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Blackanthem Military News ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA - The 402nd Software Maintenance Group is the first government organization at Robins to be named a Star Site by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the first maintenance operation in Air Force Material Command to do so.
The unit received the award during a ceremony here Tuesday.
Star Site is the highest level of Voluntary Protection Program recognition awarded by the OSHA. The only other work area at Robins to have been declared a Star Site is the 78th Logistics Readiness squadron's Vehicle Maintenance and Operation Section in First Support Services, which is operated by a contractor.
The Voluntary Protection Program is a recognition program for performance-based safety excellence that builds on safety and occupational health programs already in place to reduce workplace mishaps and increase readiness.
An OSHA auditing team spent three days in the SMXG in early June, touring eight separate facilities, reviewing hundreds of records, and interviewing many of its 900 employees. Once the team's work was completed June 4, it announced that it would recommend the group be recognized as a Star Site.
The designation was contingent upon approval by OSHA officials, and that approval has since been granted.
Melanie Clearman the VPP program manager at Robins, said earning the recognition is a "very big deal," and puts Robins on track for its ultimate goal of having the entire base declared a Star Site.
Brig. Gen. Lee Levy, commander of the 402nd Maintenance Wing, called the 402nd SMXG's Star Site recognition a "first start" for the wing's goal of becoming a Star Site.
"To become a Star Site is a huge, huge achievement," he said. "I think the beauty is that this isn't a management initiative, this is an employee initiative."
Chris Moore, deputy director of the 402nd SMXG, said officially getting the award is exciting for the group.
"Achieving this designation exemplifies the professionalism and high standard of excellence commonplace across our workforce," Moore said. "Our folks truly understand this program and have not only transformed our workplace and culture into a hazard-free and safety-conscious environment, but more importantly, have taken these practices out into their personal lives where hazards are ever present."
The 402nd SMXG has a core VPP team led by Mike Scott, but Scott also said the true VPP team is the group's 900 employees.
All 15 individual sites in the group had already achieved Gold Site status, a designation in the Commander's Safe Site Challenge aimed at helping units meet Star Site requirements, he noted.
To emphasize the importance of safety, the group has bulletin boards in which photos of family members and even pets are posted to remind workers why they should be safe. Work areas also have boards where employees can anonymously alert leadership to safety hazards. Each computer also has a safety "dashboard" where team members can track VPP related information.
Some of those improvements, along with the Commander's Safe Site Challenge, were cited in the evaluation as "best practices" by the OSHA team.
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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA - The 402nd Software Maintenance Group is the first government organization at Robins to be named a Star Site by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the first maintenance operation in Air Force Material Command to do so.
