Original Date: 02/28/2000
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Crane Army Ammunition Activity devotes the entire month of February to conduct all mandated safety training required for the year and to look at all safety issues. During the month, directorates also perform other safety training on their own, and conduct scheduled downtimes to review safety in the work areas.

Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) devotes the entire month of February to conduct all mandated safety training required for the year and to look at all safety issues. During the month, directorates also perform other safety training on their own and conduct scheduled downtimes to review safety in the work areas.

In the past, safety training was performed at many different times throughout a given year. Certain types of training are required each year and different employees require different types of training depending on where they work. As a result of the different needs, delivering the required annual training placed a burden on the entire Command. Training was sporadic and different production areas were shut down at different times to receive the training, thus impacting Command effectiveness throughout the year. Also impacted was the Safety Office’s ability to stay focused on its primary goal of preventing accidents because of the workload involved to prepare, coordinate, and deliver the required training at numerous times throughout the year. Another factor that contributed to the problem was the changing workload and the movement of employees from building to building to perform the work. Tracking which employees received what training and scheduling the type of training required placed additional burdens on the Safety Office as well as the first line supervisors. For example, the Safety Office could provide training at one building and three months later provide training at another building, often with some of the same employees receiving duplicate training and others missing the training.

In 1993, CAAA adopted the Safety Awareness Month, where all required annual safety training is delivered during the month of February. Instead of trying to schedule downtimes for different areas during different times of each year, all supervisors and employees now know in advance when the downtime is going to be and can schedule for minimal disruption to production. February was selected because historically it was the month of least workload and greatest attendance by employees since they had just taken leave for the Holidays.

In early January of each year, the Safety Office and the Directorate Safety Coordinators meet to discuss training requirements, training sessions, schedule times and dates, and presenters. The schedule is sent out prior to February 1, and the sessions begin during the second week of February. In addition, each work area conducts a minimum of a 30-minute standdown to perform a safety assessment of their work site. Recommendations, corrective actions, and lessons learned are forwarded to the Safety Office in a report. Also, each Directorate conducts additional training specific to their Directorate as applicable and completes CAAA’s OSHA checklist to ensure compliance.

The once-a-year Safety Awareness Month has reduced downtime in the work areas and greatly reduced the burden on the Safety Office. The number of training sessions has been consolidated from 15 to eight sessions. Tracking and scheduling is easier, duplication is avoided, and the impact on the entire Command has been reduced. Safety Awareness Month allows for total Command involvement. Everyone is made more aware of safety and involved in some aspect of the program allowing the Safety Office more time to focus on accident prevention.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.