Hanscom VPP audit to begin May 18

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  A team of auditors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will arrive at Hanscom May 18 to determine if the base has met the requirements to earn its certification as a Voluntary Protection Program site. 

"We're excited about this visit and the opportunity to demonstrate the partnership effort that we have in place to incorporate the elements of VPP into our work areas and throughout the base," said Col. Lee Pritchard, 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office director. 

The OSHA team will begin their visit with an in-brief to base personnel at the Hanscom Conference Center on Monday. Following that the team will spend their time talking to employees and supervisors, receiving briefings from each of the Wing VPP Team Leaders, reviewing documentation, and walking through worksites. 

"The inspectors will be asking questions and looking through facilities," Colonel Pritchard said. 

"If a safety issue is noted, the inspector will advise the facility manager or VPP team member escort of the deficiency.

"Quick action is the key to success," Colonel Pritchard said "We need to show that we have a solid process in place to identify, report, and correct hazards quickly before they cause mishaps."

Vital to Hanscom's success Colonel Pritchard said is having a positive attitude and being responsive to the auditors. 

"Unlike many of the mandatory inspections that we undergo this one is a little different; we've invited OSHA to come and take a look at our programs and to tell us if we have met their requirements for VPP certification. Having the right people in place to answer questions and being responsive to questions or concerns raised by the team will help demonstrate our commitment to the VPP culture that we have established." 

To help everyone in their final preparations for the inspection, a comprehensive list of questions that inspectors will ask can be found on the Hanscom public Web site under the VPP tab at http://www.hanscom.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080318-040.doc. 

"Everyone should take a few moments to look over the questions; you could be asked to answer them by the inspection team," Colonel Pritchard said. "If as people are reviewing these questions and don't know the answers then they should go to their supervisor, VPP team lead or the 66 ABW Safety Office for assistance.

Upon conclusion of the certification visit, the OSHA team will issue a final report with a recommendation as to whether or not Hanscom has met the requirements for one of the following VPP designations: Star, Merit, or Demonstration. 

In determining its recommendation, the team will consider the following:

· Safety and health conditions, including hazards found, plans to correct those hazards, and needed system improvements, if any.

· Information gathered from informal and formal interviews.

· Successful implementation of VPP's elements of an effective safety and health management system.

"Together we will demonstrate to the OSHA team what we already know - we have an outstanding culture of safety in place," Colonel Pritchard said.