thedrifter
09-01-05, 02:01 PM
Safety is paramount over holiday
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. Sara A. Carter
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va (Sept. 1, 2005) -- Every four-day holiday, Marines around the Corps participate in the same routine: they watch as the minute hand slowly ticks around the clock, counting down the seconds until noon.
As the Marines sit at their desks daydreaming about running down the hallway and jumping into their vehicles to start their weekend, they get a sudden shove back into reality: with 45 minutes until noon, their staff non-commissioned officer calls all of his or her Marines together for a safety brief.
Many Marines can recite a typical holiday safety brief from memory – “If you’re underage, don’t drink. If you’re of age, don’t drink and drive. Use Operational Risk Management. If anything happens, call the Gunny.”
Because many Marines are impatiently waiting for their release, some do not take the brief seriously as seriously as they should. But safety briefs aren’t just empty words. They are specific instructions that should be taken seriously to prevent injury to one’s self and others.
According to Marine Corps Base Order P5100.1, it is the policy of the base commanding general to implement a proactive mishap prevention program that establishes force protection and preserves warfighting and support, manpower, equipment, and material through the application of an effective and continuous safety program, and all levels of command shall do the same.
An effective safety and health program is a basic leadership responsibility that starts with the most senior commanding general and works down through all levels of leadership, all the way to individual Marines and civilian workers.
“To be safe is to be free from danger, damage, harm or injury – to be secure,” says Col. Carl Fosnaugh III, commanding officer of Headquarters and Service Battalion, on the battalion Web site. “As Marines and sailors, we declare our intent to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That obligation routinely puts us in a position that often is not safe.
“Our losses due to combat injuries, which continue to grow in operations around the globe, are a testament to the dangers of our profession,” he continued. “Yet safety, or the quality or condition of being safe, is not at odds with our chosen profession, and maintaining a safe environment in which we operate or train complements and enhances our ability to uphold our sworn obligation. Simply put, safety is a force protection technique employed by our forces so we can win our nation’s battles.”
With 3,414 Marines in Headquarters and Service Battalion alone, it is important Marines use operational risk management while off duty.
Operational risk management is a five-step process: identify hazards, assess hazards, make risk decisions, implement controls, and supervise.
According to Staff Sgt. Joshua Autry, Headquarters and Service Battalion safety representative, 20 Marines from the battalion died in privately-owned-vehicle accidents during fiscal year 2005.
By the end of fiscal year 2005, the safety division has estimated that approximately 55 Marines will die in non-combat related deaths.
To help eliminate Marine deaths caused by impaired driving, Autry stressed that Marines who are drinking and unable to drive themselves home should use the Arrive Alive card.
“Marines in the local area can call a taxi and be taken to the command duty officer,” said Autry. “(The duty) will pay the taxi fair and the Marine will be responsible for repaying the debt when they get paid.”
So the next time a staff non-commissioned officer gives the “same old safety brief,” pay attention. You never know when the information the Marines are giving will save your – or someone else’s – life.
Ellie
MCB Quantico
Story by Cpl. Sara A. Carter
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va (Sept. 1, 2005) -- Every four-day holiday, Marines around the Corps participate in the same routine: they watch as the minute hand slowly ticks around the clock, counting down the seconds until noon.
As the Marines sit at their desks daydreaming about running down the hallway and jumping into their vehicles to start their weekend, they get a sudden shove back into reality: with 45 minutes until noon, their staff non-commissioned officer calls all of his or her Marines together for a safety brief.
Many Marines can recite a typical holiday safety brief from memory – “If you’re underage, don’t drink. If you’re of age, don’t drink and drive. Use Operational Risk Management. If anything happens, call the Gunny.”
Because many Marines are impatiently waiting for their release, some do not take the brief seriously as seriously as they should. But safety briefs aren’t just empty words. They are specific instructions that should be taken seriously to prevent injury to one’s self and others.
According to Marine Corps Base Order P5100.1, it is the policy of the base commanding general to implement a proactive mishap prevention program that establishes force protection and preserves warfighting and support, manpower, equipment, and material through the application of an effective and continuous safety program, and all levels of command shall do the same.
An effective safety and health program is a basic leadership responsibility that starts with the most senior commanding general and works down through all levels of leadership, all the way to individual Marines and civilian workers.
“To be safe is to be free from danger, damage, harm or injury – to be secure,” says Col. Carl Fosnaugh III, commanding officer of Headquarters and Service Battalion, on the battalion Web site. “As Marines and sailors, we declare our intent to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That obligation routinely puts us in a position that often is not safe.
“Our losses due to combat injuries, which continue to grow in operations around the globe, are a testament to the dangers of our profession,” he continued. “Yet safety, or the quality or condition of being safe, is not at odds with our chosen profession, and maintaining a safe environment in which we operate or train complements and enhances our ability to uphold our sworn obligation. Simply put, safety is a force protection technique employed by our forces so we can win our nation’s battles.”
With 3,414 Marines in Headquarters and Service Battalion alone, it is important Marines use operational risk management while off duty.
Operational risk management is a five-step process: identify hazards, assess hazards, make risk decisions, implement controls, and supervise.
According to Staff Sgt. Joshua Autry, Headquarters and Service Battalion safety representative, 20 Marines from the battalion died in privately-owned-vehicle accidents during fiscal year 2005.
By the end of fiscal year 2005, the safety division has estimated that approximately 55 Marines will die in non-combat related deaths.
To help eliminate Marine deaths caused by impaired driving, Autry stressed that Marines who are drinking and unable to drive themselves home should use the Arrive Alive card.
“Marines in the local area can call a taxi and be taken to the command duty officer,” said Autry. “(The duty) will pay the taxi fair and the Marine will be responsible for repaying the debt when they get paid.”
So the next time a staff non-commissioned officer gives the “same old safety brief,” pay attention. You never know when the information the Marines are giving will save your – or someone else’s – life.
Ellie