1-7 making sure the job is done right. Good supervision requires good leadership skills. What makes a person a good supervisor? A good supervisor will first break a job down into individual tasks and then ensure all needed materials are available. He  or  she  will  then  assign  the  tasks  to  the  most appropriate persons. Many people think a supervisor’s job is done at this point; however, that definitely is not the case. Indeed, those actions are only the beginning of a supervisor’s job, as you shall see in the following paragraphs. BREAK THE JOB INTO TASKS When your work group is given a job, the first decision you, as a supervisor, must make is who will do what. Sound simple? Well, it is simple, providing you know the job, how to get it done, and the capabilities of your crew. This is the planning and organization phase. Jobs   that   require   more   than   one   person   to accomplish can be broken into smaller tasks or steps. You can then assign each task or step to a different worker. A definite sequence of events must be followed to do even the simplest job right. For example, look at the steps involved in painting a bulkhead. First, the surface must be sanded (or stripped, if required). Second, the surface should be cleaned of any residue from the sanding or stripping. Third, a primer coat and then the finish coat of paint should be applied. If any of these tasks or steps are skipped or done out of sequence, the job will have to be redone. ASSIGN TASKS A good supervisor ensures each worker understands his or her part in the job and can do the assigned task. Remember the job of painting a bulkhead discussed earlier? Suppose you assigned a task in that painting job to someone who didn’t know the proper way to perform the task. The entire job would suffer, and time and material would be wasted. When assigning tasks, you also must consider the danger to your ship and your workers when an individual is unaware of safety rules. Whenever possible, pair a knowledgeable worker with an untrained one; that way you get good results on the job and the untrained worker gets trained. If you have no trained workers available, you must conduct training. If the required training is beyond your capability, use your chain of command to get it from an appropriate source. COORDINATE MATERIAL AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS Once   you,   the   supervisor,   have   planned   and organized events needed to accomplish a task, then you must make sure all required materials are available and safety precautions will be observed. Having to stop work while you track down a certain part or piece of equipment frustrates you, your workers, and your superiors and causes unnecessary delays. Do not trust your memory on technical matters, especially when they involve safety. During this part of the  planning  phase,  refer  to  appropriate  checklists, technical manuals, technical orders, or instructions to make  sure  work  meets  all  safety  requirements  and personnel accomplish all required steps. Make sure all required safety checks are up to date on all necessary equipment. When getting materials for a job, make sure items subject to shelf-life restrictions are current. A shelf-life item is one you must use or discard within a certain time. Shelf-life dates appear on the containers of these items. Do not use materials with expired shelf-life dates. THE PROPER TOOL FOR THE JOB As you train your workers, insist upon the proper use of the proper tool for any given job. A knife blade is not a good screwdriver; wrenches are not good hammers; and screwdrivers are dangerous when used as chisels or pry bars. Using a tool in an inappropriate way can cause injury to the worker and damage to the tool and the work piece. You are responsible for the well being of the personnel assigned to you as well as the condition of the tools in your care. PMS cards, maintenance manuals, and technical orders often describe the proper tool for a specific   task.   Safety   periodicals   and   other   Navy publications,  such  as  Deckplate  and  Maintenance Crossfeed, provide timely information concerning new developments   in   safety.   An   excellent   source   of information concerning proper tool use is the training manual Use and Care of Hand Tools and Measuring Tools, NAVEDTRA 12085.