By Mike Barton
Public Affairs Specialist

One of the Navy’s top inspection teams put NADEP Cherry Point’s safety programs under the microscope recently during the second of a series of major inspections.

A Naval Inspector General Oversight Inspection was conducted here July 19-30 as a follow-on to its initial inspection conducted in 2000. The depot increased its overall score by 21 points, with a perfect score in 17 of 24 areas that were inspected. That is nearly double the number of areas with the 100 percent rating from the previous inspection.

According to Lisa Merrell, director of the Industrial Occupational Safety and Health Division, these inspections normally take place every three to four years. The IG office sets a goal of this inspection series to score within the 90s by the end of a 12-year process. At the depot’s current rate, that goal could be accomplished by the next inspection, three to five years ahead of schedule.

The Safety Office withstood the brunt of the inspection as four inspectors combed through safety records during most of the 10-day inspection period. Primary focus was on documentation of in-house safety inspections and their resulting corrective actions. Inspectors also interviewed employees, conducted employee and supervisor focus groups, and toured shop areas within the production facilities.

The inspection team’s initial report noted that the command “made significant improvements since the previous NOIU inspection. There was improvement in defining Occupational Safety and Health expectations and assigning OSH accountability to both supervisors and employees. Likewise, employee understanding of OSH expectations has improved and employee knowledge of industrial hygiene survey reports was noteworthy. There is evidence of good information flow within the chain of command and of management support for the continuous (safety) improvement of work processes.” One good example of this improvement was in the area of personal protective equipment. According to Merrell, the depot scored low in that area four years ago, only to be told that this was “one of the best industrial areas we’ve ever seen for PPE use” during this inspection’s out brief.

There are areas where the command still needs to focus on improvement, said Merrell. Two of the biggest: Supervisors need to respond to NAVOSH deficiencies identified during internal safety inspections more quickly, and the Safety Office must increase the monitoring and measurement of its mishap prevention processes. Mishap prevention is the cornerstone of every safety program, said Merrell. Identification and correction of all hazards will reduce mishaps, which will in turn drive down lost time and lower compensation costs. Actions taken by supervisors to correct deficiencies, even as minor as plugging an open “knockout” hole in an electrical box, or replacing damaged gloves in a media blaster glove box reduce the chances of a mishap.

Depot personnel will face another challenge while improving for future safety inspections. “Our recent integration of Occupational Health and Safety Management System 18001 with the standard Performance Review and Measurement System was a new factor for the inspectors, so there will be an adjustment period,” said Merrell. “We will have to add to the OHSAS 18001 requirements to stay in line with the PRMS. In the end, it will be a better safety system for us.”

The bottom line, said Merrell, is that it is not about inspections, but making sure this a safe place for everyone to work. “It’s not a one-person job – it’s an every person job.”

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