[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 54 (Monday, March 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING A CRITICAL AND STRATEGIC ASSET FOR MARINE CORPS AVIATION AT 
         MARINE CORPS AIR STATION, CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY F. MURPHY

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 28, 2022

  Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
a critical and strategic asset for Marine Corps Aviation--Fleet 
Readiness Center East (FRC East) located in Havelock, North Carolina. 
Since 1943, FRC East on board Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, 
North Carolina, has played an important role in securing the national 
defense of our great country. Their workforce has earned a reputation 
for excellence in providing world-class maintenance, engineering and 
logistics support for Navy and Marine Corps aviation, as well as other 
armed services, federal agencies and foreign governments.
  FRC East has accomplished this vital mission while maintaining a safe 
and healthy work environment. The depot's Safety and Occupational 
Health programs have been recognized at the state and federal levels, 
as well as within the Department of Defense. FRC East closed out 
calendar year 2021 with the lowest number of Occupational Safety and 
Health Administration (OSHA) recordable mishaps in the command's nearly 
80-year history. The depot's superior standard of safety has also 
earned recognition from the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). 
VPP highlights employers with effective safety and health management 
systems that record injury and illness rates below the average for 
their industries.
  In 2019, FRC East became the first Naval Aviation command to achieve 
OSHA VPP Star Status. The depot is one of only 21 VPP Star recognized 
sites in the entire Department of the Navy. FRC East was recently 
chosen as one of five sites for a Department of the Navy and National 
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study aimed at evaluating 
VPP's effectiveness in reducing noncombat injuries. FRC East has also 
been recognized by the North Carolina Department of Labor. The depot 
was presented with two ``Million Hour'' awards and its fourth 
consecutive ``Gold Award.'' Million Hour safety awards are given to 
organizations that accumulate one million employee hours with no 
injuries or illnesses involving days away from work. To meet the Gold 
Award standard, an organization must have had no fatalities during the 
award year, and also post a Day Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) 
rate at least 50 percent below the industry average.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring and recognizing FRC East 
for its unwavering commitment to workplace safety. FRC East's culture 
of safety ensures the depot's most valuable resource, the highly 
skilled men and women who work there, are protected. I would also like 
to express my appreciation to the outstanding employees of FRC East for 
their dedication and continued service to our nation, our allies, and 
the Eastern North Carolina community.

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