In the spirit of workforce empowerment, customer focus and continual improvement, demonstrated by Fort Detrick’s success with OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program, the US Army Garrison, Fort Detrick has integrated members of its Voluntary Protection Program Steering Committee into the Garrison’s Sustainable Strategic Plan and aligned with Army Community of Excellence⁄Baldrige Criteria to achieve performance excellence.

This integration opens another opportunity for the workforce to add their good ideas into actions that are directly linked to the Garrison’s Plan.

The SuSP is the Garrison Commander’s 25-year vision and it is organized according to the ACOE⁄Baldrige Criteria to provide a structure for achieving performance excellence.

The SuSP is the result of aligning goals from previous efforts within Sustainability, Strategic Planning and Environmental Management System programs.

What are ACOE⁄Baldrige Criteria?

These are principles focused on performance excellence that help installation communities support its people by combining excellent services with excellent facilities in a quality environment.

The SuSP has the ACOE⁄Baldrige principals built into its sustainable strategic goals (25-year, long-range goals), operational goals (5-year, mid-range goals) and tactical goals (1-year, short-range goals).

VPP is OSHA’s official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary worksite safety programs. VPP emphasizes management accountability and active employee engagement.

These employees work as a voice and action group to consider, develop and institute safety and health process improvements.

In addition to members serving on SuSP Teams, the VPP strategic plan is also integrated with the SuSP to assist with the deployment of both programs and strengthen links between the VPP, SuSP and ACOE⁄Baldrige.

SuSP Teams are based on the Garrison’s core competencies of Workforce, Business Process, Infrastructure⁄Utilities, Customer Services and Analysis⁄Assessment.

These teams develop goals built upon mission achievement, performance excellence, community involvement, environmental stewardship and contributing to the local economy in a sustainable manner.

SuSP teams identify, align and track action items associated with the SuSP goals and ensure alignment with ACOE⁄Baldrige Criteria.

Fort Detrick is asking its workforce to help strengthen its customer focus by integrating and aligning ideas from all of these employee-run committees as well as suggestion programs and Interactive Customer Evaluation (also known as ICE) Surveys.

Integrating and aligning these programs is a winning combination for sustainable success because it creates avenues through which employees can build ideas into actions that lead to improved services in a safe, efficient, and sustainable manner.