Safety Mishap Notification, Know your role!

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Terry Shook
  • 908th Airlift Wing/ Safety
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Safety Mishap Notifications are not just for mishaps that occur while the member is on a military status, or on duty and at work in the Reserves. Did you know that if you are involved in a mishap while in a civilian status, at work (e.g. ART), or in a military status -- on or off duty, you must promptly report it to you supervisor? This includes when you are TDY or deployed.

Here are a few scenarios:

1. You are on active duty orders, you get off work today go home and get burned while lighting your grill, you must report it to your supervisor; this includes late at night, early in the morning, weekends and holidays. You must report it.

2. You are an ART, and during your duty day, on the way to lunch, you are involved in a motorcycle wreck, you must report it to your supervisor. You must report it.

3. You are a Traditional Reservist, on UTA status, at the hotel on a Saturday Evening. You strain your back yelling at the T.V. during the Auburn game. You must report it.

Your prompt mishap reporting to your supervisor initiates a chain reaction that ensures all required agencies/personnel are notified. This is important as each agency has AFI requirements that must be met in the event of an incident. The Wing Safety Office is one such agency. It is extremely important that the Safety Office interviews you ASAP.

We all know how our recollection of details decreases with the passing of time. Don't wait for your supervisor to direct you to our office. Please take the initiative and notify us directly. We will set up an appointment with you to discuss your mishap details. If enough time will go by before your appointment, write down as many details as you can so you won't forget them.

The two main reasons we conduct mishap analysis are to determine the root cause and to prevent that particular mishap from reoccurring. You may be asking what kinds of information we need to know about your mishap and what exactly do we do with it. These are good questions.

The Air Force Safety Center maintains a database called Air Force Safety Automation System (AFSAS). It is used to capture all required information surrounding each and every mishap that meets reporting criteria. After our interview with you, we will determine if it meets reporting criteria. Once we complete our analysis, and the information is uploaded into AFSAS, that data is used to provide trend analysis.

With trend analysis, we can determine what areas need emphasis and hopefully prevent future mishaps.

Our analysis must be completed within 30 days from the date of the mishap. So, taking this into consideration along with the fact that the majority of us are only here for two days a month, you can see we have a challenge in meeting our deadline.

We hope you can see the importance of notifying your supervisor immediately when you are involved in a mishap. We also hope you now have an increased understanding as to why your reportable information is important to the Air Force, as well as what mishap circumstances must be reported.
 
If you would like to learn more on this subject, please call the 908th Safety Office at 953-7873 or stop by and visit us. We are located in building 1056, Room 206.