Aviation & Missile Center focuses on workplace safety

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aviation & Missile Center held a safety, health, and wellness day at the Bob Jones Auditorium Oct. 17 to spread awareness about workplace safety.

Dr. Juanita M. Christensen, director, opened the event with remarks about the importance of safety in the workplace. "We, as leaders, have to lead by example [in showing] that it's important to address safety in the workforce, as well as the health of our employees," said Christensen.

Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, RDECOM commanding general, was the keynote speaker and encouraged the workforce to practice safety in all aspects of their jobs. "[Safety] is critically important," said Wins. "Everyone needs to be a safety steward, every single one of us. We've got to be looking out for ourselves… [and] for others, particularly in the work that we do."

Being cognizant and responsible about workplace safety doesn't only apply when something catastrophic has happened. Minor accidents or seemingly small lapses in safety compliance can lead to more serious accidents down the road. "[Whether you report an accident] goes beyond whether you are severely injured or severely hurt," Wins said. Reporting slips, trips, and falls matters in maintaining the overall safety of the workforce.

Approximately 40 vendors manned booths displaying information about different forms of wellness and safety, such as chiropractors and home health care professionals. Maintaining health and wellness outside of the office plays a role in the number of accidents reported at work.

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The Aviation & Missile Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the joint Warfighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.