GRAFENWOEHR, Germany -- Hundreds of U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria employees converged on the Wild B.O.A.R. Recreation Center for the annual Safety Day, June 6.
Alongside safety briefings and discussions, participants scaled a climbing wall, watched chain saw demonstrations and drove forklifts.
The event aimed to teach workplace and recreational safety fundamentals. But, the primary purpose of the day was to enforce that workplace safety depends on both supervisors and employees.
"It's the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe workplace," said USAG Bavaria Safety Director William Whitman. "And it's the responsibility of the employee to let the supervisor know if they see something that's not safe. You can't fix the problem if you don't know it's broken."
During a briefing, supervisors watched a video of a night club fire and discussed the liability and responsibilities of leaders during an emergency.
Likewise, employees were briefed on the principle of "see something, say something," and were urged to communicate safety concerns with their chain of command.
Both seminars emphasized the importance of repetitive safety drills and seemingly tedious planning to override panic if disaster does strike.
"Safety doesn't start or end with an accident," said Whitman. "It encompasses the things before the accident and how changes are made after the accident."
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