Mr. Atkins currently serves as the Chief, Safety and Occupational Health, Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As the senior safety and occupational health authority for the USACE, Mr. Atkins advises and counsels the Commander, Deputy Commanders, Directors and key officials on all safety and occupational health aspects of the broad programs and missions executed by the USACE. Mr. Atkins is responsible for developing and executing safety and health policy and objectives across the worldwide command consisting of over 35,000 civilian and military personnel, as well as a contractor workforce involving 85 million man-hours of exposure annually, substantially all of which represents exposure of a high risk nature.
Mr. Atkins previous position was as the Director for Safety for the Army, reporting to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health. He assumed duties on October 1, 2007. Mr. Atkins provided leadership for all Army safety programs including Army National Guard and Reserve activities. His responsibilities included oversight for the safety of over 1.2 million Soldiers and Army Civilian employees worldwide. Mr. Atkins worked with key personnel in the Army, the Department of Defense (DoD), and other Federal and state agencies in developing and advocating Army policies for safety and occupational health programs in accordance with Presidential Executive orders, public laws, state and local standards, DoD directives and the Army mission.
Mr. Atkins previous Key Assignments include: Adjunct Professor, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Florida, Extended Campus; Deputy Commander/Director of Safety, Army Air Operations Group, Joint Forces Headquarters - Washington, DC; President, American Safety Solutions, LLC, Newport News, Virginia; Director of Safety, Directorate of Plans Training Mobilization and Security in Fort Eustis, Virginia; and he is a 25 years retired Military Chief Warrant Officer (Aviator and Aviation Safety Officer). He holds a MS in Industrial Engineering and Safety Management from Texas A&M University Commerce, Commerce, TX, a Career Program 12 (CP-12) ANSI Certificate, is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, and a Certified Safety & Health Manager with the Institute of Safety & Health Management
His awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Superior Civilian Service Award, and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award
Major Publications: American Journal of Preventative medicine.