KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- High standards of safety and occupational health support high levels of readiness.
The workforce at the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center-Europe has embraced a safety-first mentality, leading to the unit’s recent achievement as an “Army SOH Star” site earned by fully implementing programs and safeguards in accordance with the Army Safety and Occupational Health Management System, or ASOHMS.
“Safety is not about managing programs, it is about people,” USAMMC-E Commander Col. Chad Vermillion said. “When we take care of people, it enables them to take care of our mission. I’m proud to work for a team that takes the safety of our personnel so seriously.”
Vermillion, joined by USAMMC-E safety staff, presented the SOH Star flag and certificate of recognition to mark the occasion July 12 at Kaiserslautern Army Depot.
The commander presented the certificate to Uwe Koester, a supply technician, who has been a safety leader within his staff section during his time working at USAMMC-E.
USAMMC-E, a direct reporting unit to Army Medical Logistics Command, serves as the theater lead agent for medical materiel in support of U.S. Army European Command and U.S. Army African Command, along with Department of State activities in the region. The unit also provides forward medical materiel support to U.S. Army Central Command.
“The team at USAMMC-E continues to impress on all fronts,” AMLC Commander Col. Marc Welde said. “Command Sgt. Maj. Wright and I commend the workforce in Germany for this achievement and committing to a culture of safety that puts our people first.”
ASOHMS provides a framework for Army organizations to systematically manage their safety and occupational health programs, protecting Soldiers, civilians and property from workplace risks and hazards. The three-stage program consists of six capability objectives, including leadership engagement, training, hazard analysis, the development of countermeasures and more.
After completing the first two phases, a third-party site visit is conducted to provide an assessment to determine if the unit is fit to be recognized as “Star” site.
Representatives from U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, Army Materiel Command, Department of Army headquarters and the 405th Army Field Support Brigade completed USAMMC-E’s onsite review.
USAMMC-E Sgt. Maj. Andrew Colburn credited Jenny Grasser, the organization’s former safety office lead, and Holger Ebeler, safety and occupational health specialist, for laying the groundwork for the recognition, especially considering the organization’s move from Pirmasens in 2021.
“Many procedures across the organization needed to adapt to meet the needs of our new space. Much of the safety updating legwork took place during this time,” Colburn said. “Overall, it really is a team effort and there are many names who did more than their part allowing USAMMC-E to achieve this recognition.”
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