SILVERDALE, Wash. (Aug. 27, 2020) –
Jonathan Hagen, Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Coordinator at Trident Refit Facility Bangor (TRFB) was recently named the VPP Special Government Employee (SGE) 2020 Region 10 Award Winner.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created the SGE Program to give qualified volunteers from VPP sites the opportunity to work with OSHA in various activities.
To be eligible for the award, Hagen participated in multiple OSHA cooperative programs and projects, assisted with VPP on-site evaluations, and served as an instructor and mentor to help other organizations work toward becoming VPP star sites. He also attends and supports local group meetings with other Navy installations to share safety and health concerns and discuss new changes in OSHA.
The VPP SGE awards recognize exemplary individuals around the country who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the program and go above and beyond to benefit their organizations.
Hagen was selected out of more than 1,500 SGEs to represent and support worker safety and health.
“My efforts alone are minimal,” said Hagen. “Our efforts together can change and form a workplace culture to be more safety and health-minded, resulting in fewer injuries and creating a healthier workforce.”
The VPP Star Program recognizes the excellent health and safety management systems of worksites with injury and illness rates below the national average for their industry. TRFB has held a VPP Star Worksite status since November 2008.
“The fact that TRFB has maintained Star Worksite status for so long is a true testament to Jonathan’s effort and dedication to the VPP program,” said Capt. Kenneth Holland, TRFB executive officer. “He competed at a national level, demonstrating his commitment to ensuring TRFB represents a culture of health and safety.”
According to OSHA, VPP sites are committed to effective employee protection beyond the typical requirements. The intent is for employees, managers and leaders to work together to develop and implement systems to effectively identify, evaluate, prevent, and control occupational hazards to prevent illness or injury.
“TRFB is committed to promoting a work environment that goes beyond compliance. VPP is a platform of principles we applied and committed ourselves to in order to create the safety and health culture that exists here at TRFB,” said Hagen. “Safety is selfless, not selfish. Together we can all make TRFB a safer, more productive work environment.”
Trident Refit Facility Bangor (TRFB) was established in the Pacific Northwest on July 1, 1981, as the primary maintenance facility for the West Coast Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) fleet. TRFB’s principal mission is to support the nation’s strategic deterrence mission by repairing, incrementally overhauling, and modernizing the Ohio-class and the future Columbia-class until the end of service life. The TRFB team is comprised of approximately 500 military and 1,500 civilians.