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
