The Non-Nuclear Inspection Department (X67) at Newport News Shipbuilding, with more than 200 shipbuilders, recently celebrated a milestone: one full year without a single accident or injury.

There was no single cause that led to the milestones, but a combination of best practices ingrained throughout the department. Justin Sleigher, quality assurance manager, had multiple safety discussions with members of the leadership team, and centered on three essential behaviors:

• Safety Awareness: Consistently recognizing, evaluating and controlling potential issues.
• Proactively Reporting: Identifying and reporting potential hazards.
• Leading by Example: Demonstrating a commitment to safety that drives a safety culture at NNS.

Other members of the department’s leadership team echoed those sentiments.

“A safe workplace starts with leaders setting a good example, encouraging the team to have open dialogue about what safety means to them, what they should recognize, evaluate and control on every job task, and thanking employees for their positive safety efforts,” said Ron Gordon, test inspection manager.

“This department has created a strong safety culture and it is being recognized by others,” added Brian Ridley Sr., regulatory documentation manager. “I believe that a safe workplace is a productive workplace.”

Josh Holcomb, test inspection manager, stated: “This was an amazing accomplishment by our entire X67 team. I have been in the department nearly 20 years and it’s awesome that we hit zero injuries over a one-year span.”

The department continues to remain accident free, currently sitting at more than 400 days and counting.

During this time, the department performed 35,440 inspections and services and processed more than 121,000 records across all programs at NNS. Click here to view a photo collage of individual teams in the department.