CAMP ZAMA, Japan – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Japan Engineer District (JED) kicked-off their annual ‘Safe + Sound’ safety week with an awards ceremony hosted by JED commander, Col. Gary Bonham, August 16, 2022.
“Safety is a subject near and dear to the heart of every Engineer around the world. Here at JED, it’s no different,” Bonham remarked. “These safety classes do more than enhance your readiness and resilience with USACE –they enhance your life.”
‘Safe + Sound’ week is a nationwide campaign created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), held each August to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs. Agencies like the Army Wellness Center, Fire & Emergency Services, and Army Public Health Command as well as JED’s Safety and Logistics offices all provided information to attendees.
Per the OSHA website, ’Safe + Sound’ week can be used to proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line.
“The purpose of safe and sound week is to reenergize our focus and promote safety and health throughout the year,” said Daniel Fujimoto, JED’s Chief of Safety and Occupational health. “The events are also an excellent way for our leaders to engage with their employees for risks/hazards identification and mishap prevention – ‘Safe + Sound’ week helps instill the mindset that safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
Some of the events planned for the week were a nutrition and stress management seminar, a fire safety briefing, and a threat awareness and reporting program (TARP) exercise, among others.
Hazel Oira, an administrative support assistant with the District, took the opportunity to attend one of the briefings.
“The nutrition brief talked a lot about portion sizing and nutrition content in foods, and the information was very interesting,” Hazel mentioned. “With nutrition, there are many variables for each person, so the information given was very generalized, but if I am wanting more specific advice for personal goal setting, etc., [I learned] the Army Wellness center can run tests and help me make plans that better suit my personal goals.”
Although the District is no stranger to safety, this iteration of ‘Safe and Sound’ week is the first time since the onset of COVID-19 that procedures have returned closer to ‘normal’ where participants were able to attend in-person.
“Prior to COVID-19, JED had some amazing Safe and Sound Weeks but during the height of the pandemic, things went virtual and presentation via Power Point became the norm,” Bonham said. “Regardless, safety remains important no matter what medium you’re using to promote it.”
Despite the tempo for ‘Safe + Sound’ week being slightly slower compared to its heyday at JED, attendees were able to learn valuable information they can take back to their work centers and homes for practical use.
“Overall, I think it was an excellent briefing and I really appreciated the information,” Angela Payne, an account with the District, who attended the fire prevention portion of Safe + Sound week, said noting some important takeaways.
“I already know I have some things too close to my furnace and hot water tank, so [thanks to the briefing] I’ll prioritize [in reorganizing my home for optimal safety.]
Col. Bonham made sure to underscore the importance of proper safety methods and how they affect everyone involved.
“It’s your hard work that’s keeping us safe and sound,” he said.
Japan Engineer District participates in ‘Safe + Sound’ week from August 15 – 21.