USA Employees are Taking Charge of Safety

Recently a USA employee noticed a Kennedy Space Center contractor worker performing a task perilously close to the edge of the roof of the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) Annex. The contractor was not wearing a safety harness, and the ax he was swinging was not tethered. The employee reported the situation, and corrective action was quickly taken.

One of the reasons for USA’s strong safety performance is that good policies and practices are enforced by the company’s employees. Since a company-wide program focusing on individual accountability was established, more than 250 safety issues have been reported.

After Senior Quality Assurance Inspector Jon Trowbridge reported the unsafe activity on the OPF Annex roof, a safety representative roped off the area and ensured that the appropriate safety equipment was used. Towbridge’s actions potentially headed off a serious injury.

“This is just one example of a USA employee taking charge of safety,” said Craig Lovell, USA’s Vice President of Safety, Quality and Mission Assurance.

“The Taking Charge of Safety program has been a huge success. We always knew that our employees were not afraid to speak up and look out for the safety of each other, but now we get to recognize them for that effort.”

In the Taking Charge of Safety (TCOS) reporting system, an employee can recognize any other employee who he or she witnesses taking positive action regarding safety. The recognized employees are given an award certificate, a TCOS pin and a lunch coupon.

USA’s TCOS internal Web site defines TCOS as “being proactive and assuming full responsibility for your actions at work and at home. This includes the willingness to lead by example by eliminating accidents and implementing continuous improvements. It means accepting responsibility for the resources entrusted to you and keeping those around you working safely in a safe environment.”

TCOS actions include anything from an employee intervening when he or she witnesses an unsafe act, to reminding a co-worker to wear personal protective equipment or calling a time out when he or she feels uncomfortable with a task.

The TCOS program began with USA in Florida in the late 1990’s as a part of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). It was established as a way to encourage employees to become more proactively involved in safety and to look out for themselves and each other. The company VPP Council later expanded the program company-wide.

Employees have taken the TCOS admonition to heart, calling a time out when necessary.

Ross Neubarth, an inspector in Solid Rocket Booster Element, spotted the unsafe condition and quickly called a time out, stopping a jack lift operation.

An employee was using a jack to lift a pallet. He inserted the jack in place but did not realize the forks had extended beyond their intended position and engaged another pallet, lifting it about two inches off the floor.

After the time out was called, the pallet jack was lowered and repositioned to lift only the intended container, avoiding a possible accident. For his actions, Neubarth was presented a Safety Star of the Week Award.

“This was another example of employees looking out for each other’s safety,” Lovell said. “And that’s what Taking Charge of Safety is all about.”

For more information on TCOS, click on the TCOS icon on the USA internal home page.

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USA Employees are Taking Charge of Safety

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