number  of  equipments  on  our  ships  today,  there  is usually a master sheet of equipments in multiple-copy form.  Applicable  comments  are  made  adjacent  to  the listed  equipments  on  a  daily  basis.  One  copy  of  the equipments  list  is  kept  for  the  divisional  file.  The original  is  turned  in  for  the  eight  o’clock  reports. The   following   information   is   provided   for   each piece  of  equipment  on  the  eight  o’clock  report: Status  of  the  equipment,  whether  in  an  up status  or  a  down  status  and  with  a  statement  of  the nature  of  the  problem  if  the  equipment  is  in  a  down status. Parts  information  (parts  on  board,  parts  not on  board,  and  supply  requisition  number). Estimated  time  of  repair  for  a  down  item. Necessity  of  a  casualty  report  (CASREP).  (If an  equipment  or  system  CASREP  has  already  been made, the report includes the CASREP serial number for  the  applicable  equipment  or  system.) Casualty  Reports As  a  combat  systems  supervisor,  you  will  often be  in  a  situation  that  requires  you  to  draft  casualty reports  (CASREPs).  These  are  message  reports  that support  the  CNO  and  the  fleet  commanders  in  the management of assigned forces, The effective use and support of Navy forces require an up-to-date, accurate operational status report for each unit. An important part of each operational status report is casualty infor- mation. The  CASREP  system  contains  four  types  of  re- ports:  INITIAL,  UPDATE,  CORRECT,  and  CAN- CEL. CASREPs are not a substitute for maintenance and  material  management  (3-M)  data,  but  they  are in addition to and complement that information. The reference  publication  for  CASREP  information  and procedures  is  Operational   Reports,   NWP   10-1-10. Equipment  Status  Reports Equipment  status  reports  vary  from  command  to command.  On  most  ships,  the  combat  systems/weap- ons department is responsible for turning in an equip- ment  status  report  before  the  ship  gets  under  way. This  report  may  be  due  any  time  from  72  hours  to 24  hours  before  the  ship  gets  under  way,  depending on the requirements set by the TYCOM and the com- mand. The  equipment  status  report  usually  includes  major equipment  status,  estimated  time  of  repair  (ETR), power out/minimum discernible signal (MDS) readings from  radars,  and  power  out/receiver  sensitivity  read- ings  from  communications  equipment.  This  report  is usually  given  on  a  locally  generated  report  form (checklist type); however, it maybe made on the same form  as  the  eight  o’clock  report. SAFETY Most accidents are preventable. However, through ignorance  or  misunderstanding,  there  is  a  common belief  that  accidents  are  the  inevitable  result  of  un- changeable  circumstances  or  fate.  This  belief  fails  to consider  the  basic  law  of  cause  and  effect.  In  other words,  accidents  do  not  occur  without  a  cause;  most accidents are the direct result of some deviation from prescribed  safe  operating  procedures. A  preventable  accident  may  be  traced  to  an  in- grained  belief  or  work  habit  of  an  individual.  This belief or work habit may cause the individual to per- form  an  unsafe  act  or  permit  a  hazardous  condition to  exist.  Then,  when  an  accident  occurs,  the  cause- and-effect   sequence   is   completed. One purpose of safety rules is to remind personnel of the dangers inherent in their work. Training in the observance of safety precautions can help prevent ac- cidents  and  encourage  the  maintenance  of  an  acci- dent-free   work   environment.   Operating   procedures and  work  methods  should  stress  hazard  prevention 2-8