Safety Center Leader Talks Shop With Yokosuka Sailors

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andrew Ryan Smith, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West, Det Japan

June 24, 2010 - YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The commander of Naval Safety Center (NSC), visited Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) June 22-23 to tour the base and speak to the community about safety-related issues.

Rear Adm. Arthur Johnson and his staff delivered several safety-related briefs to Sailors and safety representatives of the forward-deployed naval forces. He also charged Sailors to come forth with their safety concerns and provide possible solutions.

"At NSC, we collect a lot of data and then we provide information on trends we find to the fleet," Johnson said. "This information can impact their decision making and behaviors and outcomes.

In his travels around the base, Johnson talked to as many Sailors as possible, picking their brains for deckplate safety concerns.

"I thought it was good that a two-star admiral would come out to work with people who actually do the job," said Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate (SW) Richard Copeland. "He listened to our Sailors, was very attentive and concerned with the feedback our Sailors gave him."

"It was good to be able to address some of my concerns about training," said Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class (SW) Chris Krueger. "I think the admiral will make sure our concerns are brought to the attention of some one who can change things."

One of the biggest awareness programs is the "Live to Play, Play to Live: Summer Safety 2010" campaign, which emphasizes all aspects of staying safe during the summer, both on and off duty. Johnson gave a presentation highlighting risks Sailors face at work and at play, then asked individual audience members how they cope with various risks.

"The primary purpose of our visit is to support the beginning of the summer safety campaign," said Johnson. "I think we may have started something positive by making Sailors realize they are an important part of the process. Their engagement is helping us find hazards and implement strategies."

Johnson noted that alcohol-related incidents still top the list of off-duty risks Sailors face, then stressed that there are simple ways for Sailors to mitigate these risks.

"First off, one thing Sailors can do to help us is to plan out activities; no one wakes up in the morning looking to have a bad day," Johnson said. "But you will have a bad day if you don't plan ahead.

"The second thing I would encourage all Sailors to do is to report hazards. As you go through your daily activities you may encounter a situation that needs to be addressed, I would encourage everyone to report that, so we can fix the problem. NSC's success is determined by each individual Sailor and Marine and the more we have them engaged the more successful we are."

For more information about summer safety visit Safetycenter.navy.mil.