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Show HILL TOP TIMES Friday, August 29, 1986 o O Wherever you work, make if safe Labor Day, every day Editor's note: Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinfollowing Department of Defense safety and occupational health statement of principles to reaffirm the department's concern for safety and occupational health of its personnel. berger signed the "The safety and health of our personnel both on and off the job should be a major concern. Our commitments to strengthen national security require that we emphasize the importance of our safety and occupational health program. ;The DOD has a good safety record, but we continue to experience significant preventable losses each year due to accidents and occupational illnesses. "We can and must do better. "We must incorporate safety and occupational health principles into our daily decision-makinprocesses and work habits. From the decisions we make to develop, procure and employ new weapon systems to those that affect the working or living conditions of our personnel and families, safety and occupational health must be considered and given high priority. g "Of equal importance, we must also be alert not to take shortcuts in our operations or activities that would endanger the safety or health of the general public. It is essential that all military and civilian personnel realize that aggressive and comprehensive safety and occupational health programs are vital to our mission accomplishment and our combat readiness. "As a result, we protect our costly investments in people, training, facilities, and equipment; increase force sustainability by reducing unnecessary and preventable losses in combat; and make our nation a safer and more secure place in which to live. "Please give these safety and occupational health principles your careful and personal attention. We are all ultimately responsible and accountable for their fulfillment. I look for your full and enthusiastic support to achieve a safer and more productive work environment for all our For more about safety, turn to: 380th TFW On-thc-ro- safety awards Page 4 Safety comes in many shapes Page 6 ad air safety Page 5 Back-to-scho- ol safety Page 10 Attention, awareness: Key to Safety Office mission By Chris Baierschmidt Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office Attention and awareness are the primary remedies prescribed by the base Safety Office for cutting down occupational accidents. "Hill has every hazard exposure you would expect to find at an industrial operation," said Ron Rich, manager, Occupational Hazard. "And, though safety belongs to management, it's our job to come up with the safety programs for different shops to implement." Major programs devised by the Safety Office emphasize training people how to identify hazardous situations and what to do once they're found. The key program among them, according to Mr. Rich, is the Supervisor's Safety Survellience Program, which has been around for about five years. Under the SSSP, Safety Office personnel train supervisors to be aware of hazards in the shop or office. Daily, supervisors must walk through industrial areas to make sure everything is in check and then, monthly, document their safety measures. Meetings between the Safety Office and industrial supervisors are held monthly also, while administrators meet with the office on a quarterly basis. All new supervisors go through a training pro . 1 On the move-.- . William D. Ernst, deputy director, Contracting and Manufacturing here, has accepted the position of deputy director, Contracting and Manufacturing, . Warner Robin Air Logistics Center, Ga. Mr. Ernst has been at Hill AFB since 1965 when he transferred here from Pennsylvania. Effective date of the new assignment was Aug. 22. gram where they learn how to analyze potential problems. That way, they can make the operation safer before an accident occurs. "We don't want anyone working on base who isn't aware of the hazards and precautions," Mr. Rich said. "That's why we stress the training." Under another program, the Safety Office began about one year ago to assign safety specialists to each major division. The specialist works with the assigned duty safety person to implement new programs and to make sure existing ones are working smoothly. , "That's a new approach," explained Max Rich, chief, Ground Safety. "We used to be known as the antagonists the guys in the black hats who only wanted to find what was wrong. We're now trying to work with the divisions and do things before something bad happens." A third program which wraps up everyone's efforts is the twice annual safety program evaluation. While it once struck terror in the hearts of all to be checked for safety, the program now works to pro- vide guidelines. The evaluation includes a tour to point out the strengths and weaknesses and a plan to bring out the best efforts. Other programs involve getting safety into base facilities before they are built and giving personnel a greater voice in their working environments. Safety Office engineers are becoming a bigger part of construction by helping in the planning stages. Now, instead of just looking at the blueprints and final drawings, they're at the meetings held before even preliminary plans are drawn. Civilian and military personnel can get involved through the Hazard Reporting System. Any potentially unsafe situation can be reported to the Safety Office, which sends out a specialist to investigate. Their findings determine what should be done. "Our whole thrust is to be helpful and part of the solution," Mr. Rich said. Programs like these are credited with bringing down from 127 in fiscal 1985 to 72 during fiscal 1986 the number of occupational accidents keeping personnel off work at least one day. Forty-seve- n percent of these accidents resulted from inattention, like falling down the stairs or slipping on ice. Most injuries are to the back from incorrect lifting techniques. The ultimate goal, of course, would be an accident-fre- e base. Until then, the Safety Office will continue hammer to away on attention and awareness. "Everyone has to learn what to look out for because it takes combined efforts to keep accidents on the decrease," Max Rich said. C Long Rifle '86 Cfflfleinifis ..... .page 6 Editorials . Action Line Police Blotter . . Around the Hill Sports . .page 7 page 8 ..... page 32 Pa9e 38 A flight from one of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing's squadron is taking part in a tactical fighter shoot out, "Long Rifle '86." The competition, between teams representing Tactical Air Command's 12th Air Force, headquartered at Bergstrom AFB, Texas, and 9th Air Force, with headquarters at Shaw AFB, S.C., began at noon Tuesday. Competition includes conventional bombing and strafing events. Awards will be given in a ceremony tonight. |