PAM 385-10, chapter six and USARPAC's Regulation 385-10, chapter nine, said Jaye Shareef, a safety specialist with USARPAC.
"Units should aggressively seek guidance from their safety office on completing these nomination packets in a timely manner, she said. "The goal is to nominate worthy individuals and units for these prestigious awards, and the safety professionals in USARPAC and subordinate units will do everything they can to help with the process."
She related that last year the U.S. Army Alaska completed an outstanding nomination that won high honors at the Department of the Army level.
1st Lt. Jacob Cain, a safety officer with 4th Brigade, 25th Infantry Division won a 2015 Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army Individual Award of Excellence in Safety.
Cain, who is now in training to become an Army lawyer, was a 2nd Lt. when he was tasked with the additional duty of unit safety officer and he quickly realized that the command emphasis on safety made the position anything but a simple additional duty.
"Soldiers in Alaska have an increased level of risk in everything they do," he said. "The extreme cold and the austere environment has a brutal effect on both people and machines. If commands take don't take safety seriously accidents will happen."
In Cain's nomination packet, Maj. Gen. Bryan Owens, U.S. Army Alaska, commanding general said, "Cain is the right person to receive this prestigious award ... (he) seeks out and eliminates the conditions, practices, and habits that threaten our Soldiers. He maintained an exemplary safety and compliance record that reduced the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4/25 IBCT (Airborne) total number of accidents per year by 28% compared to the previous year."
Unit's should emulate USARAK's 2015 nomination and strive to recognize the hard work of the Soldiers and leaders in their commands who worked so hard last year to conduct their missions safely, said Shareef.
The USARPAC safety director will convene a panel this fall to select the best unit and individual nominations for each competitive category and forward selected nominations to the Department of the Army by December 15.
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