Walter Reed Bethesda Employing ESAMS for Safety Training, Tracking

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) now implements the Enterprise Safety Application Management System (ESAMS), a new computer program to collect and track safety training, inspections and mishap information for staff and departments at Walter Reed Bethesda.

Sean P. O'Reilly, occupational safety and health specialist at WRNMMC, explained ESAMS is being deployed Navy-wide as a safety data management tool to identify safety requirements for personnel by their duties and tasks. He added ESAMS allows employees, supervisors, training coordinators, safety professionals and commanders to manage safety requirements.

Safety training for each department is determined by "stressors" employees are possibly exposed to on the job, O'Reilly explained. Annual industrial hygiene surveys are used to determine possible workplace stressors, which can be chemical, noise, vibration, radiation, laser and more, he continued.

"If stressors are above the permissible exposure limit, site conservation or other training is recommended, and ESAMS will store the department's training compliance records," O'Reilly said.

"It's up to every person to do their training in ESAMS," the safety specialist continued. All employees need to be in the system by June 30. ESAMS is currently fully deployed at a number of naval stations and bases in the region, he added.

O'Reilly urges supervisors and employees who need to access ESAMS to input data for their profile by accessing the database at https://esams.cnic.navy.mil/ESAMS_GEN_2/LoginEsams.aspx. When accessed, a box will appear requesting the user to select his or her current Common Access Card digital signature, and then the ESAMS main login page will come up.

From the login page, the user will be prompted for a username and password. The initial username will be the person's last name followed by the last five digits of their Social Security Number. For example, John Smith (SSN 123-45-6789) would be given the login name of smith56789.

Once a person has successfully logged into ESAMS, the user will see the ESAMS Main Page, and then must edit their profile. A motorcycle user question also will pop up and cyclists should click "Yes" to answer the questionnaire, said O'Reilly, who also serves as the medical center's motorcycle safety officer. First-time users to ESAMS will be prompted to change their login name and password, as well as create a security question.

Managers must assign themselves as the supervisor for personnel they supervise, O'Reilly said. A supervisor must be assigned supervisory access in ESAMS by their safety specialist. Supervisors need to add duties and tasks to their employees' profile. "Everyone should have core requirements for safety training," O'Reilly added.

He concluded there are a number of benefits to ESAMS. For example, ESAMS allows motorcyclists to schedule their training at area bases offering the training from three to six months in advance, adding ESAMS is also a good tool used to notify employees when their annual training is required. Employees will receive e-mail notification for training approximately 30 days before it is due.

In addition, ESAMS is able to provide leadership with real-time data concerning their staff training requirements, inspections and mishap information. The system will also be accessible to employees through manual login away from their job sites.

"It is a multi-service product," said O'Reilly.

For more information about ESAMS or to attend an ESAMS class, call Sean O'Reilly at (301) 295-6634, or e-mail sean.oreillym ed.navy.mil.