Foss Vice President Honored by Coast Guard for Role in Enhancing Offshore Industry Safety

Grant Johnson, back in Seattle with his Meritorious Public Service Award.

Grant Johnson, Foss vice president for health, safety, quality and environment, recently received the U.S. Coast Guard’s Meritorious Public Service Award in recognition of his achievements as a member and vice chair of the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee.

The award, the Coast Guard’s second highest service award, was presented at a meeting of the committee March 28 in New Orleans. Johnson joined the committee in 2011 and has been vice chair for the last five years.

A citation accompanying the award noted that Johnson directed the committee “to produce invaluable recommendations and provide unique technical insight to the Coast Guard on critical matters affecting the safety and security of the offshore oil and gas industries.”

Under Johnson’s guidance, according to the citation, the committee submitted more than 300 safety and security recommendations that directly enhanced the Coast Guard’s regulatory and policy initiatives for Outer Continental Shelf operations.

The citation concluded:

“Mr. Johnson’s dedication and superior accomplishments are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Johnson joined Foss last year after a 16-year career in the oil and gas industry, including nine years at BP.

Among his management positions at BP were various leadership positions on the company’s incident command staff during the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout and explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.