DAHLGREN, Va. –
From the time you are a toddler crawling around on the living room floor to an adult starting a new job or starting a new year in the office, you are taught what is safe. For example, “stop, drop and roll” is the quintessential fire lesson taught early in life.
At Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), safety lessons are emphasized as employees and collective teams work together to create new products for the warfighter.
The Safety and Environmental Branch at NSWCDD does not work alone – with support from command, departments and individuals, operations run smoothly… and safely.
“Safety is necessary to support the [Dahlgren] mission,” NSWCDD Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Service Cost Center Project Manager and Electromagnetic and Sensor Systems Department Safety Representative Tim Beatty said. “Ultimately, we all serve a greater mission beyond our individual selves and roles. In my view, safety is necessary to accomplish that mission. The motto I apply is ‘mission first, safety always.’ We have to accomplish the mission, but we need to take the time to plan and do the mission safely.”
Beatty is one of six individuals at NSWCDD and NSWCDD Dam Neck Activity (DNA) recognized by the Safety and Environmental Branch as Safety Sentinel of the Year Program awardees for their “proactive approach to safety by incorporating operational risk management into their everyday work practices,” according to the award guidelines.
“Our goal [in the Safety and Environmental Branch] is to keep our employees safe as they perform their task or job,” explained Jackie Yang, NSWCDD occupational safety and health specialist. “This award is [designed to] not only encourage, but also recognize the people that have done an outstanding job promoting and fostering a culture of health and safety.”
Although this is the first year of the award, Yang said the intent is to select six NSWCDD or NSWCDD DNA employees every June for the honor.
“I appreciate the recognition. I think it is really a reflection, not so much on me, but on the team,” said Beatty. “One of my guiding principles is that ‘alone, I can do nothing.’ That means that significant accomplishments are the result of working with others, the product of relationship between individuals or groups of individuals.”
The inaugural class of the Safety Sentinel of the Year Award Program includes Beatty, Kevin Berry, Thomas Crisafulli, Jim Engbert, Andy Knott and Michael Shea.