News Story Manager

Employee Spotlight: Safety Advisor Harley Chase

Published July 1, 2021
IN THE PHOTOS, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photos by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTOS, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photos by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Safety Advisor Harley Chase during a safety inspection on the Dredge Hurley. Chase is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as the district. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day. (USACE photo by Adrian Pirani)

He is the safety advisor to the Memphis District Commander as well as all district employees. He is charged with ensuring the district complies with all safety regulations, but most importantly, he is responsible for making sure all employees get home safely each day.

His name is Harley Chase. He is the Memphis District Safety Manager and has been doing this job for 18 years now, with one and a half of them being here in Memphis, Tennessee.

“I am a second-generation safety manager,” Chase explained. “My dad got into the safety field after he retired and while it was never really a desire of mine to follow in his footsteps in the safety field, I eventually did.”

Chase said he wanted a career in the Army, but after several years as a Army machinist, he decided it wasn’t for him.

“My dad mentioned a new program that put safety professionals at the Brigade Combat Teams,” Chase said. “I applied and was lucky enough to be accepted for the Army Safety Intern program. I was selected at the 3rd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division as a safety manager.”

Chase said he loves his job because he gets to help people, meet interesting people, and see what they do.

“While my field can be very compliance-oriented, it is not the main focus of my job,” Chase said. “Our goal is to change people’s behaviors to be more safety conscious. To do that, we need to be available when someone has a question or an issue. We help find answers or recommendations to those problems.”

Chase said that even with all the regulations and safety protocols in place, about 5,000 people die each year from workplace-related accidents.

“The work we do here (at USACE) can be hazardous at times, but we do a great job at reducing those risks,” Chase said. “My first safety job required me to deploy. We lost a Soldier the first week due to an accident and it taught me that no matter how much you plan and prepare, there is always something you did not see or account for. It was a very humbling experience, but it motivated me to be better and to find ways to better push safety and get people to be more safety-oriented.”

Chase is a valued member of this district, and what he does for this team isn’t taken for granted.

“Harley is a very thoughtful individual who cares about all aspects of safety,” Chase’s Supervisor and Chief of Staff Reginald King said. “As a result of his safety technical expertise and oversight, he’s identified and addressed safety concerns resulting in accident avoidances and improvement of equipment and the work environment.  He’s been great for MVM in assisting in delivering our World Class Mission in support of our Nation in a safe manner.”

The district echoes King’s remarks. It’s also important to note that with Chase championing the safety program, he reminds all district employees of the important role they play in safety as well, reiterating the phrase, “If you see something, say something.”  

District employees are advocates of safety, and to empower employees even more, Chase created a safety reporting tool within the Memphis District smartphone app to help with reporting safety concerns from anywhere one may be.

“The phone app is beneficial as most everyone has a phone, so it makes it more convenient and easy for people to report a hazard or near miss,” Chase said. “We have a reporting app on our SharePoint site, but not everyone has access to a computer or the internet, so the only other way to report is to contact us directly. Some may not feel comfortable identifying themselves either, so the anonymous feature on the phone app will hopefully lead to more reporting.”

To use this convenient and possibly life-saving tool, visit your smartphone’s app store and download the “Memphis District” application. From there, the safety reporting tool can be used by simply clicking on the “Safety” icon on the app’s homepage.

Safety is something many take for granted up until it’s too late. But with Harley as our Champion, our district is more apt to report safety concerns and therefore, much safer than ever before. Because of that, we are grateful and appreciative for everything he does.

Thank you, Harley. We are lucky to have you!