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AMC brings VPP to Pope

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Chris Hoyler
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Representatives from the respective offices of Safety and the Surgeon General at Air Mobility Command visited here March 4 to discuss implementation of the Voluntary Protection Program at Pope. 

Uniformed, civilian and contracted personnel from throughout Pope, to include Wing leadership, were briefed throughout the day about the intent of the VPP. 
VPP, which is used in both the private sector and throughout DoD, is part of the Occupational Safety and Health Program and is designed to reduce workplace mishaps and ultimately improve readiness by involving all personnel. 

"That's what VPP all boils down to, employee involvement at all levels," said Philip 'Bud' Driskill, AMC Safety and Occupational Health specialist and VPP Engagement Team leader. "When the junior NCO or the A1C sees something wrong and calls 'timeout,' that's making a difference." 

Driskill explained that the overarching goal of the VPP in terms of DoD is to reduce work mishaps by 75 percent by 2012. 

In addition, he tied the four principles of the VPP - "Paper, People, Places and Product," to the Air Force's Wingman culture. 

"Don't just look out for your people in your shop," Driskill said. "Look out for everyone, be a safety Wingman to everyone." 

The four principles of VPP start with paper - the idea of continuing to use current safety standards and checklists. Michelle Mays, AMC Surgeon General's office, said these checklists - and the unit safety representatives who execute them - are vital to VPP implementation. 

"It's easy to get people involved in being responsible," Mays said. "Include a new member of your unit on your next safety check. 

"You don't have to have special meetings just to discuss safety. Include safety reminders in your daily roll call or shift meetings." 

VPP will be rolled out to all AMC bases by the end of the September. According to the VPP Web site, ultimately, utilizing VPP principles and executing Air Force operational risk management will allow every Airman to obtain a fundamental safety situational awareness that includes inherent responsibility and accountability for recognizing and acting to abate unsafe and unhealthy conditions. 

Before Pope will be able to begin executing any ideas using VPP principles, there will be a five-day assessment from an AMC VPP team to monitor how the base currently functions and what steps it can take to meet local, regional and national VPP milestones. 

"This will be non-invasive, nothing to get spun up for," Driskill said. "We, as the VPP team, just want to assess the conditions you work in everyday." 

After spending a day with the wing safety office, the VPP team will conduct two days worth of site visits and personnel interviews before evaluating the base and building a gap analysis. This analysis will set Pope on its path to earning a VPP "Star" rating. 
Driskill and Mays emphasized that, at its core, VPP is something that should be part of everyone's daily routine - at home and at work. 

"Mishaps can happen at home too, so take your safe work processes back to your family," Mays said. "Take the time to remind people that safety comes first at Pope."