WINCHESTER, Va. – The Middle East District recently recognized a contractor in Kosovo for achieving a significant safety accomplishment.
KBR Inc. received the district’s Superior Safety Performance Award for its work on the U.S. Army Europe Support Contract during a recent safety committee meeting at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
“Even more amazing is that they have driven trucks through Kosovo, Romania, and into Turkey for over four million miles without a recordable vehicle accident,” said Jon Fentress, chief, Safety and Occupational Health. “The roads are often poorly maintained out there and some of their routes take them across mountains.
“The heart of KBRs safety success is its spectacular upper management support for safety and its outstanding safety manager, Mentor Gorvi,” said Fentress.
“We are lucky to have a good partnership with [our contractor] in the Balkans,” added Willis Herweyer, project manager.
There is a strict criterion for contractors to meet what USACE considers a solid, effective safety program that reduces risk, said Fentress. Primary safety requirements include having an approved accident prevention plan, preparing an Activity Hazard Analysis, performing job indoctrination for new employees before work begins, providing general safety training and proper protective gear for workers, and ensuring the site safety officer has the required certifications. Contractors are also required to document safety violations and promptly correct them, as well as report monthly exposure hours for their employees.
“KBR exceeds the requirements in many cases, such as the use of what it calls Total Safety Task Instruction, which its safety personnel post on each piece of equipment detailing hazards and controls required for safe operation,” said Fentress.
The Middle East District provides service members and support staff in the Balkans with life support – food, water, laundry and sanitation – and transportation and maintenance services through the USAREUR Support Contract, also known as the USC. The contract provides 95 percent of logistics services for USAREUR missions at Camp Bondsteel and military training exercises in Romania and Bulgaria.