76th SMXG puts VPP, safety first

Published April 26, 2011
By Brandice J. O'Brien
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Voluntary Protection Program is not "just another initiative" to the 76th Software Maintenance Group/76th Maintenance Wing Staff Offices. It's a daily "way of life" and, when used with the wingman concept, the organization is changing the face of workplace safety to protect the workforce; the most valuable asset, officials said.

Since adopting the program in 2006, the combined group -- which includes the offices of quality assurance, financial management, safety and management operations - has gained significant employee and management buy-in, greatly reduced incidents and recently submitted an application for the prestigious "Star" site honor.

"This organization is, by far, the most pro-active of any that I have ever seen," said Dr. Doug Blake, 76th SMXG director. "From senior management to management representatives to the folks in the units, VPP is pretty high on everyone's radar."

Paul Victorian, 76th SMXG VPP management representative, said changing the face of safety had to come from within the organization. Before achievements could be reached, personnel had to grasp the importance of the VPP concept and the idea of taking care of one another.

Norm Wagner, 76th SMXG VPP program manager, agreed.

"We're like family. We spend more time out here than we do with our own families and we keep our own families safe," Mr. Wagner said. "My No. 1 goal is to make sure I come to work safe and go home safe. When you're taken out of that equation, I like to call it the ripple effect. Not only is your immediate family affected, but so is your work family. You're no longer here to do your job and we're worried about you."

Once the group realized VPP wasn't "just another" management-directed safety initiative, but that they as employees could run the program, the outlook changed.

"We've been complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's safety rules forever, but now that we have employees involved, we have a lot more ideas, buy-in and it has taken on a life of its own," Mr. Victorian said.

Ryan Smith, 76th MXW Safety Office director and VPP management representative, agreed.

"We now have an extension of the safety office," Mr. Smith said. "We don't have just 26 people, but everyone in the maintenance wing is considered a safety person and they're all looking in effort to mitigate hazards. Before all this happened, we probably averaged 20 hazard reports a year, but now we're into the hundreds."

Prior to the implementation of VPP, the combined group averaged roughly 20 incidents per year. Now, they're at four incidents a year. In fact, the group's total case incident rate, or TCIR, and Days Away/Restricted/Transferred, or DART, are below the industry standard by several points. Additionally, the group is on track to meeting the fiscal 2011 goals.

Furthermore, the group is waiting to hear if they've earned OSHA's Star status. They expect their application will be approved by fall.

Abiding by a three-fold plan - increase awareness, implement hazard controls and track progress - to achieve and sustain Star status, Daniel McCabe, 76th MXW Quality Assurance Office chief and a management volunteer safety representative, said the ultimate goal is to not have any safety-related injuries or mishaps.