NAVSTA Rota Holds Pre-Labor Day Weekend Safety Standdown

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Paul Cage, Naval Station Rota, Spain, Public Affairs

ROTA, Spain (NNS) -- Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota, Spain, ended the 2010 Critical Days of Summer Campaign by holding a safety standdown Sept. 1.

Rota's standdown was part of a region-wide Labor Day weekend safety standdown for Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA).

EURAFSWA saw trends in sexual assaults, drug use, driving under the influence incidents and motor vehicle accidents and decided these issues needed to be addressed to prevent future incidents, protect personnel and improve the readiness of the military.

"Safety standdowns are a great risk management tool, as they give commands and individuals an opportunity to reflect on issues of importance, such as taking thoughtful, proactive steps to be safe," said Steven Kalnasy, EURAFSWA's deputy safety director. "By sharing information and encouraging a productive dialog between workers and leadership, the standdown format has been a proven, valued resource for reducing mishaps."

The briefs were presented by the Fire Department, Fleet and Family Support Center, Drug and Alcohol Program Advisors (DAPA) and the Safety Department. Attendance was mandatory for all NAVSTA civilian employees and active duty personnel.

"This is all about recalibrating where we are safety wise at the end of summer," said NAVSTA Rota Commanding Officer, Capt. Bill Mosk. "The bottom line is we have done very well this summer in regards to safety and we want to keep it that way. I always say that you are our most precious resource. It is not the equipment you use or the building where you work at – it's you. You make the Navy run and we need you here every day."

Leadership in Rota understands that while the Navy's critical days of summer are ending, summer activities and weather continue in Spain until October 2010.

"A lot of things we talked about back in May (2010) about summer safety will carry on for a little longer," said Robert Brown, NAVSTA Rota's safety coordinator. "We have all heard these topics before, but this is just a reinforcing the basics and ensuring we continue our trend of decreasing mishaps and accidents here in Rota."