Bagram Airmen keep safety a priority

Combat Edge, Sept, 2004 by Jeff Szczechowski

Air Force safety rules are just as important here, in the heart of the worldwide war on terrorism, as they are at bases outside of the "war zone." Challenges to maintaining a safe environment are all around here--literally. There are land mines placed by the former Soviet military and the Taliban. Most are outside of the main working and living areas, but are never very far away.

Considering the number of people here and their mission, there is not a lot of room to operate. Land mines impose some tough "neighborhood zoning restrictions." "My biggest concern is living and working close to ... explosives. We have limited space here because of all the mined areas," said SSgt Thomas Grandstaff, the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing weapons safety manager. Also, everyone here is armed and, if they are not constantly thinking about weapons safety, there is a high potential for someone being accidentally injured.

Because of the conditions, it is important that every person keeps a safety-first mindset to reduce the chance of a major accident, said MSgt Steve Sinatra, the 455 AEW ground safety manager. People cannot let the psychological "war-zone" factor lessen the need to work safely, he added.

"We constantly publicize relevant safety issues, conduct aggressive spot inspections and mingle with the 455 AEW personnel," Sergeant Sinatra said. "We sell safety as being a necessity, and not a mission inhibitor. We remind people that the safe way is the best way."

Because Airmen here are enthusiastic about completing the mission, they may be tempted to take shortcuts that would lead to unsafe operations, said SSgt Aaron Spanier of the flight safety office. He said people from the safety office must get out and about to make sure shortcuts do not happen. "We are the checks and balance in the system," he said. "We ensure that people can accomplish the mission, while doing it as safely as possible."

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Lt Col Dave Kensinger, the 455 AEW chief of safety, said the joint warfighting environment here presents a scenario unlike anything he or his Airmen have seen at their permanent-duty stations. "The Air Force shares the airfield with the Army, Navy, and Marines, which requires cooperation among the services," he said. "We have a level of complexity here we don't see at home station."

One way the Airmen in the safety office help to keep people here safe is by making sure sound risk management is used. "It's tough to ensure this," Sergeant Grandstaff said. "We're at war, and sometimes individuals forget certain things. We're here to ensure that 'things' (are not) forgotten."

"We've assessed different risks that people were taking and outlined those risks," Sergeant Spanier said. "Some risk, especially in a forward environment, has to be accepted--that's part of risk management. But any risk that is unacceptable, we have worked hard to remove or mitigate it."

A large part of managing risk comes from staying focused at the workplace and doing the job the way it is supposed to be done--the safe way is the best way. "Concentrate on the task at hand and utilize the appropriate instructions and technical orders that apply to the job," Sergeant Sinatra said. "Don't take shortcuts. It's easy to get complacent because we don't think we'll get hurt, but that's exactly when a mishap occurs."

Editor's Note: This is reprinted courtesy of AF News Service.

By MSgt Jeff Szczechowski, Sheppard AFB, Texas