The U.S. Army Combat Readiness and Safety Center's command sergeant major visited Fort Irwin recently to gain insight into the mission, its safety program and related challenges.
Command Sgt. Major Leeford Cain said he wanted to focus on the training provided at the National Training Center and speak directly with safety representatives, to include Career Program 12 safety professionals who populate the National Training Center.
Current Safety Challenges
"Our number one concern is off-duty accidents and incidents," said Cain. "Right now we're currently losing … Soldiers 3-to-1, off duty versus on duty. That's a major reason why we are trying to make a change in our safety culture. As we go about trying to affect that safety culture through briefings, officer and NCO professional development, we're trying to provoke thought encouraging leaders to take the necessary steps to make a difference in loss reduction across the Army."
He said while we've had the lowest number of fatalities since keeping statistics over the last two or three years, there's more work to be done.
"Last year we lost 136 Soldiers to accidents and that was Army wide," said Cain. "This year we're on pace to do even better, but we still have more to do. It's all about awareness. If you're thinking safety you're much more inclined to prevent accidents. If you're paying attention to detail in everything you do, then chances are you will help to reduce the risk to yourself and others."
He suggested that the most difficult part of educating folks is the generational gap; 13 years of combat operation have taken a toll.
"We've seen a lot of younger folks become leaders who have been focusing on combat operations -- and they're doing a fantastic job of that, they know that business inside and out," he emphasized. "But now, as we shift from a combat operations postured force, we have to get back into the mind set of taking care of business 24 hours a day regarding safety.
"Don't stop protecting yourself when you're not on duty," he continued. "It's the right thing to do. You protect yourself 24 hours a day. When we can say we've accomplished that, we'll be a much safer force."
On CP12
"The CP12 qualified safety professional has filled a critical void," said Cain. "The challenge there is that these professionals are at brigade level or higher, but the majority of our troops are at battalion level and below. So, while they fill a critical void for the commander in the absence of an actual safety officer or safety NCO," we want to ensure our focus on safety is reaching the Soldiers and their families wherever they are.
"We've have an initiative called the family engagement kit that is available on the Army Safety website that attempts to bridge that gap," he said. "What we need are engaged leaders who focus on reaching out to families, because they are critical to our success. Families play an extremely important role in keeping our Soldiers safe; and engaged leadership makes a difference."
At Fort Irwin, given the mission, many of the accidents and incidents take place within the rotations -- plus there are heat and other vehicle related incidents.
"The majority of our accidents are Army motor vehicle -- we see about 20 percent of all accidents are Army motor vehicle; in many cases the drivers are young -- 26 and below," said National Training Center Safety Director Dave Key. "Add 'slips, trips and falls,' which accounts for about 16 percent, and the 'struck by or against' to those numbers and we're looking at about 50 percent of all of our accidents."
"We're trying to do what we can to affect change," said Cain. "It's all about safety, about the culture and loss reduction. Army safe is Army Strong."
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