Natchez Trace Parkway Employees Receive Safety, Health, and Wellness Recognition 2017

Date: October 19, 2017
Contact: Maggie Walker, [phone]

TUPELO, MS: As part of the National Park Services’ strategy to enhance employee safety, the Natchez Trace Parkway’s Safety, Health, and Wellness Committee developed an Award Coin program. This year, 21 employees received coins. Employees are recognized for providing visitor assistance, improving ATV/UTV safety plans, demonstrating the proper use of a chainsaw brake, adding shade canopies to riding mowers, reporting unsafe work conditions on and off duty, promoting a safe environment, and consistently demonstrating safety leadership.

“Ensuring employee safety is our number one priority,” stated Superintendent Mary Risser. “We want every one of our employees to go home at the end of the work day. We recognize employees for taking initiatives such as reporting issues on the Parkway that could affect employee and visitor safety, implementing safe procedures and improving working conditions, recognizing and reporting work hazards, training new employees on situational awareness, organizing employee community fitness opportunities, and more. Employees can accumulate the coins and exchange them for either a cash or time off award.”

The National Park Service (Service) implemented a new Safety, Health, and Wellness Strategy (Strategy) two years ago. The Strategy provides the framework for creating a sustainable culture of safety, health, and wellness to protect and empower our employees’ input on improving the safety culture across the Service. The new Strategy includes leadership, management, and employee expectations, tools, and a way to measure performance. With this Strategy, we seek to build into that culture a personal and organized commitment to Safety, Health, and Wellness.

“All employees must recognize and embrace their roles, responsibilities, and accountability for their personal safety, health, and wellness, as well as that of their co-workers,” explained the Committee Chair Maggie Walker. “Employees are also expected to be assertive when actions by others could lead to negative outcomes. If they see something, they should say something.”

For more information about the Natchez Trace Parkway, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/natr.