USA: Top Safety Rating Renewed at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) recertified as a Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) “Star” work site for workplace safety, June 5.

The Star rating is the highest under Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program and recognizes private industry and federal agencies that exhibit exemplary safety and health management systems. The shipyard is the only federal activity in Hawaii currently designated as a VPP Star site.

PHNSY & IMF Commander Capt. Brian Osgood described the recertification as a very significant achievement earned by every person in the shipyard working together. “You can’t buy safety. It has to come from personal attitudes, beliefs, and conduct,” said Osgood.

The shipyard and intermediate maintenance facility first attained Star status in 2007. Voluntary Protection Program participants undergo a review every three to five years to remain in the program. During the last review in November, the OSHA team found that PHNSY & IMF’s three-year injury rate was 68 percent below the industry average.

PHNSY & IMF is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and a full-service naval shipyard and regional maintenance center for the U.S. Navy’s surface ships and submarines. It is the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawaii with a combined civilian and military workforce of about 4,850 and an economic impact of $925 million.

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Source: navsea, June 24, 2012