Four shops in the 309th EMXG qualify for gold VPP status

  • Published
  • By Bill Orndorff
  • Ogden Air Logistics Complex
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Identifying and fixing safety hazards in their areas has earned four 309th Electronics Maintenance Group shops gold-level status in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

The Ground Power Generators and Harness Shop, and the Air Cooled Generators Shop, both part of the 526th Electronics Maintenance Squadron, were the first units within the Ogden Air Logistics Complex and on Hill AFB to be so honored. They received their commemorative banners from Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr., Ogden ALC commander, on Feb. 26.

Shortly thereafter, the Radio Frequency Shop and the Shop Repairable Unit Shop in the 523rd Electronics Maintenance Squadron, also passed their complex-level gold status evaluation.

"Earning the gold level in the Commander's Safe Site Challenge means the shops have taken safety and health to heart," said Craig Buelo, 309th EMXG VPP program manager. "The supervisor and employees all have taken their own safety as a top priority in their work environment and at home."

By creating the safest work environment possible, the employees have a voice in identifying and fixing hazards associated with their jobs and their surrounding areas. Creating a safe work environment ultimately results in reduced injuries, Buelo said.

All shops have been injury free for more than 18 months.

"The safety record of these shops is setting the standard for the other EMXG squadrons," said Sherel Hardy, 309th EMXG director. "Even though this is an employee-focused program, they have my full support to identify and fix any hazards they might notice -- on the spot, if possible.

"Safety is our No. 1 priority -- I encourage all of our employees to get involved with VPP."

The Ground Power Generator/Harness shop overhauls different types and sizes of generators, ranging from the 70 horsepower motor used on the "mules" to the tri-electron generator that weighs 2,600 pounds. The 10 shop employees can rewind rotors and stators for the generators, and they take the generator through the complete overhaul and testing process. The shop also manufactures several styles of aircraft wiring harnesses.

The Air Cooled Generator/AH shop overhauls generators for F-16s, T-38s, KC-135s, and Cruise Missile motors. Their work includes testing electrical circuits, rewinding rotors and stators, and repairing and replacing components. The shop has 19 employees.

The Shop Repairable Unit shop troubleshoots and repairs a variety of circuit cards from many different aircraft, including the F-16, F-22 and A-10.

The Radio Frequency Shop performs complete depot maintenance -- including test, repair and overhaul -- on multiple F-16 APG-68 radar systems. They perform the final radio frequency alignment of the F-16 nose radome after it has been repaired and resurfaced. The shop uses the Intermittent Fault Detection and Isolation System to find electrical wiring problems on multiple line replaceable unit workloads.

The shops were evaluated by a complex-level team that included safety, bioenvironmental, Ogden ALC VPP Program managers and union representatives, along with trained VPP evaluators from other groups within the complex.

"The evaluators followed a checklist that had been established for the challenge. It incorporates the checklist OSHA uses when they come to evaluate an organization for VPP Star status," Buelo said. "Employees were interviewed individually, the supervisor was interviewed, and Bio and Safety looked at their respective areas in the shop."

Among the checklist challenges, employees are asked to pull a Material Safety Data Sheet for a chemical used in the shop. Employees are also expected to go to a website for the particular chemical and show bioenvironmental how to read and understand the information provided.

"The employees and supervisors displayed a very positive and proactive attitude toward their safety and health program," Buelo said. "They take a proactive approach to identifying and fixing hazards, knowing the hazards associated with their jobs, and act as great wingmen toward co-workers. The safety attitude displayed by these shops demonstrated a 24/7 approach to safety."

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration created the VPP in 1982 as a way to recognize organizations with outstanding safety and health programs. Federal worksites became eligible for VPP in 1998.

The Air Force created the Commanders Safe Site Challenge (CSSC) as a way to develop an improved safety culture with the employees. They took the OSHA criteria and broke it down into levels -- bronze, silver and gold -- that would allow employees to learn how to recognize and report workplace hazards.

OSHA requires union support at all sites having a union presence, and the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1592 has supported the Hill AFB program. The union works with management, labor and the employees to improve the safety and health programs and culture.

The bronze VPP level recognizes basic understanding of the program. At silver, employees are developing and implementing processes that will improve safety and health in the area. At the gold level, employees and management have been working processes to improve the safety and health in the work areas.

Gold is the highest level awarded in the CSSC. When the entire organization has improved their safety and health culture and met the OSHA requirements, they can apply to OSHA for consideration as a VPP Star.

"The safety culture has grown to where the majority of employees support taking an active role in their safety and health programs and in implementing safety 24/7," Buelo said. "Employees constantly tell us they have started to really think about safety and now wear seat belts whenever driving or wear personal protective equipment when mowing the lawn or doing other projects around the house. The dedication and support of management has allowed EMXG employees to support and grow in improving safety and health in all aspects of life."

Thirteen other shops in the 309th EMXG have successfully passed the pre-evaluation for gold status, and are awaiting final evaluation. Twenty additional sites in EMXG are currently scheduled for their group pre-gold evaluation. And the message is spreading among other Ogden ALC groups -- more than 30 shops in the 309th Software Maintenance Group received VPP silver status and two shops in the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group were awarded VPP bronze status in March.