VPP in Action: Hazard report tool reaches milestone

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  The Hazard Report button found on the Centernet recently marked a milestone with the submission of the 100th online hazard report.

Staff Sgt. Jacqueline Bridges, chaplain assistant, submitted the 100th online report on April 9. Sergeant Bridges identified and reported a hazard through the online tool -- a crumbling brick wall on an outside staircase near the bike path entrance to the chapel.

"The broken wall created a hazard to our parishioners and customers, especially children who may want to play on it and could end up getting hurt," Sergeant Bridges said. "It also posed a hazard to people who bike on the path since the bricks were sometimes falling off onto the path."

Sergeant Bridges said she had heard about the hazard report button through her Voluntary Protection Program representatives and through the Wing Chaplain Lt. Col. Dennis Kitterman, who was one of the first people to utilize the online tool.

"The process for reporting the hazard was really quite simple," Sergeant Bridges said. "It's right on the Centernet and very easy to submit, it only took about two minutes to fill out the form."

Once Sergeant Bridges submitted the hazard report the response time she said was very quick. "Master Sgt. [Shelly] Barton from the safety office came by to look at the wall and was able to give us safety codes to add into the 332 request for the work to be completed."

After submitting the appropriate work orders, IAP contractors came out within two days and started working to fix the identified hazard at the Chapel.

"The online hazard reporting tool is working because people like Sergeant Bridges and others are using it to identify problems and get them corrected," said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander. "The online tool is a valuable part of our VPP efforts and it's just one of the ways that people can be active participants in making Hanscom a safer place to work."