JOINT BASE CHARLESTON –
I often get the chance to meet our newest Sailors and Airmen, and most have entered the service within the past year. Most will tell me they decided to serve our great nation to gain direction in their lives, get an advanced education, travel and be part of a highly respected organization. But none have yet told me they joined to be seriously injured in a preventable accident at work or on liberty. As the years rapidly accrue in my own career, I've unfortunately seen too many cases where we've failed in our basic obligation to keep our people safe.
Much of the work and many of the missions performed every day around the Joint Base are inherently dangerous - from flight line operations to waterfront operations, from high voltage electrical work to simple office repairs on a stepladder. A strong safety culture is the critical element for preventing problems during our important work. Everyone on our team, including those youngest members, must feel complete ownership for keeping the entire unit safe. The Wingman or Shipmate concept is equally important during off-duty liberty hours. This culture can only come from each of us: the Base Safety Office cannot magically create it in our workplaces or in our off duty time.
I'm willing to bet your unit could improve its safety culture - please bear with me and consider these questions and examples:
· Do your youngest members routinely ask questions and feel capable of objecting to an unsafe plan? Have you ever seen one of your junior people do this?
· There are checklists and procedures for nearly everything we do - does your unit always use them carefully? Can you remember any time where your leaders stopped to make sure these tools were on hand?
· There are four or five things your unit routinely does that are most likely to cause accidents and injury - do your youngest people understand the risks and the specific steps in place to prevent problems?
· If your group experiences a "near miss," does your group treat it as if the accident had occurred and take valuable time out to plan how to prevent it from becoming a serious incident the next time around?
· How frequently do your leaders take the time to teach their people about the mishaps and near-misses encountered by other organizations who face the same challenges that you do?
· How often does your group talk about how to stay safe during liberty hours, recognizing that you rarely will get feedback when these efforts save lives?
· How strong is your group's Wingman or Shipmate concept - can you think of times when a fellow Airman or Sailor stepped forward to prevent a problem out in town, perhaps risking personal embarrassment or worse?
We have a very busy year ahead at Joint Base Charleston - the base and its many tenant commands have dozens of challenging events scheduled, including next week's Logistics Compliance Assessment Program evaluation, the Air Expo in April and an Operational Readiness Inspection in November. We have countless programs in place that work to keep our people safe, but none are a substitute for each of us taking personal responsibility for safety, around the clock, both on duty and out in town.