JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. –
People are the most important asset to the Department of Defense, and rightfully so. Guaranteeing the safety of the Joint Base community enables service members and civilians to accomplish the mission.
It is the job of the 87th Air Base Wing Occupational Safety team members to provide an umbrella of safety by ensuring operations across the installation are being conducted in a safe, appropriate manner.
The occupational safety team accomplishes their mission by working with unit safety representatives, conducting spot inspections and following up with ongoing issues around the Joint Base.
Units around the base have unit safety representatives who work as liaisons between diverse lines of work and the safety office. These unit safety representatives serve as subject matter experts in their respective careers’ safety needs.
“We are the focal point for unit safety reps,” said Staff Sgt. Adam Reiniche, 87th ABW Occupational Safety craftsman. “Perhaps one of the most important services we provide is a one-stop-shop for safety concerns of all units on base. We can elevate and prioritize issues based on severity.”
The safety office conducts spot inspections at units around the installation to ensure regulations are being followed at all times.
“The spot inspections allow us to evaluate how units are operating on a day-to-day basis,” said Jack Gilliland, 87th ABW Occupational Safety specialist. “If safety operations are not being followed, we notify the appropriate supervisors and commanders.”
In the event safety requirements are not being met, discipline and additional training opportunities may be provided to ensure safety know-how.
An additional responsibility of the unit safety representatives is to notify the safety office of issues in their physical areas of work. These issues can range from a broken electrical outlet to bricks falling off a building dangerously close to the entrance and exit. Depending on the level of potential danger, the safety office can recommend courses of action to commanders and supervisors. The safety team will then follow-up on issues and check if appropriate measures have been taken.
Careers across the base have proven safety procedures written into their instructions, varying to some degree across the military branches here.
“There are no instructions, directives or regulations which, if followed correctly, will put people at risk,” said Reiniche. “In a black and white world, the safety office is not needed - but there is the human element. We are here to let people know what happens when they deviate from what the checklist or instructions say. People can be put into potentially harmful or deadly situations.”
Safety concerns should be brought up to unit safety representatives. For more information, contact 87 ABW Occupational Safety at (609) 754-7233.