A structural inspection team at Newport News Shipbuilding that has logged work on three aircraft carriers recently celebrated a safety milestone, going five years without an injury on the job.

The team focuses on carriers undergoing a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). Over the past five years, their work has spanned to USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the former Enterprise (CVN 65). They are currently working on USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) having just completed the first phase of carrier overhaul.

“Working on carrier overhauls involves being alert to many potential hazards, as we work in a wide variety of tanks, voids, bilges and the dry dock, just to name a few,” said Derrick Hicks, an X67 supervisor. “We do a lot of crawling. We do a lot of bending. We do a lot of climbing.”

Team members credit their success to a combination of factors.

They stretch daily. They assist each other in carrying heavy or bulky items. They conduct safety briefings before every job. They always follow the buddy system, never sending out their fellow shipbuilders alone. And they don’t hesitate to stop inspections if they spot issues that can’t be immediately controlled.

Justin Sleigher, X67 manager, presented the team with a certificate and congratulated them on the milestone.

“A lot of this is looking out for your shipyard family,” he said. “It’s more than a record. At the end of the day, you want to be safe, and you want to go back home the same way you came to work.”

Hicks said the concern for safety has created a culture of caring among the team. In their downtime, there might be a discussion about weekend activities and work around the house. If someone plans to perform strenuous yard work around home, for example, others will weigh in on safety tips.

The team’s milestone included working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Hicks said consistency has been the key during this five-year stretch.

“Practice what you preach,” he said. “And every day I preach safety.”