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Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
April 24, 2008 By Steve Stone, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK--Defense Department officials are aiming to reduce an estimated $10 billion in losses annually attributed to preventable injuries and accidents.
The effort is the subject of a two-day conference that began today in Norfolk.
"What you do is important," Keith Eastin, assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment, told participants at the start of the Voluntary Protection Programs conference. He emphasized the importance of safety, the Pentagon said in a news release.
The protection program, created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, involves using a variety of strategies, from commitment by management to hazard mitigation and employee training to enhance safety and reduce accidents. This is the third year that the Pentagon has participated in it.
The idea that accidents are a cost of doing business is a mindset that is intolerable, Acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Readiness Joseph J. Angello Jr. told conferees. He said the goal for the military, over time, should be "zero preventable accidents."
Angello said safety and readiness are closely intertwined. The protection program "gives us the tools in DoD to make sure we preserve our assets, our people, our equipment," Angello said. "It gives us the tools to be the best we can be."
The focus of the two-day conference was to learn about progress already made by military installations and also to encourage the sharing of lessons learned and ideas among commands.
April 24, 2008 By Steve Stone, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK--Defense Department officials are aiming to reduce an estimated $10 billion in losses annually attributed to preventable injuries and accidents.
The effort is the subject of a two-day conference that began today in Norfolk.
"What you do is important," Keith Eastin, assistant secretary of the Army for installations and environment, told participants at the start of the Voluntary Protection Programs conference. He emphasized the importance of safety, the Pentagon said in a news release.
The protection program, created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, involves using a variety of strategies, from commitment by management to hazard mitigation and employee training to enhance safety and reduce accidents. This is the third year that the Pentagon has participated in it.
The idea that accidents are a cost of doing business is a mindset that is intolerable, Acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Readiness Joseph J. Angello Jr. told conferees. He said the goal for the military, over time, should be "zero preventable accidents."
Angello said safety and readiness are closely intertwined. The protection program "gives us the tools in DoD to make sure we preserve our assets, our people, our equipment," Angello said. "It gives us the tools to be the best we can be."
The focus of the two-day conference was to learn about progress already made by military installations and also to encourage the sharing of lessons learned and ideas among commands.