A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/706293
WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM ATO COO TERI L. BRISTOL A Call for DASHO Nominations Hi everyone. The safe ty and health of our employees is very important. Vaughn Turner, our Vice President of Technical Operations, serves as the agency's Designated Agency Safety and Health Official (DASHO). He is responsible for standardizing employee safety activities through out the FAA. As part of the DASHO awards program, we honor employees who go above and beyond their normal duties to help us ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Today, I want to highlight some of our previous award recipients. Kathryn Hunt is one of our ma nagement and program analysts at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC). She received a DASHO Employee Award for her involvement in many workplace safety and health activities at the Aeronautical Center, one being an effort to reduce noise in the Fli ght Inspection Control Operations building. Kathryn , along with the team , did a lot of research on sound suppression and came up with the solution of placing carpet tiles on the walls to muffle the noise coming from outside the building. Kathryn is also pa rt of the MMAC Traffic Safety Committee that received a DASHO Team Award for taking steps to ensure a safe environment for those who drive around the Center. Their work helped to put in place pedestrian crosswalks, speed controls and signage, loading and u nloading zones in key locations, traffic safety training, and a traffic hazard reporting system among other improvements. Along with Kathryn, the award recipients include: Corey Black, Charles Brandon, Wayne Coley, Russell Davis, David Dorety, Dianne Niele sen, Rocky Patterson, Stephanie Schroeder, and Adolfo Urrutia. SSC Manager Steve Pierotti and SSC technicians at the Greensboro Air Traffic Control Center received a DASHO Facility Award for their innovative efforts to ensure that lockout/tagout procedures were in compliance. Locks or tags are used to indicate that a certain piece of equipment is not to be used. For instance, a technician turns the power off prior to conducting maintenance and lockout or tagout procedures are used to ensure that another emp loyee doesn't mistakenly turn the power on. Steve and his technicians developed detailed compliance procedures, which included pictures of the equipment, and arrows that showed exactly where locks/tags need to be placed. They also developed a list of their procedures so that other facilities can replicate their efforts. You can read more about all employees that have been recognized as award recipients here . I want to thank these individuals and groups for their initiative, innovation, teamwork and leadership to advance a safe and healthy workplace culture in the ATO and throughout the agency. I also want to thank Vaughn Turner for his leadership in the DASHO role. Now is the time to nominate others for this honor. The nomination period for the 2016 DASHO Safety Awards is now open and runs until September 30, 2016. To submit a nomination, check out the Program Guide more information. We are the gold standard in aviation safety. Let's also be the gold standard in workplace safety and health. Let's continue to step u p, share ideas, and build teams to address any potential risks to the safety and health of our co - workers. Thanks everyone. Teri L. Bristol ATO Chief Operating Officer