In July 2025, the Coast Guard established the Safety Service Center (SAFECEN) as part of Force Design 2028 (FD28). This followed the disestablishment of the legacy Health, Safety and Work-Life Service Center (HSWL SC), from which SAFECEN, the Health Care Service Center (HCSC), and the Workforce and Family Services Center (WFSC) were formed.
SAFECEN consolidates all safety services, including major mishap response and occupational safety, to provide comprehensive safety products and services to the entire Coast Guard. This centralized approach aligns with safety practices in other Department of War safety organizations. SAFECEN's mission is to identify and control hazards, reduce risk, and prevent losses across the Coast Guard, ensuring operational readiness and mission success.
Located in Norfolk, Virginia, with field detachments in each district, SAFECEN reports to the Office of Safety and Environmental Health (CG-SEH) and the Deputy Commandant for Personnel (CG-DCP) at headquarters.
Under the leadership of Commanding Officer CAPT Jeffrey Zamarin, SAFECEN is organized into three divisions:
- Occupational Safety: Supports occupational safety compliance and provides safety and environmental health services through:
- Incident Command System Safety Officer (SOFR) support
- Safety mobile assistance, response and training (SMART) visits
- Job hazard analyses (JHAs) and health risk assessments (HRAs)
- Safety and Risk Management (SARM) Council support
- Remote technical assistance
- Ship Sanitation Certification Program (SSCP)
- Operational Safety: Centralizes all mishap response and analysis activities by streamlining facilitation, collaboration, and risk mitigation efforts. The Operational Risk Control Branch develops and executes operational risk control assessments using data analytics and on-site evaluations to identify weaknesses, recommend improvements, and share best practices to control risk and prevent mishaps. The Mishap Analysis Center remains at the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center (ATC) in Mobile, AL, where the Advanced Mishap Analysis and Reporting Course is delivered. Field units can contact the Mishap Analysis and Response Branch at D05-DG-SAFECEN-MishapResponse@uscg.mil for questions about mishap response plans or for analysis support.
- Business Operations: Focuses on safety promotion and developing a Safety Performance Management System, including training course management, analysis, providing guidance, and a new Safety Information System (SIS). The SIS uses data analytics to predict and mitigate risks. This division also manages finance, supply, and unit administration.
This division's new structure allows technical experts to better support all field units by providing streamlined occupational safety services. District SEHOs remain a unit’s primary point of contact for field-level safety services.
Through FD28, SAFECEN has been able to improve safety resource allocation, including integrating afloat safety specialists into roles that better utilize their expertise and moving critical resources to execute field level safety service delivery. These changes enhance service capacity and ensure subject matter experts are assigned tasks maximizing their skills. SAFECEN remains committed to a responsible and professional safety culture by providing proactive risk control, hazard identification, mitigation, and loss prevention for the Coast Guard. SAFECEN serves as the primary point of contact for safety services, efficiently identifying and controlling hazards and systematically reducing enterprise-level risk.
-USCG-
Additional Article Contributors: Mr. Ed Bock, SAFECEN XD, CAPT Pat Wallace, SAFECEN-BOD, LCDR Kate Pink, SAFECEN-OCC-E, Mr. Mark Bruno, SAFECEN-OPS