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MAF Safety

The Michoud Assembly Facility follows rigorous safety guidelines and procedures set and maintained by NASA’s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and by the Safety & Mission Assurance Directorate at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which manages Michoud for the agency.

These stringent guidelines ensure the safety — and enhance the success — of all Michoud facility activities, from its industrial safety program to its work on NASA’s Space Launch System and other next-generation technologies and space exploration programs. Safety programs at Michoud integrate protective measures for all NASA organizations, contractors and third-party tenants, certifying that people, processes, facilities and hardware are safe and that all work is done to assure the success of every mission set before the facility.

Site Overview about MAF Safety

Location

New Orleans, LA

Site Safety Manager

David R. Howitt

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans reinstall the iconic NASA meatball logo to the side of the 43-acre factory following a months-long project to replace the corrugated asbestos paneling original to the building’s construction on the outer façade of the facility.  The new paneling is an insulated metal sandwich panel, which provides an increased insulation R-value. The new fastening system can withstand significant wind loads, adding greater protection against hurricanes, tornados, and other storm-related events common to the area; and is critical to help protect vital hardware for the Space Launch System rockets and the Orion Spacecrafts manufactured at Michoud for NASA’s Artemis missions, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.
Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans reinstall the iconic NASA meatball logo to the side of the 43-acre factory following a months-long project to replace the corrugated asbestos paneling original to the building’s construction on the outer façade of the facility.
Credit: NASA

Focus Areas

Mission & Flight Safety

A primary safety mission at Michoud is ensuring the safe and proper execution of all development, manufacturing and integration efforts and related activities. NASA safety and mission assurance personnel conduct and support safety, reliability and risk-management analyses and oversee all in-house and prime contractor fabrication, inspection, test and evaluation activities tied to spaceflight missions. Michoud adheres to and implements all policies, tools and techniques, in accordance with NASA and federal requirements, to ensure safety procedures are followed throughout the facility, ensuring the safest possible flight programs and other space missions.

Personal & Workforce Safety

Michoud complies with all health and safety requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other federal guidelines. Qualified NASA safety and mission assurance representatives conduct inspections, train employees and contractors and promote NASA’s safety culture to protect the lives of every Michoud worker.

Facilities & Environmental Safety

Michoud safety personnel monitor facilities and laboratories across the facility to protect NASA’s financial investment in Michoud’s physical resources. They conduct routine quality-assurance checks on all hardware, tools and other resources to ensure the strictest possible adherence to workplace and environmental safety guidelines.

Contact

David R. Howitt
MAF Site Safety Manager
Cell: 504 715-9214
david.r.howitt@nasa.gov
Marcus Sanchez
Cell: 504 257-1177
marcus.g.sanchez@nasa.gov
Jared Sweatman  
Cell: 985 232-6336
jared.w.sweatman@nasa.gov