Give Us Your Ideas

Were go. Hang tight, were go. With these words, Neil Armstrong, Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, piloted the lunar module Eagle to an historic touch down on the chal!" gra" surface of the moon. As Americans, we ta!e pride in the Apollo moon shots. #he astronauts of Apollo 11 and 1$ will %e remem%ered for their remar!a%le feats as long as there are histor" %oo!s. &ut there is something else the moon shots will %e remem%ered for'the" represent one of the largest, most complicated safet" programs e(er launched in the world. #he safe lunar (o"age of the astronauts, or their return when things didnt go according to plans, was the most (ital concern of the hundreds of technicians, engineers, scientists, and others who wor!ed %ehind the scenes to ma!e the launches possi%le. #he entire Apollo crew wor!ed as a team. Each person, from the assem%l" line wor!er who fitted components in the (ital retro roc!et re entr" s"stem, to the designer, from the doctors who guarded the health of the astronauts, to the securit" personnel who guarded the gates of NA)A* each person wor!ed together contri%uting ideas and helping each other o(er the rough spots. +ppermost in each of their minds was the idea that the astronauts must %e safe, regardless of what happened.

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They must have a safe lift-off from Cape Kennedy . And a safe lunar landing and return to Earth. Finally, the astronauts must be quarantined to protect the public from any bacteria they might pick up from the moon s surface or in space itself.

)afet" is important to the space program and e(en more important right here where we wor!. Nothing less than the future of "our famil" is at sta!e. #he" are counting on "ou to pro(ide food and shelter, and an on the ,o% accident could (er" easil" disa%le "ou and lea(e securit" and future plans up in the air. #eamwor! is ,ust as important to our own safet" as it was to the safet" of the Apollo astronauts. When people wor! together, participating and e-changing ideas, theres no end to what the" might accomplish. E(en the s!" isnt the limit an"more, Apollo pro(ed that. #ogether, we can get our own safet" program off the ground. How. &" gi(ing an" ideas "ou ma" ha(e on how things can %e made safer. An" idea, no matter how insignificant it ma" seem to "ou, ma" pre(ent a serious accident that could mean the difference %etween happiness and miser" for "ou and "our famil", or for one of "our fellow wor!ers. /f "ou are one of our seasoned emplo"ees, we can use "our "ears of (alua%le e-perience to spot potential safet" ha0ards. 1oo! around.

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Can "ou see something that has caused an accident %efore or ma" cause one now. /s there a loose railing on the staircase. /t could cause a serious fall that might cripple one of us for life. /s there a %ro!en or defecti(e plug on one of the electric tools. Electric shoc!, e(en a low (oltage one, can %e fatal. 2oor lighting, %ro!en chairs, sharp edges on furniture, slipper" su%stances on the floor, these are all things that can cause accidents and should %e reported to me.

/f "ou are a new emplo"ee, "ou can %e a (alua%le asset to our safet" program, too. 3ou ma" %e a%le to spot something right awa" that an old pro ma" o(erloo!. 2otential dangers ma" %e o%(ious to a new wor!er, one with a fresh approach, li!e "ou. In short, safety takes teamwork - the kind of joint effort that launched the Apollo moon rocket and returned it safely to Earth; that !ind of ,oint effort can effecti(el" launch our safet" program. )o whate(er "our ,o% statuses, whate(er "our duties are, !eep "our e"es open for safet" ideas and report them to me. 1i!e Apollo, lets get our safet" program off the ground.

3-Give Us your Ideas 07/2003