What Do Ground Safety Managers DO? Published Nov. 20, 2014 By Kim Brumley Staff Writer Winter 2014 -- What is a normal workday for a Ground Safety Manager (GSM)? First, if one spent any time in the safety realm, it is apparent that the word "normal" does not coincide with the happenings of a day. Second, if you contact 20 different GSMs on any given day and ask what they did on that particular day, you would most likely get 20 different responses. Therefore, explaining what GSMs do is difficult because there are so many variables involved and duties are quite complex. Whether analyzing data for mishap trends to prevent like occurrences or keeping up with a seemingly endless stream of daily communications, you will not find GSMs sitting idly at a desk--in the rare instance they are even at a desk. "Safety doesn't happen because I sit at my desk," said Mr. Joe Hughes, Chief, AMC Ground Safety Division. "You've got to get out there and teach people." Teaching and advising the folks at the installations often takes the GSMs out into the field. To possess the skills needed to deliver expert guidance in a wide variety of safety aspects, the GSMs often undergo training. After a lengthy process to secure hard-to-get funding, Hughes brought 14 GSMs to Scott AFB for a fall protection course. Why was it so important that the GSMs be given the training? GSMs must be able to recognize potential fall hazards while conducting inspections, as well as when safety equipment is needed and how to use it properly so they can advise others. From 2004 to 2013, falls among Air Force personnel resulted in: · Seven fatalities · Five permanent partial disabilities · One permanent total disability · 564 lost workdays · More than $3.8 million in injury costs Sadly, the lives and dollars lost due to falls could have been prevented. The statistics for fatalities, permanent or partial disability, loss of workdays, and injury costs are readily available regarding falls, but the statistics for the number of lives and money saved as a result of using fall protection training are not. The same concept is true for motor vehicle accidents. There are statistics for the number of fatalities, cost, and so on related to crashes on and off duty, but there are not statistics for the number of lives saved or serious injuries that were averted due to measures employed by ground safety to prevent accidents. A great example was referred to at the roundtable discussion following the fall prevention course when one of the GSMs spoke of a seatbelt check that was conducted. During the check, a senior leader was stopped because he was not wearing a seatbelt. He was asked to fasten his seatbelt and as he drove away, the ground safety member said, "That could have just saved his life." The GSMs at each installation have a team of safety professionals to assist them, but when their staff is deployed or TDY, the duties of the remaining members at each installation are stretched even further. In addition, there has been a reduction in manpower in the wake of budget cutbacks and retrograde that has a direct impact on safety offices at each installation and at headquarters. Hughes said that 10 years ago, the workforce in the Ground Safety Division at AMC headquarters was 12 strong, but today it is half that with only a six-member staff. "We are trying to do more with less, and you simply cannot do more with less. It is a fallacy," he said. As a result, GSMs and ground safety has to prioritize and strategize to promote mishap prevention effectively and efficiently. So, what is a normal workday for a GSM? Again, the word normal cannot describe the happenings of a day in the safety realm. Perhaps the word extraordinary is more fitting when considering the result of much hard work is ultimately reducing the number of mishaps or fatalities. Although the results of many efforts by the GSMs and safety professionals at AMC are not recorded in statistics, they are well aware that their daily actions are saving the lives of Airmen.