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76th PMXG aims for VPP Star

  • Published
  • By John Parker
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Next week is a big one for the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group. Its more than 1,400 members will be tested, questioned and scrutinized to see if they live up to a safety honor seven years in the making.

In 2007, the 76th PMXG was the first Team Tinker organization to commit to following the high safety standards of the Voluntary Protection Programs of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As the enforcer of workplace safety standards, OSHA sets minimum requirements for private and government employers to follow to keep Americans safe on the job. The VPP option is for employers that want to go above and beyond that standard.

Seven major Tinker organizations have accepted the challenge. In October and this month, three Tinker units -- the 76th PMXG, the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group and the 76th Maintenance Support Group -- are striving to achieve Star status, the highest level of VPP achievement.

Currently, only the 76th Software Maintenance Group and the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Staff have achieved VPP Star status. It took them six years.

The 76th PMXG is confident about the five days next week that VPP auditors will be examining them and hopes to be the next VPP Star recipient at Tinker. 

"It's a challenge we're well positioned for," said Jim Bligh, first vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 916, speaking about the 76th PMXG's challenge.

The VPP initiative calls upon management, employees and OSHA to work together in the most effective ways to prevent workplace-related injuries and illnesses. 

Even to apply for a Star status audit, VPP organizations must already be beating the average injury and illness rates for their industries, as the 76th PMXG already has. 

Meeting that goal is different for every applicant. Groups like the 76th PMXG, with a range of employees physically repairing and overhauling heavy equipment, including jet engines, face many opportunities for workplace injuries.

"Just to qualify for Star status, you have to have a good safety program," said Ericka DeMuth, union co-chair for the VPP program and PMXG. "We want to make sure that the organization is recognized for the good efforts in making sure that all of our employees are safe."

Ms. DeMuth is the union representative of the VPP Integrated Design Team, which also includes Tim Earls, management representative with the 546th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron, and Daryl Newton, employee team member with the 544th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron.

The OSHA team that will evaluate the 76th PMXG next week will conduct random and confidential interviews with up to 100 employees. Evaluators will also do physical inspections of PMXG's workplaces around the base and talk openly to team members on the shop floors.

Inspectors will also evaluate reams of safety-related documents. After the inspection, the 76th PMXG expects to wait about three to six months for the results.
Achieving Star status means the 76th PMXG will have demonstrated "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," according to OSHA.

The 76th PMXG aims to show the inspectors the real results they've worked seven years to achieve. The group only recently learned that the auditors were coming.
"We're trying to give them the honest evaluation of our safety programs," Ms. DeMuth said. "What it is day to day, not what it is just when we know they're coming."

If the 76th PMXG earns Star status, Mr. Bligh, Ms. DeMuth and others agreed that the recognition would only be one milestone of many.

"Daily we ensure we provide a safe work environment for our employees," said Col. Steve Petters, commander of the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group.  "This audit to earn Star status will serve as a great launching pad to propel our team in identifying the Art of the Possible in workplace safety."