SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

potentially hazardous conditions to you supervisor. Be ready to offer some suggestions about how to correct the unsafe condition. Your ideas may help to speed the correction. 3. Correct the problem at the source. Don’t stop with just correcting the unsafe condition. Find its source and begin your corrective actions there. If you have the authority to correct the problem at the source, then do so. If the problem involves people, then point out the unsafe condition and correct the workers causing it. Hold on-the-spot training if needed. If you don’t, you’re inviting repetition of the unsafe practice. 4. Take temporary precautions. You may need to delay correcting an unsafe condition because of a shortage of funds, personnel, or equipment. If this happens, take whatever temporary precautions you need to protect both yourself and your coworkers from the unsafe condition until it can be corrected. These precautions may include securing the hazardous areas, disconnecting power sources, posting warning signs, and giving verbal warning to workers. Whatever precautions are necessary, take them promptly to reduce the exposure of any hazardous condition to all personnel. Here is an important final word about your responsibility to correct unsafe conditions. Sometimes an unsafe condition may arise that needs IMMEDIATE corrective action. This is especially true in situations that pose an immediate hazard to life or health. Don’t delay because you may not have the authority to correct such an unsafe condition. In emergencies, YOU HAVE IT! Just be sure you don’t put yourself or others in danger of being hurt. And, if you can’t SAFELY correct the problem, inform your supervisor about it immediately. SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES From the commanding officer on down the chain of command to each individual, safety is everyone’s business. Even though the safety program is ultimately the responsibility of the commanding officer, everyone must take part in the program for it to be successful. The following paragraphs briefly describe the specific responsibilities of the key individuals in a command’s safety program. COMMANDING OFFICER Commanding officers are directly responsible for the safety of all personnel under their command. They cannot delegate this responsibility. However, they can give all officers and petty officers under their command enough authority to make sure everyone understands and follows all prescribed safety precautions. COMMAND SAFETY OFFICER The command safety officer is responsible to the commanding officer for coordinating a complete safety program based on the objectives established by the commanding officer. Specifically, he or she performs the following safety related functions: Acts as principal advisor to the commanding officer on all internal safety matters Coordinates the commandwide safety program Promotes maximum cooperation for safety matters at all levels Ensures widest dissemination of all safety information 1-9