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Safety stats available from summer campaign, fiscal year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melissa Estevez
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Labor Day marked the end of the Critical Days of Summer safety campaign.
Air Mobility Command's theme for this year was "Make the Right Choices."

"The reason that we focus so much on summer safety is because there is so much more you can do compared to the fall, winter or spring," said Thomas Kelly II, 375th Safety Office acting ground safety manager.

Air Force-wide between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 16 Airmen lost their lives in mishaps.

Two AMC Airmen lost their lives. Two AMC Airmen suffered disabling injuries. AMC has had zero vehicle fatalities since 2008.

AMC has a 6 percent reduction in mishaps in fiscal year 2015 compared to fiscal year 2014.

Over the course of the Critical Days of Summer, 11 Scott Airmen sustained injuries from mishaps. Scott had a 39 percent reduction in mishaps in fiscal year 2015 compared to fiscal year 2014. Zero deaths were reported at Scott during this time.

"We look to see if we can find any trends after reviewing mishaps," said Kelly. "When we identify a trend we dig a little deeper to try to identify the cause and provide recommendations to help prevent recurrence of future mishaps."

The statistics are collected in a database called the Air Force Safety Automated System. AFSAS is a web-enabled system that safety personnel use to report mishaps and analyze data derived from those incidents.

The system is compliant with DOD and Air Force safety business rules with continuously expanding capabilities, from automating the dispatch of mishap messages to tracking mishap prevention recommendations.

"We shouldn't have any incidents if people conduct a proper assessment of themselves, their skill set, what they can and can't do and the task at hand," said Kelly. "Assessing the risk of the environment around them as well helps them make sound decisions, and will help them prevent mishaps."

Tips to mitigate or decrease the numbers of mishaps and deaths relies solely on servicemembers and their families applying sound risk management principles, identifying the hazards associated with the task at hand and implementing actions to nullify those hazards.

Also, developing a plan which addresses third and fourth level effects can help prevent incidents. For example, ensuring a designated driver is available when going out on the town to drink is one preventative method. If the designated driver falls through, asking what is the second, third or fourth option available can prevent an intoxicated individual from getting behind the wheel and driving.

"Our main goal is to identify the root cause and provide recommendations in an effort to prevent re-occurrence of that same type of mishap," said Kelly.