By Vicky Falcón
NAVAIR Public Affairs

The glasses came off last week, were wiped until they gleamed, and then repositioned for a better look at safety within the Naval Air Systems Command.

In the first event of its kind for NAVAIR headquarters, the Executive Leadership Council and the Integrated Safety Team met via video teleconference with NAVAIR site leadership (including the safety officers) to refocus awareness on NAVAIR’s commitment to safety.

The first NAVAIR Safety Day directed attention to safety issues throughout the workplace – whether in the skies, in the hangars, on the flight lines, in the workshops or office, said Commander Kevin Holland, NAVAIR aviation safety officer.

“We met to address two important areas – aviation safety and civilian/personnel safety,” said Holland. “Our statistics in both areas can certainly be improved.”

NAVAIR, as part of a Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) initiative, is working to reduce mishaps and injuries throughout the workplace by 50 percent in the next five years. “That’s ten percent a year reduction,” Holland said. “Which means we can’t continue with business as usual.”

With increased activity at all NAVAIR sites, improving safety at all levels is crucial, said Holland. “When we have a mishap of any kind it costs the Navy money and resources.”

One of the first changes to come from the event was the formation of the NAVAIR National Safety Council. The council is made up of competency leads, wing commanders, NAVAIR depot commanders and site commanding officers. The council will meet quarterly with a goal of promoting discussion across site boundaries and improving processes throughout the organization.

Holland, who is also the executive secretariat of the council, hopes to see a reduction in the human errors that lead to mishaps. “Eight out of ten mishaps involve human error,” said Holland. “We need to do more than improve – we need to dramatically change the way we think and the way we perform our duties.”

One endeavor that has recently led to noteworthy safety improvements is the effort to fully implement Operational Risk Management (ORM) throughout NAVAIR.

“We have seen significant process improvement by institutionalizing ORM,” said Holland. “The principals of ORM are an important foundation of safe training and every day operations within NAVAIR.”

“Each NAVAIR supervisor and employee is required to complete the online ORM training course, regardless of job function,” he said. “ORM is a systematic process for managing risk. It isn’t just a safety or aviation-related program. It can be used in all aspects of the work and home environment.”

As the work environments and procedures throughout NAVAIR become even safer, Holland foresees a time when NAVAIR will be seen by the world as the benchmark for operational safety.

“With leadership’s attention and good solid ORM practices we can realize the CNO’s mishap reduction goals,” Holland said.

For more information about ORM or the NAVAIR National Safety Council, call the NAVAIR Aviation Safety Department at 301-757-2244, or e-mail [email protected].