Whidbey Navy Recycle, a division of the Public Works Department, was recognized as the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest Safe Work Center of the Year for 2009. The award recognizes Recycle’s high level of daily safety awareness and training, a result of their 95 percent training average and 92 percent completion rate for Occupational Safety and Health Administrationís Voluntary Protection Programs.

The shop takes time to review job hazard analysis and standard operating procedures every day. Everyone at Recycle contributes toward fostering a culture of safety at NAS Whidbey Island. 

The award was presented by Capt. Pat Rios, NAVFAC Northwest Commanding Officer, during a Public Works Captain’s Call on March 10. 

“Whenever I tour our Recycle spaces I can ask any worker a question about a particular machine and they can explain the relative Job Hazard Analysis and the Standard Operating Procedures,” said Rios. 

Recycling employees on hand for the ceremony were Shane Mallams, Steve Boneau, Kenneth Holwitz, Doug Reed, Donald Burd, Christa Caldwell, Michael Reetz, Donna Fakkema, Russell Hawkins, Wendy Zook, Recycling Center Integrated Solid Waste Manager Paul Brewer and Raymond Hardwick.

The Recycle work center was not the only Safety Award recipient.  Recycling supervisor Oliver “Rusty” Elam was named NAVFAC Northwest’s Command Safe Employee of the Year for 2009. To complete the clean sweep, Whidbey Public Works took honors as the Safe Public Works Department of the Year.

Rios was obviously proud of Whidbey’s accomplishment, but he also cautioned against complacency commenting that the bar is set, but so is the goal to surpass it in 2010.