WEST FORT HOOD, Texas —
For the first time since 2012, the Army Combat
Readiness Center sent a trainer here to provide
a mobile, abbreviated version of its Ground
Safety Officer Course targeted to operational
testers.
Dubbed locally as the
"Additional Duty Safety Officer Course,"
equipment test NCOs and three Army Civilians of
the U.S. Army Operational Test Command (OTC)
attended the week-long condensed course.
According to OTC Safety Manager Mr. Reginald
Jones, the primary goal was to enhance risk
mitigation efforts during operational testing.
"This is where the rubber meets the road,"
Jones said. "We're doing it to educate the
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation
(RDT&E) Noncommissioned Officers on safety
procedures during test, while also giving them
an overview of the Army Safety Program."
Focus was also across the broad spectrum of
working in a garrison environment, and how to
apply safety for Department of the Army
Civilians, contractors, and Soldiers both on and
off duty.
When it comes to operational
testing, Jones explained how the RDT&E NCOs are
on site all the time and can act as safety
officers.
"They're on top," he said.
"They've got oversight of the test unit, so
they're supposed to make corrections as they see
them and make safety recommendations."
Jones explained operational testers and Soldiers
conducting tests are the Army's most treasured
resource no matter how technical testing
becomes, and safety of Soldiers is his foremost
concern.
"Many times, the test unit is a
platoon or even a squad verses an actual unit,"
he said. "This is the first time the equipment
that's under test gets to a Soldier's hands and
is the last time the equipment is looked at
before it goes back to the Army Evaluation
Command to make a determination on whether it is
suitable for our Soldiers and our Armed Forces."
OTC Commander Brig. Gen William D. "Hank"
Taylor gave his thoughts on test safety to
course students from the start.
"What we
do is inherently dangerous," Taylor said.
"It's interesting that I have only one
safety officer," as he pointed to Mr. Jones. "He
cannot be everywhere."
In his aviation
career, Taylor said he is used to having a
school-trained safety officer in every company.
"I think it's very important for all of our
test NCOs and officers to all have the basic
understanding and information of what the Army
regulations and expectations are. I look at our
test directorates as brigades, so we have to add
those additional duty safety officers," he said.
"When you go back to your directorates, I need
to have you school-trained so you can understand
two things: the prevention, and then the action
if an accident does happen.
"I need
people out there who can work with test units
and understand responsibility."
Taylor
made it clear that accidents are bound to happen
during realistic training and are nothing to shy
away from.
"Recording accidents does not
mean you are in trouble," he said. "It doesn't
mean we're a bad organization. It doesn't mean I
am going to look unfavorably at NCO and officer
evaluations. No!"
Instead, Taylor said he
wants to study safety trends so OTC can improve.
"Life is Life," he said. "What I want to be
able to do as a commander is look out and see
the trends. Right now I can't really see that as
well as I want to. I want to increase our safety
capabilities to be able to know ourselves, on
test and off test."
One student -- an
Army Civilian employee in the OTC resource
Management Office -- spent time as an Army truck
driver and ammunition NCO, and is now OTC's
senior cost analyst.
With 21 years as a
Soldier and 10 years reviewing cost estimates
for all equipment tests, Mr. Ysa Garza said
everyone always has to be safety conscience in
his role as an additional duty safety officer.
"I care and I would like to improve safety
for my directorate," he said. "In the line of
work that I do in an office, we don't deal with
military equipment, but when we lift heavy items
or move furniture, you can hurt yourself.
"After coming to the class and seeing all
the different types of accidents that could
happen by people who are not paying attention,
they could have their heater too close or
plugged into a surge protector -- the class
helps me look after them."
One rotary
wing RDT&E NCO in OTC's Aviation Test
Directorate, who has deployed 13 times to Iraq
and Afghanistan, explained how every aviation
battalion has an aviation safety officer, and
sees himself as a safety coach and mentor.
"Not knowing the experience of the test
units I will work with," said Sgt. 1st Class Leo
Rubio, "now I am able to stand back and look at
the bigger picture to make sure each individual
Soldier also looks at the bigger picture and is
doing what they are supposed to be doing when
considering safety."
The course
instructor was happy to bring his safety
expertise to Fort Hood.
"It all goes to
readiness," said Mr. Benjamin S. Valentine,
chief of resident safety training at the U.S.
Army Combat Readiness Center, Fort Rucker, Ala.
"A lot of people don't realize that safety
is a combat multiplier," he continued.
"It's one of those tools commanders have to help
maintain the readiness of their unit by helping
prevent loss of personnel and equipment. These
courses are there to help our safety folks in
the field as they advise their commanders on
what things they can do to help prevent loss in
their organizations."
Valentine said
throughout the Army, leaders must be geared
toward accident prevention.
"We don't
want to be reactive," he said. "We want to be
able to identify trends, identify things that
are killing our Soldiers, hurting our Soldiers
and destroying our equipment, and then go figure
out what we can do to prevent those from
happening."
Saying people are the most
precious asset preventing accidents is key.
"Every individual has the responsibility to
stop unsafe acts and to be checking their
environment to make sure they are aware of what
hazards are out there and what they can do to
mitigate those hazards," said Valentine.
To see safety classes available to units, go to
http://safety.army.mil -- and click on the
"Help/Feedback/Contacts" link at the bottom of
the webpage.