Most overmanned office on base

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Paul Gloyd
  • 60th AMW Safety
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  We’ve all said it, rather complained about it. Hardly a conversation occurs in the workplace where someone doesn’t talk about “doing more with less.” Offices are undermanned … warriors are deployed … yet the mission continues. 

I often tell people that I’m in the advertising business. My goal is to have people buy my product. What is it I’m selling you ask? I’m selling a mindset … a safety mindset. 

You can’t buy my product at the store. If it were that easy, we’d all be safe and there would never be an accident. 

The reality is that accidents, and near-accidents, occur on a daily basis. We normally hear about the accidents through safety channels. I bring up near-accidents because those are the incidents where someone almost got hurt … a piece of equipment almost got damaged or a motorcyclist almost crashed. 

We seldom hear of these events, not because they didn’t happen, but because there’s no physical evidence, other than embarrassment, indicating that something went awry.
In the flying community, pilots often talk with their hands as if they were actually capable of flight. They also begin sentences with “there I was” and listeners know that they’re about to be regaled with a near-accident story. Whether these pilots realized it or not, they were mentoring. They were also selling my product, my safety mindset – listen up junior, don’t repeat my mistake! 

So ask yourself this question – how often do I hear of other’s near-accidents and how often do I share mine? 

Chances are great the answer is not often. If that’s the case, then the only way each of us will learn is through our own near-accidents. 

What if you are the one whose near-accident turns into a real accident? Are you willing to accept that risk? Are your coworkers, your friends and your Wingmen willing to place you in that position of learning on your own? 

Let’s take this one step further. Your office is undermanned. Your friends are deployed. Operations tempo is through the roof. Perhaps you’re already working 12-hour shifts. Now one of your coworkers, your Wingman, does something and gets hurt. Perish the thought that it might be a fatality. In the blink of an eye, an accident occurred. 

Initially, people will be shocked. They might even say under their breath “that would never happen to me.” 

Here’s where it gets personal…and mark my words safety enthusiasts … injuries and fatalities are always personal. The hard, cold truth is despite the member’s absence from the office, the mission continues. 

Why is it personal? Because you now have to complete the mission with one fewer teammate … puts a new perspective on “doing more with less.” 

Hindsight being 20-20 and knowing what you’ve now read, I’m sure you’d agree that preventing your Wingman’s accident would eliminate some frustration brought on by the added workload. Clearly we can’t go back in time; therefore the only option is to prevent future accidents from occurring. 

By now, you’re probably asking yourself what all this has to do with the most overmanned office on base. My point is simple. There are 14 warriors in the 60th Air Mobility Wing safety office, but as Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, Air Mobility Command commander stated, “every AMC member is a ‘Wingman.’” 

In other words, each of you are safety disciples … you are selling my product! Bottom line – everyone at Travis is a safety officer. 

Webster defines culture as the set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes a company or corporation. In order for us to promote a safety culture at Travis, it’s imperative that each of us accept the calling to be safety officers. 

A wise, albeit anonymous Travis warrior ties it together nicely: 

Safety isn’t slogans or catchy phrases. Safety isn’t committees coming up with fancy ideas or telling the boss what he or she wants to hear. Safety isn’t saying “slow down” or “take your time.” 

Safety is personal. Safety is an attitude, a state of mind. It is a “climate” that is nurtured from childhood and on into the work world. 

You can’t say “we have to green this aircraft up ASAP”, and follow with “but take your time.” 

It is human nature to want to excel, to please your boss, to “make it happen.”
In essence; to be the hero of the moment. I know we are human, and that is our strength and our weakness. There will always be those who watch “Red Asphalt” and go right out driving recklessly. 

We reward those who “get the job done” more often than we do for “doing the job safely.”
What does all this mean? We have to live in a safety environment, not a production environment. There will be a cost, though. That aircraft may not “green up” as soon as we like. That part may not be repaired or manufactured as quickly. But, there is also a reward. We may save a limb or a life. 

So there you have it. The bottom line is to save a limb or a life. True, the mission is important, but without people, the mission has no chance of succeeding. 

Ensure mission success – be the safety officer, the Wingman and the friend. Expect nothing less from your coworkers. 

Remember, it’s personal!