Contents:

• Quick Guides Available Now
• Web Enabled Safety System (DS) Is Disconnected
• Marine Corps Takes Punitive Steps to Enforce Seatbelt Usage
• VAQ-139 Exceeds Two Years DUI Free
• Navy Takes Traffic Safety Seriously
• NESB Tackles Traffic
• Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
• Friday Funnies Available To The Public
• PMV Investigation Template Online
• 2007 Safety Planner Available

Quick Guides Available Now

The Naval Safety Center offers another tool for safety officers and managers with new quick guides. The heavy-duty, spiral-bound pocket-sized guides provide easy-to-reference information on a variety of topics. Two quick guides are available. The first one, entitled “24/7” is packed with information on year-round safety campaigns which are applicable on and off duty. It provides ideas managers can use to keep safety at the forefront for the command. The second guide deals with traffic safety and contains the tools and resources for implementing and maintaining a command traffic-safety program. To get copies, call the Public Affairs Officer at 757-444-3520 extension 7312 or send an email to safe-pao@navy.mil

Web Enabled Safety System (DS) Is Disconnected

The Web Enabled Safety System (WESS) is the approved database and repository for Navy and Marine Corps mishap reporting and recordkeeping. Previously, there was a disconnected version known as WESS-DS, which allowed Sailors and Marines with limited internet bandwidth to use a Microsoft Access-based mishap reporting tool. Programming improvements to WESS have made the system much more user-friendly, reducing the need for a disconnected system. However, users who still experience bandwidth issues may continue to use their WESS-DS CDs, although new CDs will not be disseminated.

Marine Corps Takes Punitive Steps to Enforce Seatbelt Usage

Seatbelts have been mandatory on all Department of Defense installations for decades, but until recently, Marines who didn’t wear seatbelts off base were subject only to civil fines from police officers. In an effort to turn the tide of traffic fatalities, the Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command, Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman, Jr., decided to do more to instill the message. He issued Marine Corps Order 5100.19E October 30, which made seatbelt use mandatory whether in or out of uniform, on or off base, and it applies to both passengers and drivers. The order affects all active and reserve military personnel assigned to MARFORCOM, MARFOREUR, MARFORSOUTH, and MARFORBASESLANT. Anyone violating the order is subject to administrative or disciplinary action. Also, if a Marine is in an accident and injuries result from his or her own misconduct, that Marine may lose substantial benefits. “You may be paralyzed for the rest of your life and you could receive only a fraction of the disability payments that you would otherwise be entitled to,” said Col. Brian T. Palmer, staff judge advocate for MARFORCOM. In fiscal year 2006, six Marines were ejected from their vehicles and killed during accidents because they weren’t wearing seatbelts.

VAQ-139 Exceeds Two Years DUI Free

The Cougars of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 are doing it right. Setting an example for the rest of the fleet during the last two years, they surpassed a 700-day milestone for sober driving. As of early December, no one attached to the Whidbey Island, Wash.-based squadron had been cited for driving under the influence. The streak continued through the New Year’s holiday – traditionally a peak time for DUI incidents. Every year, 25 to 30 percent of fatal mishaps in the Navy and Marine Corps involve alcohol. The Cougars credit command leadership and a mentorship program led by the First Class Petty Officer Association for helping to reinforce the sobering message.

Navy Takes Traffic Safety Seriously

Due in part to efforts like those at VAQ-139, the Navy is off to its best year ever in terms of reducing private motor vehicle fatalities. As of Jan. 29, 2007, 18 Sailors had been killed as a result of PMV mishaps. This is a 47 percent reduction from the same time last year. Fiscal year 2006 was the worst in 12 years in terms of PMV fatalities.

NESB Tackles Traffic

When the Navy Executive Safety Board met Dec. 12, traffic safety was the primary topic of conversation. The consensus was that the military services do a good job of providing information about reducing traffic mishaps and do an adequate job of providing training. The weak spots are, first, enforcing existing rules; second, intervening before unsafe behavior; and third, holding people accountable. Marine Corps Inspector General Major Gen. David Bice described an initiative to develop a command safety-readiness reporting system to help strengthen accountability up and down the chain of command, making it possible to quickly identify areas where commands are doing well and areas that could use attention. The Marine Corps has taken the lead on creating a prototype for this reporting system and will kick of a test later this fiscal year. Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Rear Adm. Bruce MacDonald continued the meeting with a presentation from the Office of the Judge Advocate General on the tools available to commanders to control high-risk Sailor behavior.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Special issue magazines detailing Operational and Off-duty Risk Management (ORM) and the Web Enabled Safety System (WESS) for mishap reporting will hit the streets this spring and summer. Do you have insight on either of these topics that you’d like to share? Are there problems or clarifications you would like to see covered in the magazines? If so, call the Public Affairs Officer at 757-444-3520 extension 7312 or send an email to safe-pao@navy.mil.

Friday Funnies Available To The Public

You never want to end up on the pages of the Friday Funnies, but you know you love to read them. They used to appear only on the secure site, but they are now available at http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/funnies. The website also has collections dealing with certain categories of mishaps as well as a glossary of terms. Friday Funnies posters are available for download or can be ordered by mail using a request form at http://safetycenter.navy.mil/media/posters/categories/ordermail.htm.

PMV Investigation Template Online

You can access a private motor vehicle investigation template on the Naval Safety Center’s web page at http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/PMV/PMV-MIR_Template_V2.doc. The purpose of PMV investigations is to establish the root cause of a mishap by asking the important questions. This template will help you determine what those questions are.

2007 Safety Planner Available

The Navy and Marine Corps 2007 Safety Planner is also available online for download. “We have known for a long time that safety isn’t something for special occasions. It isn’t something you dust off after a mishap or before an inspection. It is a series of careful, well-planned actions that we take every day,” said Rear Adm. George Mayer, Commander, Naval Safety Center. To that end, the safety planner is a 2007 calendar that provides relevant and timely safety strategies dealing with diverse topics ranging from forklift operation to hurricane preparedness. There are also messages from top Navy and Marine Corps leadership. The planner can be downloaded directly from the Naval Safety Center’s website at http://safetycenter.navy.mil/seasonal/calendar/default.htm.

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