Page 10 - Port of Baltimore Magazine July August 2011

[8] The Port of Baltimore ■ July/August 2011 To subscribe or renew, visitwww.marylandports.com
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OUTREACH
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‘Little Patriots’ Provide Cookies for Troops
U.S. troops stationed abroad recently received “a little taste of home” in
the form of Girl Scout cookies shipped through the Port of Baltimore.
For the fifth year, American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier (ARC) provided
no-cost ocean transport for a Mafi trailer
loaded with 44 Tri-Wall containers —
estimated to hold about 12,000 to 15,000
boxes of cookies. “It’s the least we can do
for the service [the troops] are providing,”
said Eric Ebeling, ARC Vice President of
Government Relations. “We’re happy to be
able to give them a little taste of home.”
Arranged by the Girl Scouts of the USA,
the cookies left Valhalla, NY, and made a
brief stop at Fort Dix, NJ, before arriving in
Baltimore in early June. “The Port of Baltimore
is the biggest port for us on the East Coast, and a great RO/RO port,” said Ebeling, who
added that Mid-Atlantic Terminal (MAT) loaded the precious cargo on the M/V Freedom
bound for Kuwait.
Adorning the containers were personal messages that the Girl Scouts, who identified
themselves as “Little Patriots,” had written in magic marker. One read, “You are ah-MAZING!
Come home in one piece!” and was accompanied by a smiley face. Another said, “Thank you
for protecting us. Be safe & God bless.”
Noting that ARC does a large amount of business with the U.S. government, Ebeling
added that the cookie project is a “great partnership” for a “great cause.”
SAFETY
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Award Recognizes
Workplace Injury
Reduction
D ue to a sizeable reduction
in workplace injury
claims, the Maryland Port
Administration (MPA) recently
received a special award from the
State Employee Risk Management
Administration (SERMA).
According to Barbara
McMahon, MPA Manager, Safety,
Environment & Risk Management,
one reason for the 17.5 percent
drop in injury claims from 2009
to 2010 was the concern for
safety that runs throughout
the organization. “No program
would have been successful
without the commitment of upper
management,” she said.
McMahon lauded the
achievements of a Safety
Committee that was instrumental
in generating written health
and safety procedures requiring
active inspections and safety
meetings. Safety programs were
also developed and implemented
in the areas of electrical energy,
excavation safety and confined
space entry. “The committee’s
efforts played a big role in
the reduction of injuries and
illnesses,” said McMahon.
SERMA consultants work
with state agencies to provide
risk management services in an
effort to reduce the potential for
workplace injuries and control
workers’ compensation costs. The
award was presented during a
SERMA conference in May .
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WWL