Safety Update
Naval Safety Center March 1, 2013
Standardizing Motorcycle Personal Protective Equipment Navy and Marine Corps motorcycle safety programs, policies and training have significantly improved during the past five years. We’ve seen a culture shift for both leadership and our riding population. Prior to 2008, most leaders focused on punishing riders for failing to comply with policy, including overly restrictive and unrealistic PPE requirements. As a result, many riders didn’t inform their chain of command that they were riding, didn’t bring their motorcycles on base and avoided getting a base sticker. Riders who followed the rules were frustrated by confusing PPE standards that were enforced inconsistently throughout the Navy, Marine Corps and other services. Both of these trends negatively impacted our motorcycle safety posture and led to increasing losses due to mishaps. Along with implementation of the Military Sportbike Rider Course, the Semper Ride program, and the DoN-wide traffic-safety training contract, we updated our PPE requirements based on rider input and data. One change was the elimination of the requirement for brightly colored vests and reflective garments. Riders were encouraged to wear gear specifically designed for maximum protection, including jackets and armored outerwear made of materials such as leather or Kevlar. The new PPE requirements resulted in fewer alienated riders, more riders coming on base and more riders obtaining the skills and knowledge they need through the training that is available. We’re working with our installation commanders and with the other services to ensure that standard PPE requirements are adopted and enforced. Our goal is to ensure that all riders can get access to every DoD installation, especially joint bases, and obtain the training and support they need. Installation commanders can assist these efforts by uniformly enforcing Navy and Marine Corps PPE standards. At the same time, it is important to avoid local modifications of the servicewide requirements, which just confuses and frustrates our riders and security personnel.
Optempo and Fatigue Everyone who has served in the military, stood watch and deployed knows fatigue all too well. How many times during your career have you been conducting (or overseeing) an evolution and knew you were just going through the motions? Fatigue is endemic—feeling well-rested is sometimes the anomaly. Fatigue is also a serious risk. We make sure our chains of command counsel personnel about the dangers of drinking and driving. We try to ensure that personnel get adequate rest prior to taking a long road trip. Why would we not take the time to ensure they are well-rested prior to taking the watch operating multi-million dollar equipment, ships and submarines? When members of a watch team average 4 to 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep in each 24-hour period for three consecutive days, their overall effectiveness has been reduced by about 30 percent. If the pattern persists, the effectiveness of the watch team continues to decrease. At some point, sleep deprivation mimics the effects of alcohol on attentiveness, similar to being legally drunk. Keep in mind that sleep is usually interrupted in noisy berthing compartments. But when asked if they are too tired to take the watch, most personnel would respond, “No.” With the increased optempo of our military, getting adequate sleep is quickly becoming tougher. Are your supervisors taking the time to verify Sailors and Marines are getting enough rest, or are they just asking them if they feel tired? Verifying adequate rest (in terms of hours per night, not subjective feelings) should be part of every supervisor’s Operational Risk Management and planning. Our personnel are responsible for getting enough sleep; we are responsible for making sure they have enough time available to get it. Naval Safety Center 375 A Street, Norfolk VA 23511-4399, 757-444-3520 http://www.public.navy.mil/navsafecen
Not the Time To Cut Back on Safety Training Here’s a troubling data point. The Aviation Safety Officer class in Pensacola, which has 56 seats available and is often hard to get into, had just 38 students initially signed up for the next session. We all know that a lot of training gets shelved when budgets get tight, but this isn’t the time for that scenario. Under Sequestration, naval aviation will be exposed to more risk. It is imperative that we give the squadron COs all the tools we can, in order to manage this increase in risk. ASO training is mission essential in giving safety officers the tools to help their COs manage risk in their squadrons. The ASO’s position and training are a direct outgrowth of the sophistication of aviation safety programs. This doesn’t mean that aviation is now in a position to coast or that the training is optional. If Sequestration means reduced flight ops, then this is an ideal time to send ASOs to school. If we wait until funding starts to flow, we will not only be less capable to manage the increased risks but we will also be forced to send aviators to a course that takes them out of the cockpit for more than a month, just when we are trying to regain our readiness. There’s a bigger picture than just aviation, although aviation gets the spotlight because it produced 80% of the billion dollars of FY12 mishap costs. We have ample opportunities for preventing the preventable in every operational community. The increased risks of reduced operations and postponed maintenance will affect us all. RDML Kenneth “K.J.” Norton Commander, Naval Safety Center
Naval Safety Center | 375 A Street, Norfolk VA 23511-4399 | Page 2 | 757-444-3520 | http://www.public.navy.mil/navsafecen