A Safety Task Team in the Virginia-Class Submarine Program is spreading the word about how to remain injury free, and how the team can help achieve that goal.
Team members recently spoke to roughly 50 shipbuilders, discussing common-sense safety tips and urging them to ask questions or share concerns.
“You can approach us,” said Mary “Frankie” Cupp, an X33 marine painter. “We want you to know who we are. We want you to come with your questions, your issues. I can guarantee if you come to me, I’m going to look at whatever you’re talking about.”
The Safety Task Team’s duties include conducting weekly inspections and analyzing injury trends. Another priority is supporting a culture of safety. This crew talk was part of an ongoing series of crew talks as the team spreads its message across the VCS program.
Caleb Holzberger, an X18 welder/instructor, spoke to the group about fire safety. “Build clean,” he said. “If you see a mess, clean it up. It’s hard to start fires when there is nothing to catch fire.”
The team’s message hit home with the crew, said Daniel Knoll, general foreman.
“Having the safety task team talk to the X32M team was great,” he said. “It gave our team the opportunity to meet the members and learn more about what the safety task team does. After the crew talk was over, you could see the value of the safety task team’s message through all of the conversations being held of the discussed topics.”
