Depot environmental training shows ‘Obvious’ compliance

By Ms. Jennifer Bacchus, Anniston Army Depot Public Affairs OfficeJune 10, 2011

Depot environmental training shows 'Obvious' compliance
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

An employee in Anniston Army Depot’s Nichols Industrial Complex places the lid on a container of hazardous waste, half-heartedly securing it and leaving the seal open. Suddenly, Captain Obvious steps into the scene. Chastising the worker for his carelessness, Captain Obvious secures the lid in compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The depot’s superhero then gives a thumbs-up to the camera, signifying all is well.

Though this scene was staged for an educational video, it mimics events in shops across the installation on a daily basis, whenever a busy worker forgets the importance of following the depot’s environmental policies.

The tools of change

The installation uses the Captain Obvious videos, which humorously teach the right way to handle hazardous or flammable material, to combat carelessness that can easily lead to a catastrophe.

“We have a long-standing issue with making sure shop workers are following all the regulations without seeming like we are the bad guys,” said Lori Thomas, a chemist and environmental protection specialist for the depot’s Directorate of Risk Management and the creator of Captain Obvious.

In addition to the videos, DRK requested, and was granted, a dedicated page in TRACKS. Through photos, announcements and articles printed on the Reducing Tracks page, DRK positively reinforces good habits they find in shops and offices throughout the installation and reminds employees how to properly follow the environmental policies, such as keeping hazardous waste drums RCRA closed.

For those employees who miss an important issue of TRACKS or fail to see Captain Obvious when the videos are broadcast on the installation, DRK’s Production Support Team and environmental monitors are there to help, said Thomas.

The PST, comprised of DRK engineers and Environmental Protection Specialists, regularly visits shops in the Nichols Industrial Complex to train employees and work through issues they see.

“They are our front-line defense,” said Tracy Williams, chief of DRK’s Environmental Management and Restoration Division. “They’re there to answer questions and do the annual environmental training in our shops. It’s not our job to shut down production. It’s our job to find solutions to their problems.”

Environmental monitors also help spot problems in the shops here. They have a different view of issues, since the monitors are production workers who have received environmental training.

Twenty-five environmental monitors work in the Nichols Industrial Complex, performing typical vehicle and artillery maintenance while watching for ways to improve their facility’s environmental performance.

The monitors meet monthly to receive more in-depth environmental training, said Williams, and are encouraged to stay in touch with one another and the PST, sharing issues and solutions to make the entire installation more environmentally aware.

“Just like safety, environmental stewardship is for everyone,” said Williams.

Earlier this year, Thomas began sending monthly Environmental Compliance E-mails to each of the depot’s process optimization managers, environmental monitors, supervisors and leadmen.

“Through these e-mails, we update our production leaders about current compliance issues seen in the shops, keep them informed about important audits and give them tips for staying compliant and preparing for audits,” said Thomas. “It has been a great lifeline so far.”

Culture change

Educating the depot’s workforce has been likened to a culture change, said Thomas. However, she is quick to add, the tools used to train employees made a drastic change in just a year’s time.

During an audit at the depot, handling of hazardous materials was found to be a problem.

In one facility, materials were not labeled, spills were not cleaned in a timely manner and personnel were unfamiliar with proper procedures, said Ron Levy, DRK’s hazardous waste program manager.

“We were close to losing our certification because of the lack of consistency in hazardous materials handling,” said Williams.

That certification, ISO 14001:2004, is not required for the depot to operate, but it adds a layer of credibility to the environmental policies in place here.

“We maintain the certification because it makes us more competitive,” said Levy.

However, when the depot was next audited for ISO recertification, the facility with negative audit findings earned the auditors’ praise.

“It was just a slew of issues that were completely turned around. They were excellent the next time,” said Levy.

Monitoring the change

In addition to the ISO surveillance and recertification audits, the installation’s environmental policies and procedures are regularly monitored by other organizations.

“We have an outside source constantly looking at us,” said Levy, listing the Department of the Army, the state of Alabama and the Environmental Protection Agency as three groups that regularly oversee the depot’s environmental policies.

Within a few months of the depot’s ISO recertification, the Army performed an Environmental Performance Assessment System audit.

It was an audit that, thanks to the hard work of Captain Obvious and his supporters, the installation easily passed.

“We got some positive findings out of the Army audit and those are very rare,” said Williams.

Vital to the depot’s success during external audits, according to Williams, were internal pre-audits conducted by DRK personnel, including the Production Support Team. Williams said there were more findings in the pre-audits than in the actual EPAS audit.

“I think we were a little harder on ourselves during the pre-audits than the Army auditors were,” said Williams.

Having passed two audits with positive findings, DRK is not resting on its laurels. Rather, they continue to strengthen the workforce’s environmental knowledge through the videos, articles and training.