[Stcroix] Safety Briefing September 2024

[Daniel Malneritch]

Here is an article from CAP's "The Dispatch".

Thank you and stay safe!

*Capt Daniel Malneritch*

Safety Officer

St. Croix Composite Squadron

*Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary*

(M) 678-978-8617

GoCivilAirPatrol.com <https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/>

MN122.org <http://mn122.org/>

*Volunteers serving America's communities, saving lives, and shaping
futures.*


CAP’s Core Values – The Bedrock for an Ideal Safety Culture

By: Capt. David Ellis, Safety Officer, VA-060


“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” (Roy
E. Disney, former senior executive for the Walt Disney Company)


An effective Safety Program relies upon a vibrant Ideal Safety Culture.
There are many things that make up an Ideal Safety Culture but what is the
foundation that supports and guides that culture?


In CAP, that bedrock foundation is our shared Core Values, which are
Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence and Respect. Integrity sits at the
heart of all other core values. It embraces “attributes such as courage,
responsibility, accountability, justice, openness, self-respect and
humility.”


Volunteer service is about choosing to serve others before ourselves. In
human interaction, excellence is a continuous process not an end state. It
is not about achieving perfection. It is about continuously striving to do
the best that we are capable of and when we inevitably fall short of that
ideal, we rededicate ourselves to doing our best going forward. Respect is
“treating everyone with fairness and dignity and working together as a
team.”

(Quotes from CAP Core Values - CAPSafety Principles Webpage
<https://meju6qfbb.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001ZHomVBXQKwDe59Em69lL15SLQt92lWXUt2r3K3IlMobWaZx3IgwQZh-c-eRDfbwD-b2O6o89Z8eC_x6eq7sIxR9CJPGUeGpARAW_gvcTijOpU-MMJz-vEsZC5GeHltTGf-0rIjEcAWXjtSuQXOVtSAAp6zyKT1WPUm7TiPLjkc-20-31k-PKcP0C11x4DJK6Cd3-RHaRwaBCNjRIts5Yo21JTVwS3JpnpOLeI3fYHdUjSgVPTIy6TIFz_lYuSuNd&c=2ufNUG9DyH9iPF2Zifw_hM5OXs6C3I4XLE7oAlaS17CvYkZMQjG-EA==&ch=lFJFU9spP_WNs6SIz7hkCePMXcavkbcZsiMD641FVSebWHrSAMoXhQ==>
.)


As we fulfill our duties or plan and execute activities, we are often faced
with choices that have conflicting priorities, but which decisions are the
right ones? If I choose this safer, less convenient option, will people be
upset with me? Will we be able to get the activity planned and started on
time if we take additional time to perform a Deliberate Risk Assessment?
Will the commander cancel this exciting activity if I mention this safety
concern?


There are many ways in which CAP’s Core Values can affect and guide our
decisions. Let’s explore some of the ways that our Core Values guide us in
the Deliberate Risk Management (DRM) process. For many members, one of the
most intimidating aspects of CAP’s Safety Program is DRM. During this
process, we Identify Hazards, Assess Risks, Develop Controls & Make
Decisions, Implement Controls and Supervise & Evaluate.


The following are some ways that our Core Values affect our decisions in
relation to DRM:


Identifying Hazards - Integrity guides us to not intentionally ignore a
hazard because addressing it will be inconvenient. Volunteer service
directs us to do this because it is beneficial to the safety of others, not
because it is a required step of DRM. Excellence guides us to be as
thorough as possible in identifying the hazards. Respect leads us to work
as a team, open to everyone’s ideas and concerns. For example, food will be
provided at an event. The Activity Safety Officer formed a risk management
team to evaluate food related hazards, such as food related allergies.


Assessing Risks - Integrity directs us to honestly assess the risks and to
not skew the assessment to achieve a desired outcome. Volunteer service
leads us to commit to the time necessary to thoroughly assess the risks.
Excellence guides us to strive to be as accurate as possible in assessing
the initial and post-control risk levels. Respect guides us to consider the
risk level to others, not just to ourselves. For example, the risk
management team used a risk assessment matrix and determined that there is
a high chance that one or more members will have food related allergies.


Developing Controls and Making Decisions - Integrity also leads us to
accept responsibility for controls, for which we are the most appropriate
person to oversee. Volunteer service guides us to accept responsibility for
controls (where appropriate) to balance the load for everyone. Excellence
directs us to diligently develop effective controls and assign oversight to
the most appropriate members. Respect guides us to think about the workload
of others when we consider assigning them to oversee controls. For example,
the Activity Safety Officer included the food services personnel in
developing controls to reduce the risk of exposing the at-risk personnel to
foods containing allergens.


Implement Controls - Integrity directs us to take responsibility for
controls assigned to us. Volunteer service leads us to help others with
implementing their risk controls. Excellence guides us to implement our
controls diligently, effectively and to brief our team members. Respect
guides us to be open to other people’s suggestions or concerns, especially
when they differ from our own point of view.


Supervise and Evaluate - Integrity leads us to honestly assess controls,
even when it is inconvenient to do so. Volunteer service directs us to help
lead the effort to adjust risk controls, when plans change, or new hazards
appear. Excellence guides us to supervise and evaluate our assigned
controls diligently. Respect guides us to verify that team members
understand and are capable of implementing controls properly.


Beyond DRM, I challenge you to consider ways that CAP’s Core Values are
personally meaningful to you. Think about how those values can guide you to
support an Ideal Safety Culture. Explore ways that they can lead you to put
people first, to treat others fairly and trust in fair treatment, to report
safety issues and to positively acknowledge others for raising safety concerns.
Examine how they can guide you to understand acceptable and unacceptable
behaviors, to reduce unnecessary risks, to adapt to changing demands and
unforeseen developments and to overcome obstacles without compromising
safety.


When we learn what CAP’s Core Values means personally, it helps us to
internalize those values and provides us with moral clarity to make
appropriate decisions. Once we understand, internalize, make decisions and
act in accordance with the bedrock foundation of our shared Core Values, we
foster and support an Ideal Safety Culture that helps to protect the
well-being of our members and all those we interact with.
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