[StBernard] High ranking Coast Guard official said he is pleased with St. Bernard's focus on safety during oil spill response

[Westley Annis]

U.S. Coast Guard Officials from Health, Safety and Work-Life visit St.
Bernard Parish Operations Center

High ranking Coast Guard official said he is pleased with St. Bernard's
focus on safety

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr. and U.S. Coast Guard Lt.
Commander Paul Morris, Joint Incident Commanders of St. Bernard oil spill
operations, briefed Rear Admiral Mark Tedesco, Director of Health, Safety
and Work-Life for the U.S. Coast Guard, today when he visited St. Bernard
Parish Command Center operations in Hopedale. Captain Gary Bruce and
Commander Jeffrey Salvon-Harmon, also from US Coast Guard Health, Safety and
Work-Life, accompanied Admiral Tedesco.

 

The officials visited the command center so they could consult with those
involved in the response and cleanup operations regarding any safety issues
or concerns involved in every day operations at the St. Bernard command
centers.

 

"We're pleased with the continued presence and support from the United
States Coast Guard," Taffaro said. "One of our primary goals in this
response is human safety so we welcomed Admiral Tedesco's visit and review
of our operations." 

 

"I am very happy to see that the Coast Guard and Government and the
contractors with BP are all so focused on the health and safety of the
entire workforce down here," Tedesco said. "Probably the number one priority
is ensuring the health and safety of the workers before the response mission
even starts. That's made me happy to come down here and find out that it is
so important." 

 

 Morris said the visit gave Taffaro and him the opportunity to give Tedesco
an overall briefing of the command centers' operations. He said they
discussed ongoing health and safety issues that are being addressed such as
hydration, safe operating practices and the proper use of personal
protective equipment.

 

"We also discussed with him the use of plans that we have in place for bad
weather, foul weather, hurricane plans and that sort of thing," Morris said.
They discussed "anything we have in place to protect all personnel located
here at the Hopedale Branch to make sure everyone is working safely."

###