VSRA News

Distinguished Service Award to DeWitt Davis, IV

December 19, 2006 Itasca, Ill. (December 15, 2006)—The National Safety Council has awarded its Distinguished Service to Safety Award to VSRA member DeWitt "Dee" Davis IV, an independent marine consultant in Virginia Beach, VA. The award, which was presented during the National Safety Council’s 94th Annual Congress and Expo, is the highest honor bestowed on an individual safety professional by the NSC in recognition of outstanding service to the field of safety. “Some of the most innovative advances in safety and health today are the result of individual ingenuity and initiative in various fields of safety,” said Alan C. McMillan, President and CEO, National Safety Council. “This award is just one of the ways the Council is encouraging individuals to strive for excellence and serve as pioneers in the quest for creating a culture of safety in businesses, homes and communities, and on our roads and highways. Mr. Davis is one of these individuals who understands this new safety paradigm and has made tremendous contributions to the field of safety. We are honored to present Mr. Davis with this prestigious award.” A safety leader and vital VSRA member and volunteer committee member, "Dee" has been a member of the National Safety Council for 23 years. Now the General Chairman of the NSC Marine Section, he has been active in the Industrial Division and Business & Industry Division’s serving as Marine Section Membership chairman, Recognition chairman, Section Division Chairman of Ship Repair and Construction, Marine Section General Vice Chairman. He has also served on the Business & Industry Division Executive Committee, and on several committees including the Business & Industry Division committee for Safety Training, Safety and Health Training, Engineering and Ergonomics. Mr. Davis planned and developed a series of workshops on "Safety through Ship Design," edited and revised Safety and Health Guides for ship repair workers and supervisors, developed with others a Workshop on Operational Risk Management (ORM) for the American Society of Naval Engineers. He also developed and conducted safety and health training for over a thousand shipyard workers and is a frequent presenter for technical sessions at National Safety Council’s Annual Congress and for other associations. Mr. Davis practices as a Certified Safety Professional and Certified Industrial Hygienist, retired as a Commander from the Navy after 28 years serving at the Naval Safety Center, and as a civilian at the Navy Environmental Health Center. Following the Navy he was a Safety Director for a ship repair firm in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He was recently nominated by ASSE, the National Safety Council and the Virginia Ship Repair Association to the Maritime Advisory Committee Occupational on Safety and Health for OSHA in recognition of his work in marine safety. He was also selected by the National Academy of Sciences as a presenter on worldwide maritime accident statistics. The Distinguished Service to Safety Award, which symbolizes and recognizes individual innovation and service in the field of safety, is among the ways the National Safety Council is honoring individuals who take a lead in creating initiatives that support and promote a corporate culture of safety. “It begins with an individual who understands the critical importance safety plays in their organization and that one person then serves as a catalyst for expanding safety to the level where it is a part of their mission, a core corporate value,” added McMillan. “Individual by individual, business by business, we are recognizing leaders who are relentless in making safety a way of doing business. A hearty congratulations, Dee, for this most pretigious and well earned recognition.

OSHA - Final Rule on Respiratory Standards

December 14, 2006 OSHA published in the August 24 Federal Register revisions to its respiratory protection standard. The changes incorporate new Assigned Protection Factors (APFs) into agency rules. The additional provisions, those OSHA says are necessary for a comprehensive workplace respiratory-protection program, address selection and use of respirators, training, medical evaluation, and fit testing. The rules are effective November 22, 2006. According to OSHA, APFs are numbers that indicate the level of protection that a respirator or class of respirators is expected to provide employees when used as part of an effective program. An APF table was included in the final standard to guide employers in the selection of air-purifying, powered air-purifying, supplied-air (or airline respirator), and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) respirators. The agency requires employers to follow the new requirement and use APFs to choose the appropriate respirator based on the exposure limit of a contaminant and the level of that contaminant in the workplace. Employers select respirators by comparing the exposure level and the maximum concentration of the contaminant in which a particular type of respirator can be used. Known as the Maximum Use Concentration or MUC, this is generally determined by multiplying the respirator's APF by the contaminant's exposure limit. If the level of contaminant is expected to exceed the MUC, the employer must choose a respirator with a higher APF. Noted OSHA chief Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., "This standard helps employers and employees select the right respirator for the job. And with the right respirator employees will have adequate protection to be safe and healthy at work."

VSRF LEGO Competition Begins

November 28, 2006 On October 18th, two teams from Blair Middle School in Norfolk were given the rules of their competition. The Robotics Team will pit their skills against the IT Team. Over the next six month, each team will design a ship or portion of a ship using LEGO design software. The competition is organized by the Virginia Ship Repair Foundation in partnership with Norfolk Public Schools. Michelle Carrera, VSRA Director of Workforce Development and Training, is the creative energy behind the project to raise awareness of one of our region's most important economic drivers - major ship repair. This is the inaugral year of the competition. In subsequent years, competition will be expanded to other middle schools in Norfolk and surrounding cities in Hampton Roads. There are three parts to the competition. First, the teams must research real ship designs, from which they will design their model. The new design must include at least one element of innovation not seen in their research of current designs. They will each then create the ship or portion of a ship in the LEGO software. The second element will be research into the various trades from the ship repair industry that are necessary to build their design. The third element will be a presentation to a panel of experts, who will choose the winner. Engineers from AMSEC, a member of the Virginia Ship Repair Association, have volunteered to be technical advisors to each team. They will be available to provide guidance and advise as the teams progress on their designs. Pictures of the teams can be seen at LEGO Competition Kickoff

Improving the Competitiveness of Hampton Roads

November 22, 2006 Jim Babcock, Planning Officer for the Regional Structure Project of the Future of Hampton Roads, will address the members of VSRA at their General Membership meeting on Tuesday, November 21st. Jim is a distinguished leader in our region and is the former Chairman and CEO of First Virginia Bank of Hampton Roads. The Regional Structure Project is a multi-year, in-depth analysis aimed at "Improving the Competitiveness of Hampton Roads." The project is developing possible reforms to our regional institutions to improve decision-making, encourage shared services, and create a stronger political voice for the region. The title of his presentation is "Approaching the Third Rail without Actually Touching It."

Military Sealift Commander Updates VSRA

October 24, 2006 RADM Rob Reilly, Jr., Commander of the Military Sealift Command, was the guest speaker for the October General Membership held Tuesday, October 17th at the Portsmouth Renaissance Hotel. This was the first time an MSC Commander had addressed the association's members in many years. Responsible for all the logistics ships that service the U.S. Navy fleet and deliver equipment in time of crisis for the other combat serveces, Admiral Reilly has a world-wide reach. In that role, he is the contracting authority he for the maintenance and repair of those ships. Within the Department of Defense he has unique command relationships by reporting to three commanders (TRANSCOM, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Fleet Forces Command). In his contingency role, he oversees the 36 ships in the prepositioning program. Admiral Reilly gave a very thorough overview of his command. His remarks were both timely and well received. They came at a time when efforts from many fronts are being exerted to insure all significant ship repair on MSC and MSP ships will be accomplished in U.S. shipyards. RADM Reilly's MSC Presentation is available here for your review.

OSHA - Updates National Consensus Standards for Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment

October 18, 2006 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration 29 CFR Part 1915 [Docket No. S–051A] RIN 1218–AC16 Updating National Consensus Standards in OSHA’s Standard for Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment. ACTION: Direct final rule. SUMMARY: On September 15, 2004, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated a new fire protection rule for shipyard employment that incorporated by reference 19 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. Ten of those NFPA standards had been updated by NFPA since the fire protection rule was proposed and an additional NFPA standard has been updated since the final rule was published. In this direct final rule, OSHA is replacing the references to those eleven NFPA standards by adding the most recent versions. View 29 CFR Part 1915.

MSC Commander to Address VSRA

October 09, 2006 Rear Admiral Robert Reilly, Jr., became Commander of the Military Sealift Command in March, 2006. RADM Reilly will speak to the VSRA members at the association's monthly meeting on October 17, 2006. The mission of Military Sealift Command is to provide ocean transportation of equipment, fuel, supplies and ammunition to sustain U.S. forces worldwide during peacetime and in war for as long as operational requirements dictate. During a war, more than 95 percent of all equipment and supplies needed to sustain the U.S. military is carried by sea. MSC provides the sea transportation component for the United States Transportation Command. Today, Military Sealift Command has more than 10,800 employees worldwide, approximately 80 percent of which serve at sea. MSC is the largest employer of merchant mariners in the United States. Approximately 5,100 employees are federal civil service, 660 are military personnel; and another 4,600 are employed by MSC contractors. You can learn more by reviewing RADM Reilly's biography.

OSHA - Reporting Exemption for NOX (NO and NO2)

October 05, 2006 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Parts 302 and 355 Administrative Reporting Exemption for Certain Air Releases of NOX (NO and NO2) ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a final rule that will reduce reporting burdens under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, also known as Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. Which NO and NO2 Releases Are Administratively Exempt From the Reporting Requirements? In this final rule, releases of NO to the air that are the result of combustion and combustion-related activities that are less than 1,000 pounds per 24 hours, and releases of NO2 to the air that are the result of combustion and combustion-related activities that are less than 1,000 pounds per 24 hours, are administratively exempt from the reporting requirements of CERCLA and EPCRA, established in 40 CFR 302.6 and 40 CFR 355.40, respectively. The existing RQ for both NO and NO2 is 10 pounds in any 24 hour period. EPA is promulgating the administrative reporting exemption at 1,000 pounds for 24-hours, based on our review of the comments, for three principal reasons. First, the 1,000 pound level represents a 100-fold increase from the regulatory RQ of 10-pounds. This level was one of three (100, 1000, and 5000 pounds) levels suggested by two organizations representing regulated industries 7 as a level for the Agency to raise the RQ for NO and NO2. Second, the Agency sought public comment on human health risk assessment data or other relevant data that related to its proposed rule, including an alternative for a complete exemption from the notification requirements under CERCLA and EPCRA. Although the Agency received considerable comment, including two specific examples generated from a USEPA screening model that support the desire to (1) raise the administrative exemption to 5,000 pounds or higher or (2) completely exempt NO and NO2 from CERCLA and EPCRA reporting requirements, the Agency did not receive risk assessment data that would support a different level for the administrative reporting exemption. The Agency also did not receive any human health risk assessment data that would oppose the administrative reporting exemption at the proposed level. Third, EPA believes that a CERCLA response to the release otherwise reportable would be very unlikely and possibly infeasible or inappropriate, because (1) the releases are generally at levels below those that are regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA), and (2) the Agency has generally not responded to such releases. As a result, the administrative reporting exemptions are intended to allow EPA to focus its resources on the more serious releases and to protect public health and welfare and the environment more effectively and efficiently. At the same time, the exemptions will significantly eliminate unnecessary reporting burdens on persons-in-charge of facilities and vessels that release NOX during combustion and combustionrelated activities.

EMPIRE MACHINERY & SUPPLY is Small Business of the Year

October 02, 2006 On September 20, the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce held its annual Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon at the Chesapeake Conference Center. This annual event is designed to recognize the best business in each of the five south side cities and then, out of these five businesses, pick the one that is considered the best in the region. Hearty congratulations to VSRA Member Empire Machinery and Supply Corporation of Norfolk for being awarded the overall winner of the Small Business of the Year for Hampton Roads. In addition, each city’s Department of Economic Development identifies five businesses that they consider as potential SBOY winners somewhere down the road. The “Rising 25” Award honors those businesses. VSRA Member Pender and Coward was chosen by Suffolk as one of the "Rising 25".

MARMC Addresses VSRA at Annual Meeting

September 20, 2006 "New Navy repair official: Drive will be saving cash" By JON W. GLASS, The Virginian-Pilot © September 20, 2006 | Last updated 7:28 PM Sep. 19 PORTSMOUTH - The new commander of the Navy's Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center said Tuesday he plans to focus on getting the "best value" for Navy ship-repair dollars. That will involve working closely with the region's private shipyards to try to drive down the costs of maintenance contracts, Rear Adm. J. Clarke Orzalli told members of the Virginia Ship Repair Association. "It's all about teamwork and working together," Orzalli said during the association's annual luncheon at the Renaissance Portsmouth Hotel and Waterfront Convention Center. Orzalli said the Navy is committed to its new multiship, multioption method of awarding maintenance contracts for all its ships - designed to reduce costs and add stability for the industry. The Navy began issuing the multiship contracts in Hampton Roads about three years ago. Under the awards, a single shipyard takes primary responsibility for maintaining a class of ships, a switch from the old method of awarding contracts one ship at a time. Orzalli is the first flag officer to lead the regional maintenance center, part of the Navy's move in 2004 to consolidate ship repair operations into seven regional centers. In the new arrangement, the Mid-Atlantic command will be responsible for establishing standard practices, such as contract oversight, that all seven centers will follow. The 28-year Navy veteran, on the job three weeks, last served in the Pentagon as deputy director of the fleet readiness division. He also served as commander of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and he helped establish the Navy's Northwest Regional Maintenance Center in Bremerton, Wash. In his new command, Orzalli oversees a military and civilian work force of nearly 3,100 and the maintenance of more than 85 ships in the m id-Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf regions. Reach Jon W. Glass at (757) 446-2318 or jon.glass@pilotonline.com.