NUWC Division Newport engineer wins 2024 National Safety Council award

NUWC Division Newport engineer wins 2024 National Safety Council award

By NUWC Division Newport Public Affairs

John Handrigan, an engineer in the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport's Undersea Warfare Platforms and Payload Integration Department, recently won the 2024 National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety Award.

The award honors up-and-coming safety professionals, who have a track record of demonstrating leadership, innovation and involvement in their organization's safety culture, while promoting continuous safety improvement in the workplace.

Handrigan, a resident of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, has served as the principal for safety for unmanned undersea vehicle programs since April 2021. He has successfully executed safety analysis as the representative for safety matters on several programs to external review boards and directly advises program managers. He also is the manager of system safety programs for Department of Defense acquisition programs and is responsible for integrating safety into the systems engineering development of new U.S. Navy autonomous underwater robotics systems.

"With Handrigan's demonstrated leadership and systems safety contributions, U.S. Navy warfighters are safer and can operate in more reliable conditions," the award states.

Handrigan holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 2009 and was began his Division Newport career in 2010. He has earned two additional academic certificates, one in system safety from the University of Southern California in 2016 and the other in systems integrated development from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2023. He is currently enrolled in the system engineering management master's degree program with the Naval Postgraduate School and is scheduled to complete his degree in October.

Handrigan will be recognized at the 2024 National Safety Council Congress and Expo in Orlando, Florida, in September.

NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.

Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport