Base renews commitment to cultivate safety through Voluntary Protection Program Published March 16, 2011 By Kate Blais 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Base leadership and workforce representatives reaffirmed a commitment to cultivate a culture of safety at Edwards during a Air Force Flight Test Center commander's call March 11 at the Base Theater. Brig. Gen. Robert C. Nolan II, AFFTC commander, along with three base labor union presidents, signed the Voluntary Protection Program Agreement, confirming an ongoing coalition among base partners to promote worksite safety through employee involvement. "This is an effort Air Force-wide, to enter into a safety partnership between management, unions and the workforce," General Nolan said. "As management we owe it to the workforce to train them correctly, and what the workforce owes us is their perspective on what they see as safe and unsafe. As a member of this workforce, do not walk past something that is unsafe. Make sure that someone knows that there is a problem and follow up." VPP is a Department of Defense program developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to foster a safety culture among employees through understanding and awareness of safety issues. "We're going to take the safety standards that we already have in place and work strongly toward those standards," said Leroy Wrighten, AFFTC Ground Safety. "Our goal is to get everyone involved and look at what's going on, on a daily basis, to fix any hazards that are identified." The four pillars of VPP are: management leadership and employee involvement; worksite analysis; hazards prevention and control; and safety and health training. VPP relies on employees at every level to recognize workplace hazards and become accountable to help remedy safety issues. "It's [VPP] a proven way to reduce mishaps," said Vincent Duny, AFFTC Ground Safety chief and current base VPP point of contact. "We've done fairly well. We had about 50 mishaps a year in 2002 and 2003, and our numbers are down to about an average of 23 mishaps a year." Base employees can help identify worksite hazards and are welcome to report them by submitting a VPP "Near-Miss" form, which can be found on the base portal page under "Base Spotlights." According to Mr. Duny, the reported hazard is reviewed, validated and addressed. "For example, if someone reports an issue such as a hole in the ground, we'll work with CE and have the hole filled," Mr. Duny said. "We've gotten over a hundred hits using this tool." Mr. Duny also said employees who take the time to fill out a "Near-Miss" form would receive incentives, such as coffee mugs and workout bags in return for their participation in the program. "VPP takes your safety program to the next level," Mr. Duny said. For more information concerning VPP, please contact the AFFTC Safety Office at 277-4640.