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Tinker mishap rates going down

  • Published
  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center has slashed its injury rate by more than half over the past five years, despite a significant increase in employees in 2010 and record-level productivity.

In addition, the OC-ALC's Days Away/Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate, a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees, has declined by two-thirds during that same period.

As a result, DART days -- the number of days OC-ALC employees have been off work entirely, placed on restricted duty, or transferred to another job because of a work-related injury or illness -- plunged 83 percent between FY07 and FY11.

One goal of the Environmental Safety Occupational Health Council in the OC-ALC was to eliminate safety, environmental and fire hazards and violations by 25 percent between October 2010 and September 2011. Instead, the ESOH Council informed senior leadership that a 34 percent reduction was achieved in FY11, related Dennis Kendrick, chief of Ground Safety, 72nd ABW/SEG.

These were no small accomplishments, considering that the personnel involved numbered perhaps 15,000,

"We're changing the culture of this base," said Ryan Smith, 76th Maintenance Wing Safety chief. "We're doing more work with fewer injuries."

For example, nearly four dozen process-improvement events enabled the KC-135 flow days to be reduced from 216 to 179 days, resulting in a record number of 55 aircraft produced in fiscal 2010 -- up from 48 in prior years.

"And we're achieving these results with very little expenditures," added Regi Davis of the 72nd Air Base Wing Safety Office; he is one of four program managers in the OC-ALC Voluntary Protection Program.

Employee safety in 2011 was a primary goal of the previous OC-ALC commander, Maj. Gen. David Gillette, and that emphasis will continue in 2012 under the leadership of the new commander, Maj. Gen. Bruce Litchfield.

In 2007 Tinker AFB began implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's premier cooperative program: the Voluntary Protection Program.

VPP at Tinker is a partnership among all bargaining unit employees and their union, AFGE Local 916, OSHA and the OC-ALC. Seven Wing/Group steering committees and integrated design teams (IDTs) were established at multiple sites to promote safety as part of the Voluntary Protection Program. Those seven sites were:

· Five individual group steering committees and IDTs in the 76th Maintenance Wing (Aircraft, Propulsion, Maintenance Support, Commodities, and Software plus the 76th Maintenance Wing staff offices)

· 72nd ABW steering committee and IDT

· One wing steering committee and IDT for the OC-ALC/GK, the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing (Air Force Global Logistics Command), and the OC-ALC staff offices

"We directed each of the seven sites to examine where most of their injuries were occurring," said Lt. Col. Aaron Troxell, chief of Safety for the 72nd ABW.

Rather than a "shotgun" approach, trying to eradicate each and every injury, "We advised the steering committees to concentrate on the top two injury areas," Colonel Troxell said, "put a team on that and bring those peaks down."

"Typically we try to stay focused on the high drivers," Mr. Ryan said.

Those high-injury areas vary from group to group, Mr. Davis noted. For example, Colonel Troxell related, the principal injury was sheet-metal cuts in Commodities, while in the Aircraft Maintenance Group it was sprains, strains, and contusions from workers bumping their heads on aircraft.

The heightened focus on safety is reaping dividends throughout the OC-ALC, as evidenced by the lower DART and TCIR rates.

The 900+ employees in the 76th Software Maintenance Group and the 76th Maintenance Wing Staff recorded only two minor injuries or illnesses from February through October -- and no injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work from Feb. 1 through Dec. 31, 2011.

They have applied to OSHA for VPP Star status. OSHA inspectors performed a weeklong audit last month; their results won't be known for several more weeks.

With its Star rating, OSHA recognizes employers and employees who "demonstrate exemplary achievement in the prevention and control of occupational safety and health hazards, and the development, implementation and continuous improvement of their safety and health management system."

Star is the ultimate level of achievement in safe workplace practices. To achieve Star status an applicant must maintain DART and TCIR rates below industry standards for three consecutive years.