VPP creates a grassroots safety movement at Tinker

Published Dec. 20, 2007
By Kandis West
Tinker Public Affairs

Tinker Air Force Base --       Team Tinker is forging the path for a new level of safety. Employees base wide are starting a grass roots safety movement and the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group is taking the lead.
     The team is implementing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program from the bottom up.
     "The only way to get safety to a grass roots level is to empower the employees to make change," said Lt. Col. Painter, Tinker Air Force Base Safety Chief.
     The employees are being empowered to take control of their own safety.
     "Instead of a top down initiative, it's from the bottom up," said 76th CMXG Commander Col. Jeffrey Sick. "If you just tell them to do it, it not going to happen. They have to have ownership, involvement, partnership and that synergy equals transformation," he said.
     VPP is an employee-run health and safety program, said Justin Hottle, VPP team lead and 76th CMXG composite mechanic supervisor.
     VPP sites report fewer worker fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Lost-workday case rates are generally 50 percent below industry averages. Sites also report lower workers' compensation and other injury- and illness-related costs than before joining the program, according to the U.S. Department of Labor website.
     Deputy Director Michael Wenzel said Tinker has significant worker compensation costs compared to industry. Senior leaders said VPP it is a win-win situation, because work areas are safer, injuries are prevented and employees can be more productive.
     "The bottom line is to increase combat capability. Saving on worker's comp allows money to be recapitalized," said Colonel Painter.
     The commodities group, responsible for the manufacture, maintenance, repair and overhaul of oxygen systems, fuel and air accessories and bomber avionics among others, started the program on Aug. 1. The group is on target to become the first team in the Air Force to apply to OSHA to become an official VPP site.
     Colonel Sick said that VPP has been the foundation for change. He said safety is being designed into the workspace.
     "We design a better work environment by considering ergonomics, ease of use and work flow," Colonel Sick said.
     With employee input about safety concerns, fixtures are designed at the right height to eliminate bending and reaching. Processes that are dependent upon one another are grouped together by necessary tools in the same area. Work stations will also be portable to support a more expeditionary air force, Colonel Sick said.
     The colonel said designing in safety is only a part of the voluntary protection program. Base safety officials are training employees who have volunteered to do safety evaluations in case of an accident.
     Tinker has 36 safety professionals, Colonel Painter said, but with the VPP, every employee can have role to ensure the safest work environment.
     Col. Painter said generally it takes the safety office approximately 7- 10 days to resolve a safety hazard, but properly trained safety representatives at each workstation could resolve a potential hazard in hours.
     The volunteer employees will also be trained to identify potential hazards before they become accidents.
     "The idea is that there will be a safety-cautious employee at each workstation instead of just 36 people being responsible for a base that employs more than 20,000 people" he said.
     The group has also established web tools on their website for any employee to directly report hazards or make requests online.
     Union representatives said the program is a success because of the unprecedented level of cooperation. The equal involvement of management, employees and union officials has expedited the process and increased morale.
     "We must focus on taking better care of our people on and off the job--safety has no quitting time," said Ty Norton, American Federation of Government Employees Local 916 VPP representative.
     Todd Lambert, International Association of Fire Fighters said the program concurred with the success of the program.
     "VPP isn't just a group of letters, it's a way of life," Mr. Lambert said.
     Union steward Julie Skinner said the movement has taken shape in the heart of the employees.
     "It's not only on paper, but really effects the way the employees think," Ms. Skinner said.
     Mr. Hottle, VPP team lead, said applying VPP at Tinker is a unique process because unlike other safety evaluations like the logistics standardization and evaluation team, there is no checklist or Air Force model.
     "Paving the way for something so beneficial to others is exciting," Mr. Hottle said.
     In May, Team Tinker VPP leads Dan Gamboa and Mr. Norton recently traveled to Washington D.C. to help with the initial writing of the Air Force Concept of Operations for the program.
     The team has also been working with the Department of Defense to establish safety training modules.
     Employees from Xerox have mentored Team Tinker through the process and conducted a Gap Analysis, an inspection to identify safety gaps, in preparation for the OSHA inspection. 76th CMXG is currently on target to submit their application to AFMC headquarters for review by the end of this month. Once the AFMC review is complete, the 76th CMXG should be ready to submit their application to OSHA immediately.
     The application review process is vigorous. OSHA will perform a four-day on-site inspection. The inspection includes a review of records, logs and inspection history. Inspectors will meet with management staff and employees and walk through the facilities to determine hazards and precautions and conduct formal and informal interviews. The visit will close with a meeting to discuss findings and recommendations.   If accepted, the group will be evaluated every one to five years by OSHA to show they are maintaining a world-class level of safety in the workplace.