Making Safety an Opportunity Published Aug. 24, 2009 By Senior Master Sgt. Eric Norman 141st Wing Safety Office FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Reprinted from The 141st Air Refueling Wing's The Jet Gazette, June 2008 Have you ever noticed that we often see safety discussed in the context of an issue, i.e., this is a safety issue? The word "issue" is given a number of definitions in Webster's dictionary but two in particular are noteworthy. The first is "a point, matter, problem, argument, or matter of contention". The second is "publish, send out, circulate, disseminate". Safety has historically been an "issue". Someone gets hurt, a new rule gets issued. The Voluntary Protection Program is a concept that moves us past a top-down mode of mere compliance and into a culture where safety is a mindset and part of the group culture. VPP was created by the Department of Labor in 1982 as a way to partner with and recognize workplaces that show excellence in safety and health. Participants identify ways to prevent workplace injuries that go above and beyond compliance with safety regulations. Sites that participate in VPP have achieved mishap rates that are less than half of that of industry counterparts that do not participate in VPP. In fiscal year 2007, the Air Force began implementing VPP at selected bases in keeping with the overall Department of Defense VPP goal. In October, 2007 the primary units at Fairchild, the 92nd Air Refueling Wing, 141st Air Refueling Wing, and 336th Traing Group partnered to begin the process of making Fairchild a Department of Labor Star VPP site. A site visit was conducted by the DOD VPP Center for Excellence and Fairchild AFB as well as the 141 ARW are clearly on their way toward achieving VPP status. What can an individual member of the 141st, 92nd, or 336th do to help? -With your work center, take the opportunity to identify which parts of your everyday tasks are hazardous and what can be done to make them safer. -Be on the lookout for physical hazards in your work area and around the base. Take action to correct them and please don't be afraid to get pushy. You have the opportunity to prevent others from avoiding the same mishap you did. -Take the opportunity to pass your safety knowledge on to others. Share your experiences. More info on the Voluntary Protection Program can be found at www.vppcx.org/index.htm and http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/vpp/index.html. VPP points of contact are: Capt Dan Reid at the 92nd ARW 247-4806, Senior Master Sgt. Eric Norman at the 141st ARW 247-7028, or Airman 1st Class Lindsay Whittaker at the 336th TRG 247-3553. A situation may arise that concerns safety. Hopefully we can say, something has to be done, this is a safety opportunity.