6-1
CHAPTER 6
SAFETY AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Personnel safety is the responsibility of all hands.
Without personnel safety, many injuries and deaths
would occur. The Navy has lost many man hours and
good people because safety procedures were not
practiced continuously. As you study this chapter, you
will see the various aspects of personnel safety.
Personnel safety is important to each of us, and this
chapter explains why.
SAFETY
Learning Objectives: Recognize the necessity for work
center and job site safety. Identify the procedures to
audit the tag-out log.
…out of this nettle, danger, we
pluck this flower, safety.
—William Shakespeare,
Henry IV, I.3
Safety rules and regulations concern all of us,
regardless of the job to which we are assigned. All types
of tasks, from the simplest to the most hazardous, have
safety regulations. We often will not observe safety
precautions unless we are fully aware of the dangers
involved. Therefore, as a petty officer, you are
responsible for ensuring that other personnel are aware
of the dangers and know the safety precautions to
combat these dangers.
The objective of any safety program is to improve
operational readiness by reducing personnel deaths and
injuries and by decreasing material loss and damage. To
achieve that objective, you should ensure safety is an
all-hands effort that is set in motion and monitored by
the entire chain of command.
ORGANIZATIONAL
SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES
Ultimate responsibility for the safety of the unit lies
with the commanding officer, and each individual plays
a part in that safety. The commanding officer can
enhance the safety program of the ship or unit, but you
are also important to the success of the program.
Specific safety responsibilities of the commanding
officer, safety officer, department and division safety
officers, and master-at-arms/safety force can be found in
Basic Military Requirements, NAVEDTRA 12018.
You may be involved in the program at many different
levels. For example, you may be assigned the duty of
division safety petty officer early in your career. Later,
you may be responsible for training others in safety.
Division Safety Petty Officer
The division safety petty officer reports directly to
the division safety officer in all matters concerning
division safety. In performing this duty, the division
safety petty officer is responsible for the following:
Becoming thoroughly familiar with all safety
directives and precautions concerning the
division
Conducting assigned division mishap prevention
training and maintaining appropriate records
Assisting in mishap investigations as directed
Making recommendations about the safety
program to the division safety officer
Assisting the division safety officer in the
execution of assigned safety duties
Acting as a technical adviser on matters
of mishap prevention within the division
Serving on the safety committee
Individual Responsibilities
SAFETY IS AN ALL-HANDS RESPONSI-
BILITY. So what are your responsibilities for safety?
Your personal responsibilities for safety—everywhere
and at all times—are as follows:
Observe all the precautions related to your work
or duty. You may have gotten by with being
