2007 DON Safety Excellence Award Recipients Announced

9/17/2007 -- WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter has announced this year’s recipients of the Department of the Navy’s Safety Excellence Award winners for 2007.

The 20 winners are: Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), Carrier Air Wing 5, USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Dubuque (LPD 8), MHC Crew Implicit, USS Maryland (Gold) (SSBN 738), Marine Corps Air Station New River, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps Maintenance Center Albany, Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned Quantico, Marine Corps Fleet Support Division Barstow, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (HMM-268), VFA-204, Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452), Training Squadron Four (VT-4), USNS Grapple (T-ARS 53), and Advanced Undersea Systems Program Office (PMS 394), Submarine Rescue, Diving and Recompression System Team.

“[Their]safety achievements and demonstrated command safety climate were superlative during the FY 2006 performance period for this year’s awards,” said Winter in his message announcing the recipients. “[They've] set the bar for excellence even higher within their respective communities.”

This year's award categories include safety ashore, safety shipboard, Marine Corps ground safety, aviation safety, Military Sealift Command safety, and, new this year, safety in the field of acquisition.

Winter will present the plaques and award citation to each recipient at a recognition ceremony Oct. 16 at the Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center in Washington, DC.

The Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant, Marine Corps have been invited to personally thank the Marines and Sailors who have incorporated safety as an integral part of their command’s culture. Navy and Marine Corps members and their families are invited to attend.

The Department of the Navy Safety Excellence Awards were established in 2002 by the Honorable Gordon R. England to personally recognize Navy and Marine Corps commands that demonstrate extraordinary excellence by sustained mission success with simultaneous exemplary safety performance.

Source: Navy