Chapter 6 Safety and Hazardous Materials Information for the Petty Officer

CHAPTER 6 SAFETY AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION FOR THE PETTY OFFICER 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 topic, you will see the various aspects of personnel safety. Personnel safety is important to each of us, and this topic explains why. SAFETY Learning Objectives: Recognize the necessity for work center and job site safety. Recall how to perform duties of a divisional safety petty officer. Recall the purpose and function of the command’s safety council. Recall how to conduct safety awareness training. 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 14277. 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 or council 6-1 Q1. The objective of any safety program is to improve operational readiness. 1. True 2. False REVIEW QUESTION