The timing of the summit coincides with increased public attention on the impacts of blast overpressure, the pressure caused by a shock wave over and above normal atmospheric pressure. The summit aims to highlight the proactive measures being taken by the Navy to address concerns related to blast overpressure.

The event featured recorded remarks from Hon. Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASN EIE) and Designated Agency Safety and Health Official, or DASHO, for the Department of the Navy. Mr. Peter Lynch, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Safety, also attended and led portions of the meeting.

“I am grateful to the experts and operators that are in the room today for dedicating your brain power and your horsepower to something that is critical: warfighter brain health,” said Berger.

Hosted by the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC), the summit is part of a broader initiative to centralize and streamline BOP safety efforts within the Department of the Navy (DON).

“We cannot stand idly by, and that is what this forum is for and about,” continued Berger. “Think about how we can fight most effectively and keep our people in the fight: reduce unnecessary exposures; monitor exposures and symptoms; listen to and encourage those who ask for help; pay attention to those who do not; ensure availability of medical treatment; and maintain mission readiness. We must move quickly and deliberately in support of our people through collaboration to capitalize on efficiencies and move decisively.”

Despite numerous successful initiatives, there was previously no unified method to communicate these efforts to stakeholders. In response, the DON began holding monthly BOP synchronization meetings in September 2023, which has grown from 25 to over 150 participants, including leadership, medical professionals, safety officers, and subject matter experts.

The goal of the Navy BOP summit was to develop a plan of action and milestones for drafting and implementing DON BOP policy. Additionally, the summit served to enhance communication among all parties, synchronize efforts, identify gaps, and create a Navy-specific BOP policy that aligns with upcoming DOD guidelines as well as foster collaboration and build relationships within the BOP community.

“As we move forward, our goal is to provide a consistent message that will help operational commands understand the risks of BOP exposure and communicate effective risk mitigation strategies,” said Jena Brunson, an industrial hygienist with NMCFHPC. “This summit is a critical step in organizing our efforts to protect our personnel.”

Brunson’s team, the Acquisition Technical Support Division (ATS), serves as the subject matter experts and cognizant technical authority regarding the industrial hygiene aspects of blast overpressure hazard through systems lifecycle for the DON. The team has been working on establishing a comprehensive plan for exposure monitoring, leveraging the existing field presence of industrial hygiene (IH) professionals who are already monitoring other hazards of weapon use. This approach integrates BOP into their efforts, using worldwide IH support to create a central plan that is now being implemented.

The ATS team is also unique in that it includes IH experts who support the acquisition testing community as well as the field industrial hygienist working at the IH program offices. The team assess the health hazards of weapon systems using exposure data collected during the acquisition process in the testing environment to support weapons program managers in addition to providing support to field industrial hygienists who are collecting and evaluating data on weapons systems that have already been fielded.

“Our goal isn’t just to document the exposure but to figure out ways to reduce it,” Brunson explained. “We are starting with a centralized approach, issuing equipment, training people, and eventually aiming for this to become routine for our IHs. This includes collecting data, analyzing it, and integrating findings into medical records to support informed decision-making by leadership.”

Brunson also emphasized the importance of balancing mission readiness with safety measures.

“There is a fine balance between mission readiness because, for example, on ships there is a certain number of rounds that must be fired before one is considered qualified. We don’t want to limit rounds fired for BOP in a way that hinders mission readiness. That’s why we strive to understand what is needed and profile the weapons to know what they produce, getting an idea of lifetime exposures,” she said.

This initiative requires a multidisciplinary approach, involving engineers, weapons program managers, policy makers, medical personnel, industrial hygiene experts, risk communication specialists, occupational health professionals, and the operational side, including end users.

“We are big into communication and team approach, helping each other out where we can,” concluded Brunson.

The Navy BOP initiative also aligns with several of the Surgeon General's key lines of effort (LOEs), particularly:
 

• LOE 2: Increase Sailor and Marine Deployability by ensuring personnel are well-protected from BOP risks, thereby maintaining a fit and ready force.
• LOE 3: Provide Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Programs Across the Naval Force by integrating the latest research and safety protocols into BOP management strategies.
• LOE 4: Recruit and Retain Navy Medicine Shipmates by demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of Navy personnel, thereby fostering trust and commitment within the ranks.

The mission of NMCFHPC is to maximize readiness through force health protection plan strategies and solutions for current and potential public health threats.

Berger is responsible for providing oversight and policy for Navy and Marine Corps energy and climate resilience; infrastructure sustainment, restoration and modernization; military construction; acquisition, utilization and disposal of real property and facilities; environmental protection, planning, restoration and natural resources conservation; and safety and occupational health.

You can learn more about the Navy’s Acquisition Technical Support Division and find resources at: https://www.med.navy.mil/Navy-and-Marine-Corps-Force-Health-Protection-Command/Environmental-Health/Industrial-Hygiene/Acquisition-Technical-Support/Blast-Overpressure-BOP/