Do you follow instructions?

Combat Edge, July-August, 2008 by Benjamin H. Tuck

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During FY07, Dyess Air Force Base spent $1, 773,166 on reportable mishaps. The Air Force as a whole spends millions on mishap prevention each year. Through the course of any mishap investigation, it's found that certain things had to have happened for the mishap to take place. Those events are termed as "chain of events." How many mishaps, whether weapons or ground safety, could be prevented by breaking that chain? Well, popular belief is that you could prevent most, if not all. Let's face it; sometimes mishaps will happen no matter what we do as safety or maintenance personnel. However, there are some things that we can do to prevent mishaps. One is the use of technical data/operating instructions. The preventive process starts with maintenance technicians following technical data/operating instructions, supervisor's involvement in daily operations, Quality Assurance, and Weapons Safety. It may seem easy to do these things, but we still have mishaps in the Air Force and these things could greatly minimize the mishap rate.

Prevention starts at the beginning of the process with the person performing the task. The technical data/operating instructions are used to warn the technician of dangers and guide the technician through the task. This seemingly simple tool gets ignored in the Air Force today in its many maintenance areas. The use of technical data/operating instructions is not an option in the Air Force; but, a regulation that each AF member must use and follow. The use of technical data/operating instructions is not overstated and supervisors have to enforce its use.

Supervisors are the front line of enforcement to ensure the use of technical data/operating instructions. The supervisor should become familiar with the task their people perform and what technical data is required for the task. The supervisor should constantly check on their people and not solely rely on the Quality Assurance for enforcement of the use of technical data. When the supervisor can't be at the job site, they rely on different base agencies for help in matters affecting technical data/operating instructions in the maintenance arena.

These agencies are the Quality Assurance section and the Weapons Safety section. These sections can serve as a valuable tool in enforcing the use of technical data/operating instructions. The Quality Assurance section has a constant presence on the flight line and other maintenance areas to ensure that personnel performing maintenance tasks are flowing and using their technical data/operating instructions. The Weapons Safety section provides a different type of presence as they perform spot inspections on units verifying their compliance with applicable AFIs and ensure the processes on base are as safe as possible. The weapons safety section also aids in verifying local operating instruction the units use where there is no written procedures for an explosive task. The combination of these two agencies ensures a review of all technical order changes are not compromised just to save 5 minutes or money for the Air Force.

These agencies are only two of the many facets in safety the Air Force has to prevent mishaps. Technical data/operating instructions are an important part of preventing mishaps in any Air Force operation. The benefits of technical data/operating instructions will only be seen if used and followed. The process starts with the technician and continues with the supervisor's enforcement of technical data/operating instruction usage and involvement in the improvement process. The ongoing process continues with Quality Assurance and Weapons Safety's evaluations/ inspections of the technician's adherence.

Article written by

TSgt Benjamin H. Tuck, Dyess AFB, Texas