REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – The Army Materiel Command enterprise is undergoing a safety management system overhaul – important for the safety and health of its 165,000-strong workforce across installations, depots, plants and arsenals – and even as the new system matures and expands, AMC is setting the bar.
The Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army selected three AMC teams to receive the 2023 Safety and Occupational Health Awards for Excellence at the four-star, two-star, and garrison levels.
At the four-star level, AMC received the Army Exceptional Organization Safety Award, and AMC Safety Director Bill Zaharis said this recognition is for the progress made implementing new safety requirements and for everything the enterprise’s major subordinate commands have accomplished so far under this initiative.
“We’re three years ahead of the Army on implementation, and we’ve been spending a lot of energy helping the Army shape this system and improve it,” he said. “We have the expertise to help them lead the way.”
Anticipating the recently released Department of the Army directive, AMC implemented a Safety and Occupational Health Management System across the enterprise to streamline safety management in 2021. Zaharis explained that there are multiple stages of this plan and it takes time for these systems to reach maturity.
“We’re continuously improving, rather than saying, ‘We have a program that’s compliant,’” he said. “We’re always doing better, looking for ways to move forward.”
In 2023, the enterprise increased over 20 percent of its safety managers with the Professional Certificate in Safety and Occupational Health, which is the baseline certificate requirement.
“That’s roughly 500 safety managers across the enterprise,” Zaharis said. “It’s a big deal because it’s 33 courses. It’s given us a really solid foundation, and we know we have good quality people advising commanders so these programs are successful as they move forward.”
Additionally, AMC established another required level of training for the Professional Certificate in Industrial Safety. The PCIS closes the gap between the baseline requirement and the skills safety professionals assigned to the Army’s Organic Industrial Base use on a regular basis.
Another major improvement to safety management came with the use of an automated reporting tool, ASMIS, to capture safety data without having to ask for it.
“We’re able to actually pull data from organizations about their hazard management and inspections, and we’re able to use the tool instead of making data calls, so we can show commanders the real-time progress,” Zaharis said.
At the two-star level, Army Sustainment Command also received the award for making great strides in integrating the new safety management system and exceeding OSHA requirements.
ASC is recognized for enhancing Quality of Life and Quality Work Environment integration, as well as maintaining the success of global mission operations and exercises, all while staying below industry average for lost-time injuries and days away from work.
“Minor incidents have gone down over the past five years because of this system,” Zaharis said. “Employees are more engaged. Remote work authorizations have helped dangerous roles reduce risk.”
Finally, at the garrison level, the third Army Exceptional Organization Safety Award recognized Fort Riley, Kansas, for lowered mishap rates and resolving identified hazards quickly.
Fort Riley’s safety team was highlighted for staying on top of their assessment updates, accident and injury statistics, lessons learned and employee feedback. Because of this attention to detail, the installation has saved the Army and state taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in workers compensation costs, attributed to the team’s engaged leadership and awareness programs.
Overall, Zaharis said the success of the safety management system will continue to rely on the continued training of safety managers and keeping commanders involved.
“A lot of this is risk management, knowing what ‘right’ looks like,” he said. “Due to our commanders being engaged in safety, we have done a really great job of increasing the professionalism of our safety managers. We aim to keep that momentum.”
The enterprise-level Army Exceptional Organization Safety Award was presented by Lt. Gen. Chris Mohan, AMC deputy commanding general and acting commander, in a Sept. 12 ceremony at the command’s headquarters.
AMC’s next safety goal includes increasing the annual requirement of safety managers with professional certifications for safety and occupational health, hoping to close the remaining gap on managers who aren’t caught up.
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