DOINews: BSEE Director's Blog: Celebrating National Safety Month

BSEE Director Brian Salerno

BSEE Director's Corner
June 2014

Every day the employees of BSEE dedicate themselves to ensuring safe and responsible energy development for the Nation. As a safety bureau everything we do is geared toward creating a culture of safety that ensures offshore workers are able to return home safely to their families. This month we are turning that same focus toward our own lives, as we join the National Safety Council in celebrating June as National Safety Month. The theme for National Safety Month 2014 is “Safety: It takes all of us.” I encourage everyone in the offshore community to take this opportunity to affirm their commitment to the safety of their workplace, their co-workers, and their families.

We are focusing our safety month efforts on four topics all of us are exposed to almost daily, and have the potential to cause serious injury, or even death. The first topic is prescription drug abuse. This is a growing problem in the Unites States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there were about 148,000 deaths last year in the U.S. from drug poisoning. Learn more about this public health threat and comprehensive government-wide actions being taken to reduce prescription drug abuse by following this link.

The second focus area is on preventing slips, trips, and falls. Though we put a lot of effort into safety systems to prevent these types of accidents offshore, there is also a risk at home. Six out of ten falls happen at home – adding handrails, maintaining good housekeeping and cleaning spills will help minimize these risks.

The third focus area is being aware of your surroundings. Whether you are at work on a drilling rig, or at home, everyone should be aware of his or her surroundings. For example, knowing the safest exit route in the event of an emergency can save your life and the lives of your family.

The fourth and final topic of safety month is putting an end to distracted driving. We all know the dangers associated with texting and driving, but eating, drinking, using navigational systems can be just as dangerous to you and the people you share the road with.

While safety month activities are important to creating awareness of various safety risks, and developing a strong internal safety culture, this is also a great time to review Safety and Occupational Health Programs. At BSEE, we have taken the opportunity to do so, recently entering into an interagency agreement with the Federal Occupational Health, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to review and help us make needed improvements to our internal plan.

As we continue our efforts this month, I encourage the entire offshore community to join us in celebrating safety!

- BSEE Director, Brian Salerno