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Air Force Safety Center survey helps AFGSC identify and reduce safety risks

  • Published
  • By Carla Pampe
  • Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  For Air Force Global Strike Command, ensuring safety in all things - large and small - is a priority.

Now, the AFGSC Safety Directorate's Human Factors Safety Division is using an Air Force survey tool to help identify safety issues throughout the command, and bring about change where it is needed.

The command is using the Air Force Safety Center's Air Force Culture Assessment Safety Tool survey, or AFCAST, to look for organizational conditions that increase mishap potential, said Maj. Troy Faaborg, Chief of Human Factors Safety at Air Force Global Strike Command.

"AFCAST provides squadron commanders with a means to survey their operations, maintenance, and support personnel regarding safety issues, and receive real-time feedback on their attitudes and perceptions," Faaborg said.

The survey is part of the Air Force Safety Center's overall safety assessment program, and focuses on operations, maintenance and other areas directly related to safety, according to the program's Web site. Survey questions focus on issues like fatigue, morale, leadership, policies and guidance, adherence to directives and day-to-day safety issues.

The major said that following survey completion, squadron commanders receive feedback concerning MAJCOM climate, safety culture, resource availability, workload, progress of safety intervention programs, and other operational factors relating to safety.

"AFCAST helps squadron commanders identify safety concerns and hazards while highlighting where to focus their hazard assessment efforts," he said. "Commanders and their Safety Officers/NCOs can use this information to develop strategies, perform risk management and implement controls to better their organization's performance."

Since the survey was first implemented in Air Force Global Strike Command in 2009, participation at the unit level has been very good, the major said.

"For the 2011 survey, we had more than 7,000 respondents," Faaborg said. "Across the board, the responses were very helpful. We were able to identify a number of issues that directly affect safety in our nuclear units."

The biggest single factor identified by respondents as being responsible for mishaps on the job is fatigue, he said. Morale is another area of interest identified across the board on both the bomber and missile side.

"The results of these surveys allow us to identify things we can we do to make things better both on and off duty," Faaborg said. "As a MAJCOM, we are looking at how we can best organize, train and equip our units to mitigate fatigue and other safety risks."

For the past two years, the Air Force Safety Center has sent a representative to brief the MAJCOM Commander, Directors, Numbered Air Force and Wing Commanders on the results.

"Inputs at the unit level are being briefed to senior leaders, and they are truly looking to make changes," Faaborg said. "Through these surveys, we are able to set long-term goals that will help minimize safety risks to our personnel."