GBRIA 25th Annual Safety Excellence Awards

Message from GBRIA’s Associate Director Safety, Health, and Security Brandon Smith, CSP Associate Director Safety, Health, and Security Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc. In November of last year, I found myself transfixed to the television in a way I had not before. I was not watching the latest Netflix series or the news but found myself on the edge of my seat watching four NASA astronauts launch from the Kennedy Space Center using the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the Crew Dragon Spacecraft. I know I am not alone thinking 2020 was a heavy year.

Watching that launch, however, offered a glimmer of hope amid a constant rush of negative news. I am too young to have seen Apollo 11 and with so much time passed, too far removed to ever be truly moved by such a feat. This launch was an opportunity for new generations to see how far we can go when we strive to achieve audacious goals By now you are likely wondering what this has to do with our industry or this awards program. Aside from the aesthetics of space travel and the cosmos throughout this publication, I think a strong correlation exists between our industry and NASA’s work to put humans in space. Both efforts rely on engineers to design and test processes, products, and moving from theory to reality.

Both rely on highly skilled in the crafts, to bring these designs to life. Both rely on management to ensure efficient and effective work. Both rely on an intense respect for safety – knowing their work impacts not just themselves, but all who work in or live around their operations.