Good afternoon everyone. Today is Tuesday, April 20th and a very difficult day for the EB Family.
Today there was an accident involving one of our employees at Quonset Point in Bay 2 at about 8:00 a.m. For those of you who may not be familiar with the QP facility, this is the location where hull frames and cylinders are joined in support of the Virginia Program. The employee worked at EB for four years, most recently as an Inspector in department 935. The injured employee was transported to Kent County Hospital for treatment and later, unfortunately, passed away. The company is providing support to the family, and our sympathy and prayers go out to them in their hour of need. We are extremely saddened by this loss, and I know that you all share in this grief. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of our fellow shipbuilder.
We are performing our own investigation of the circumstances of the incident. Electric Boat is also cooperating with outside agencies in their investigations.
Building submarines can expose us to potential safety hazards and risks, and we focus on mitigating or eliminating these risks. Every day I ask whether we are doing enough to prevent injuries. This is reflected in our core values, particularly in valuing each other. Your safety matters to me personally, and I know your safety and that of your fellow shipbuilders matters to each of you. None of us come to work thinking we will be injured, or like today, even worse. Safety must be each of our top priorities, period.
Today’s incident is tragic, absolutely. I ask you to take a moment today and every day to ask “what could go wrong?” Each of us has access to resources within our work teams and across Electric Boat. If you have questions or concerns, have a conversation with your supervisor and co-workers. Look at the tasks you’ve performed before with fresh eyes and a renewed focus on identifying and eliminating any and all potential risks. Be mindful of the work your co-workers are performing around you, and look for potential safety issues any of us may encounter. You just might save someone’s life.
And remember, if you see something, say something. My commitment, and the commitment of the entire leadership team, is that EB will support you in thinking and acting with safety as our collective, number-one priority.
Should any of you need support at this time, I encourage you to reach out to your colleagues, your manager or the Employee Assistance Program, which offers free, confidential counseling.
We’ll talk again soon.
