The National Institutes of Health, Office of Research Services, Division of Occupational Health
and Safety (DOHS) salute a group of professionals making a difference in safety.
The NIH Mission First Always, Safety Always award was created to recognize NIH personnel who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and involvement in their organization’s safety culture.
In 2013, we received 13 nominations! Each nomination went through an anonymous review process which included blind scoring, without names or institutes, against the following criteria
Leadership attributes that set the nominee apart from his or her peers
Initiating and/or leading a successful safety initiative
Engaging peers and transforming the safety culture of the organization
Promoting safety as an important part of their program
Working to correct unsafe or unhealthful workplace conditions or hazards
On January 8, 2014, winners for this award were honored at the first quarterly IC Safety and Health Committee meeting.
Each nominee was presented with a “Certificate of Nomination” and winners with a “Certificate of Award” by NIH leadership, Mr. Herbert Jacobi, Deputy Director DOHS.
The winners of this competition represent 9 institutes located on the campus of NIH Bethesda, NCI Frederick, and ORF in Durham NC. We are proud to recognize our winners:
Dr. Daniel Appella, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease
Vincent Burton, NIH Office of the Director/Office of Research Services/Division of Research Services
Dr. Niamh Cawley, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Cheryl Marietta, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Helen Mayberry, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Nursing
Ilsa Rovira, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Harold Seifried, National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health
Dennis Will, National Institutes of Health/Office of the Director/Office of Research Facilities
Barbara Zwiesler, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Nominees and winners for the Mission First, Safety Always award pictured with Dr. Johnson and Mr. Jacobi at the IC Safety and Health Committee meeting.
The winners are:
Dr. Daniel Appella, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease
“Since being appointed chair of the NIDDK Health and Safety Committee, Dr. Appella, (he) has worked diligently to revamp the committee and improve communications. Dr. Appella
has established a highly effective communication network for safety information within NIDDK.”
Vincent Burton, NIH Office of the Director/Office of Research Services/Division of Research Services
“Vincent volunteered to take on the task of the Building 21 Occupant Emergency Coordinator. In this position, he assembled and arranged training for a 24 person team of building occupants who have agreed to assist in the evacuation process in the event of an emergency.
He also arranged for bright green vests and badges for all Coordinators so that they are easily identified during an emergency.”
Dr. Niamh Cawley, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
"In 2012-2013, (Dr. Cawley), initiated an electronic tracking system for safety training compliance of (NICHD personnel).
In 2013, Dr. Cawley volunteered to chair a subcommittee of the Central Safety Committee to look into the policy of personal protective equipment at the NIH. Dr. Cawley chairs the NICHD Safety Committee and compiled and wrote the 2012 annual safety report.”
Cheryl Marietta, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
“Cheryl, as chair of the NIAA Safety Committee works in a cooperative, harmonious, and effective fashion with other NIAAA safety representatives and NIH safety. Two years ago there were several incidents
involving rodent bites, Cheryl asked the veterinarian to organize a training class and in the past year, there have been no further bite incidents.”
Helen Mayberry, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Nursing
“Helen has played a key role in in the implementation and ongoing support of barcoding for enhanced safety in patient specimen collection and blood product transfusion verification in the Clinical Center.
Helen focuses on safety in every aspect of clinical practice. Her collaborative efforts lead to creative problem solving to remove barriers to compliance, and to promote staff understanding of safe practices.”
Ilsa Rovira, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
“(Mrs. Rovira) screened all NHLBI labs to ID safety problems such as faulty eyewash stations and power strips. She realized that some lab members were not aware of eyewash stations in all of the labs, so she developed
a safety flyer depicting the different models of eyewash stations used in the institute…”
Harold Seifried, National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health
“Dr. Seifried was responsible for the initial AED installation at the Executive Plaza North Building (EPN) in which NCI/DCP was housed for more than a decade
He along with colleagues in the Division of Cancer Biology set up training sessions for staff and monthly inspections of the AED kits.
Dr. Seifried oversaw the transition of AEDs during the move from EPN to the Shady Grove facility and persisted in making sure the kits were available.”
Dennis Will, National Institutes of Health/Office of the Director/Office of Research Facilities
“As a passionate safety committee member, Dennis lives and breathes safety.
From his stories of past safety violations of former coworkers, he makes being safe understandable to many types of people.
Dennis leads the department in many safety tasks to include lock out, tag out, (LOTO).
He has transformed the departments LOTO policy into a usable document.”
Barbara Zwiesler, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
“As chair of NINDS/NIDCD Safety Committee, (Barbara) spearheads efforts to provide employees with special training sessions (e.g., laser and lab safety sessions)… Barbra took the initiative on laser safety requirements and organized training sessions.
She emphasized that anyone using lasers, found in microscopes, needs to take the course.”
