OSHA endorsement highlights Med Group safety culture

Published May 22, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Samuel Taylor
436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- When inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration visited the 436th Medical Group one month ago, they entered a facility that, by its nature, is at risk for office hazards, poor ergonomics, slips, trips and falls, electrical hazards from equipment, needles, blood-borne pathogens, tuberculosis, radiation, biomedical waste and chemicals. When they left, they submitted a report that recommended the medical group for inclusion among the ranks of the safest businesses in the country - sites bestowed with OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program Star Status.

These sites - a select few thousand businesses out of millions nationwide - voluntarily exceed the obligatory wet floor signs, handrails, and "lift with your legs" posters. They create a workplace in which injuries or illnesses are meticulously scrutinized and aggressively mitigated. On the small scale, they are saving employees from pain and poor health; on a large scale, they are creating a culture of safety that ensures maximum mission-completion capability. According to Stephen Groller, the VPP Manager with the 436th Airlift Wing, this safety culture is alive and well among approximately 350 military, civilian and contractor employees that keep Dover AFB's medical mission moving.

"When employees of the medical group come to work, they are thinking about safety all the time," said Groller. "Bases are getting smaller, and can't afford to lose people because [it] affects them so much more than before. VPP is about a proactive approach to accident prevention, keeping people healthy and safe, and keeping Airmen at work and productive. That's what the safety culture is all about."

It seems to be working. From 2009-2011, the 436th MDG reported approximately one civilian workplace incident per 208,000 man-hours.

Furthermore, the group's boasts incident rates significantly below the 2010 Bureau of Labor Statistics industry average; the site's Total Case Incidence Rate is 76 percent below, and the Days Away/Restricted/Transferred Case Incidence (DART) rate is 17 percent below. There have been no OSHA citations issued to the site within the past 14 years - evidence of the staff's dedication to employee and patient wellbeing.

This positive trend reflects a commitment made in April 2010 by base leadership and American Federation of Government Employees 1709 to push for the 436th MDG to become Dover AFB's first Star Status site. From that point on, the clinic took the programs and processes already in place and raised them to industry-leading quality.

"The Air Force has a very good safety program; VPP makes it even better by implementing OSHA ideas as well," said Groller. "It was a natural transition for medical personnel because they are used to taking care of patients and themselves."

The transition included the implementation of several processes deemed by OSHA to be "best practices." These include an employee safety committee that receives 10-hour hazard recognition training for medical personnel and inspects workplaces throughout the clinic for safety hazards; a "Lock Out, Tag Out" procedure that ensures dangerous machines are properly shut off and kept off prior to completion of maintenance; and a near-miss program that allows servicemembers to report hazards anonymously online, and receive near instantaneous feedback.

"People are very proud of [the strides we have made], as they should be - few Star Status sites are military because military personnel, change out every few years. They have put in a lot of hard work and have many tangible results to show for it," said Lt. Col. Greg Cullison, commander of the 436th Medical Support Squadron.

If accepted for OSHA Star Status, the 436th MDG would become the third Department of Defense out-patient clinic, and the third Air Force medical treatment facility, to receive star status. But until that time, they continue their push to ingrain a safety culture that will preserve in spite of the continuous change in personnel.

"Our clinic is at the tip of the spear with VPP in Air Force medical service. It comes down to the wingman culture - I might avoid a problem, but my friend might not. We look out for each other here," said Cullison. "We want to show our staff and patients we are making this facility the safest possible, and this recommendation reflects that."