Eighty-five employees from the Physical Support and Survey and Mapping Branches of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, recently received the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Voluntary Protection Program Star Award ⎼ the highest level of recognition within OSHA’s VPP Program recognizing exemplary achievement in workplace health and safety.
The VPP Star Award recognizes employers/employees that have developed and implemented robust safety and health management systems, demonstrating continuous improvement and exceeding OSHA safety standards.
Top Officials From D.C.
Top OSHA officials visited New York’s Caven Point Marine Terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey ─ a District field office primarily serving the navigation-safety mission of the Army Corps Civil Works Program ─ for a ceremony that included New York Leaders and employees.
New York District Commander Col. Alexander Young said: “This prestigious award recognizes the excellent culture of safety developed by our employees at Caven Point. This marine facility serves New York-New Jersey Harbor and regional waterways with a number of critical navigation missions. It’s vital that staff are ready for challenges at a moment’s notice. This is a great day for the District and its employees.”
Awards Ceremony
With the Lower Manhattan skyline in the background on a sun-splashed afternoon, remarks were given by New York District Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Nicholas LoRusso; Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor and current leader of OSHA Amanda Wood Laihow[RT1] ; OSHA Regional Administrator Richard Mendelson; and Chief of New York’s Operations, Readiness and Regulatory Functions Division Randall Hintz.
Two separate honors were bestowed: first, the award plaque was presented to employees Edward Quirk and Daniel Petrie; the VPP Star Flag was presented to employees James Webb and Patrick Kearns, who walked over to the flagpole hoisting it to fly over the facility as a daily reminder of the commitment to safety.
Later, New York held a separate ceremony recognizing employees individually. Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Nicholas LoRusso presented each with the Civilian Service Commendation Medal ⎼ a U.S. military award recognizing civilian employees for commendable service and achievement. The festive celebration included a formal cake-cutting of a red, white and blue cake by New York employees and OSHA officials.
Caven Point Safety Initiatives
In evaluating the facility for the award, OSHA considered the following safety initiatives at the site:
▶ A 2,000-gallon gasoline tank/fueling station was installed, eliminating the need to trailer vessels through congested urban streets to gas stations. The fueling station gives Caven Point more control of boat-fueling operations and reduces employee exposure to traffic hazards.
▶ As a result of an employee suggestion, life-ring stations and extra personal floatation devices were installed at regular intervals along the dock. The employee was recognized with an award for making a positive improvement to safety.
▶ The District’s Survey and Mapping Branch eliminated employee exposure to hazardous surf conditions by developing a 6.5-foot remote-control unmanned watercraft that can travel at 16 knots and collect hydrographic survey data. The team was recognized with the 2023 Innovation of the Year Award from Army Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
These improvements were judged to effectively control/prevent occupational hazards and reduce employee injuries and illnesses. As a result, the work site has a lost-workday-incidence rate below the industry average for this type of facility.
Physical Support & Survey and Mapping Branches
The Physical Support and Survey and Mapping Branches oversee the district’s drift collection and hydrographic survey missions, respectively, that keep New York-New Jersey Harbor and federal navigation channels at safe depths and free of hazards to navigation year-round. This allows for safe passage of container ships worldwide providing billions of dollars in commerce to the region each year, as well as numerous high-speed ferries, tugs, barges and specialty vessels that ply the harbor.
Chief of the Operations, Readiness and Regulatory Functions Division Randall Hintz stated: “I want to commend all employees whose efforts made this award possible. Our Division places a premium on health and safety demonstrated by how these employees carry out their work each day. We aim to continue meeting the highest standards of health and safety. Congrats to all!”
Facility Tour
Events concluded with OSHA officials touring the facility, accompanied by Chief of the Physical Support Branch Richard Thorsen, Chief of Safety and Occupational Health Melissa Diaz, Randall Hintz and Branch personnel.
Important items discussed during the tour were:
▶ The purpose of Caven Point Marine Terminal, its work functions, and serving the navigation-safety mission of the Army Corps Civil Works Program.
▶ The functions of the Physical Support and Survey and Mapping Branches, workforce mix and how safety is incorporated into daily routines.
▶ Equipment used to complete missions – vessels, drones, unmanned survey boats, special purpose vehicles, etc., and how they work.
▶ Improvements to these assets and continuous innovations to work processes.
Larger Applications
The award takes on greater significance considering Caven Point is a waterfront facility that operates and maintains a fleet of large vessels and survey boats, a boat lift, vessel-storage building and maintenance shop with many pieces of heavy equipment. Stringent safety protocols are paramount.
With the OSHA VPP now firmly in place at the Caven Point Marine Terminal, the facility, its assets and employees are better postured to safely and reliably execute their mission, which is navigational safety for New York and New Jersey Harbor.