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Win-win situation

  • Published
  • By Danielle Gregory
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  The 76th Commodities Maintenance Group Voluntary Protection Program will be working with the IDEA program office in order to better motivate employees to step up and take action for their safety on the work site.

VPP promotes effective worksite-based safety and health. Within the program, management, labor and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.

"We are trying to leverage other programs on Tinker in order to offer incentive plans to employees via the VPP process. We are introducing the Hazardous Assessment Incident Reporting through VPP and the IDEA program," said Ronald Hobbs, 76th CMXG, VPP Safety and Health Training Tenet Lead.

The HAIR is a new form that is authorized under the IDEA program. For the new process someone can submit an issue to the 76 CMXG VPP and they will perform a hazard assessment and validate to verify it is an actual fix or safety issue that is unique to Tinker AFB. They will then work with that employee to submit an idea and the IDEA office will verify that and award that employee money.

"This is a great opportunity to increase employee involvement in VPP by leveraging existing Air Force programs that offer incentives for employee creativity. By utilizing the IDEA program in concert with VPP and our enhanced transformation efforts, we can offer innovative solutions to the safety and health issues that we face every day. This will further help us as we move forward towards a world class maintenance organization at the new Tinker Aerospace Complex," said Col. Jeffrey Sick, Commander 76th CMXG.

The IDEA program rewards Airmen for ideas that save Air Force money and resources. Someone who has an idea that isn't within their job responsibility but saves the Air Force money will receive 15 percent of the Air Force's estimated first-year savings. That reward could range from $200 to $10,000.

"They must be eligible under the confirmatory IDEA guidelines, which means it has a person listed on the form, documented and validated savings and determines whether this IDEA is a correction or improvement. Confirmatory ideas tend to push through the process a lot faster, because the evaluation has already been done," said Donna Davis, 72nd Force Support Squadron, IDEA program.

The HAIR process takes the evaluation time away from the IDEA office, so that once the idea is submitted it will process that much quicker.

"It allows management to see employees doing and seeking out inventive ways to improve their work area. It is a win-win situation because it will promote safety and save money," said Ms. Davis.

Mr. Hobbs said that without employee involvement there is no VPP or IDEA program. By getting involved, employees show their commitment to the organization and to the safety of their fellow workers.

"People don't tend to see safety as a problem sometimes. So we are hoping that with the new HAIR process, workers will find it easier to submit hazardous situations and their solutions," said Mr. Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs is also the contact for an employee that would like to find out more about the HAIR and IDEA submission process by calling 734-6243.