SRF-JRMC Hosts Naval Safety Center Commander
Story and photo by Keiichi Adachi, CFAY Public Affairs



(Background) Commander Naval Safety Center Rear Adm. Arthur Johnson tours the Sheetmetal Shop to observe industrial safety practices. アーサー・ジョンソン少将は板金工場を訪れ工場安全対策を視察した。

The U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) hosted a visit from Commander Naval Safety Center (NSC) Rear Adm.

Arthur Johnson June 24 Johnson visited Commander, Fleet Activities, Yokosuka (CFAY) June 22-23 to tour the base and talk to the local Navy community about safety-related issues.

“NSC sent a team to Yokosuka as a part of its fleet outreach program. The visit allowed us to update personnel on new Department of the Navy safety initiatives and progress, to support Yokosuka’s summer safety efforts, to identify best practices, and to solicit new ideas and recommendations from the fleet,” said Johnson.

NSC works with more than 4,200 Navy and Marine Corps commands worldwide to promote safety and safety processes. It is the Department of the Navy’s lead for conducting safety investigations and mishap analysis, and is responsible for disseminating this information to the fleet.

To accomplish its mission, the Naval Safety Center relies on naval leadership, teamwork, continuous improvement, customer focus and personal integrity.

The center’s initiatives are shaped by three key components: feedback from the fleet and the Naval Safety Center team; analysis of mishap trends, safety surveys, unit assessments and hazard reports; and evaluation of emerging safety technologies and processes in government and private industry.

Johnson was interested in how SRF-JRMC manages and conducts personnel and industrial safety activities throughout the command. During his visit, he was able to observe, first hand, how business is conducted during a shop tour and was given a safety presentation by SRF-JRMC Deputy Commander Cmdr.

Bill Manders and key members of the SRF-JRMC Occupational Safety and Health Department. The admiral was presented several safety-related briefs and as well as information pertaining to SRF-JRMCs recent implementation of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

Johnson said that he was very impressed with SRFJRMC safety practices. He further stated that SRFJRMC represents one of the ‘pockets of safety excellence’ within the Department of the Navy and understanding SRF-JRMC methods and then sharing them with others will certainly accelerate our Navy’s evolution towards “world class safety.”

Johnson was very impressed by the Sheet Metal Shop tour and stated that it was very informative as he was able to see elements of a solid safety program at every turn. This included workers encouraging each other to work to the highest possible standards of safety and represented the bonding and unity of the SRF-JRMC team.

“The safety mindset and ownership of the hazard identification process has been infused deep into the organization. Everyone recognizes the role that they need to play to ensure there are no preventable mishaps,” Johnson said.

“The more personnel you have identifying hazards and mitigating risk, the fewer mishaps you’re likely to experience and the SRF-JRMC VPP goal of ‘Zero mishaps in the Zebra Zone,’ becomes more than a slogan, it becomes a real possibility, and then a reality.

SRF-JRMC is clearly on the right track and is leading the way!”