Safety office provides gear to keep everyone safe

  • Published
  • By Senior Airmen Anthony Agosti
  • 118th Wing

On a base that is fairly safe to begin with, safety is a top priority for leadership. So much so, that there hasn’t been a class A, B, or C mishap, or injury since 2012.

That is exactly why the Safety Office for the 118th Wing at Berry Field Air National Guard Base is providing safety gear to first term airmen. The premise is to create awareness about safety at work and at home.

Items such as ear protection, seat belt cutters, gun locks, and viewing glasses for the eclipse are some of the items provided by the Safety Office said Master Sgt. Travis Otto, the Occupational Safety Manager for the 118th Wing.

We’ve got personal first aid kits, nice little kits handy for the trunk of your car,” said Otto. “It’s got a nice wing logo and safety logo so you remember where it came from.”

Providing these items at no cost to our airmen is part of adapting to the changing mission set of the base.

Back when we were all maintenance everyone had access to that kind of stuff; now that our mission has changed it’s really hard to get that stuff,” said Otto. “We are just finding new avenues to provide some personal protective equipment.”

Providing safety items is also another visual reminder to help airmen think about safety, and to participate in the Take 60 concept.

“Take 60 is risk management put into two numbers that makes you think and take an extra minute about what you are fixing to do,” said Otto. “I know those business cards are everywhere on this base; people see it a lot and always having it visible wherever you go is a perfect reminder, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this task.”

The efforts of the Safety Office to get airmen thinking about safety appears to be paying off.

“I always like to say business is slow, and that’s good in the Safety Office,” said Otto. “That means everyone is doing their job and doing the right thing on base.”

Airmen are thinking about the mission and about helping others,” said Lt. Col John Sapp, the Chief of Safety for the 118th Wing. “We are here to make sure you take the time to think about yourself and your loved ones.”

Safety office provides gear to keep everyone safe

  • Published
  • By Senior Airmen Anthony Agosti
  • 118th Wing

On a base that is fairly safe to begin with, safety is a top priority for leadership. So much so, that there hasn’t been a class A, B, or C mishap, or injury since 2012.

That is exactly why the Safety Office for the 118th Wing at Berry Field Air National Guard Base is providing safety gear to first term airmen. The premise is to create awareness about safety at work and at home.

Items such as ear protection, seat belt cutters, gun locks, and viewing glasses for the eclipse are some of the items provided by the Safety Office said Master Sgt. Travis Otto, the Occupational Safety Manager for the 118th Wing.

We’ve got personal first aid kits, nice little kits handy for the trunk of your car,” said Otto. “It’s got a nice wing logo and safety logo so you remember where it came from.”

Providing these items at no cost to our airmen is part of adapting to the changing mission set of the base.

Back when we were all maintenance everyone had access to that kind of stuff; now that our mission has changed it’s really hard to get that stuff,” said Otto. “We are just finding new avenues to provide some personal protective equipment.”

Providing safety items is also another visual reminder to help airmen think about safety, and to participate in the Take 60 concept.

“Take 60 is risk management put into two numbers that makes you think and take an extra minute about what you are fixing to do,” said Otto. “I know those business cards are everywhere on this base; people see it a lot and always having it visible wherever you go is a perfect reminder, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this task.”

The efforts of the Safety Office to get airmen thinking about safety appears to be paying off.

“I always like to say business is slow, and that’s good in the Safety Office,” said Otto. “That means everyone is doing their job and doing the right thing on base.”

Airmen are thinking about the mission and about helping others,” said Lt. Col John Sapp, the Chief of Safety for the 118th Wing. “We are here to make sure you take the time to think about yourself and your loved ones.”