13 November 2020
An innovative, safe and time-saving idea has led to Leading Seaman Boatswain Mate Bradley Reynolds awarded a gold commendation for his ingenuity at the 2020 Navy Safety Awards, held in Canberra on November 4.
Rather than bringing in contractors, erecting scaffolding and waiting days for roof inspections at HMAS Penguin, Leading Seaman Reynolds used modern technology for the job.
“I used a drone to fly from building to building rather quickly, identifying any roof tile defects across HMAS Penguin within 30 minutes,” Leading Seaman Reynolds said.
“In the past, this would have taken days or possibly weeks for scaffolding to be placed around every building.
“Having the drone to identify the defects has not only minimised the risk but also the time contractors spend on the rooftops.”
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mike Noonan said Navy should also acknowledge the men and women of Navy who do their job safely every day.
“Being able to recognise the achievements of a number of our people across the enterprise is a great honour,” Vice Admiral Noonan said.
With about 15,500 officers and sailors operating complex platforms in challenging environments, Vice Admiral Noonan said personnel should be proud of how much safety was integrated.
“It is an excellent story of where we have come from and gotten to,” he said
“Not only in seaworthiness, engineering and our platforms, but in our culture and commitment to safety.”
Other winners included:
Prevention award: Amphibious Combat Sealift Systems Program Office, CASG for COVID-19 outbreak prevention cleaning;
Early intervention award: HMAS Adelaide for Ship’s company COVID-19 response;
Recovery and return to work award: Commander Chris Forward and Warrant Officer Justin Moore – Submarine Force for Establishment of an Individual Readiness Review Board;
Risk management award: HMAS Adelaide, HMAS Choules and A&P for risk management during external maintenance period;
Environment management award: Fleet Command for war on waste committee.
