Mock audit to test Hanscom’s VPP readiness

  • Published
  • By Rhonda Siciliano
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --  Next week a team of inspectors will visit Hanscom to conduct a mock audit of the base's Voluntary Protection Program.

The six-person team from headquarters Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, and the Department of Defense VPP Center of Excellence will arrive on March 24 and will conduct an in-brief session with base leadership and VPP team leaders at the Hanscom Conference Center that day.

"We're excited about this visit and the opportunity to demonstrate how the base has incorporated the elements of VPP into our work areas," said Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing commander.

The audit will begin on March 25 when inspectors will visit various Hanscom worksites and meet with employees and supervisors.

"The inspectors will be asking questions and looking through facilities," said Rolen Johns, 66th Air Base Wing Safety Office director.

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," Mr. Johns said "We need to show that we have a solid process in place to identify, report, and correct hazards quickly before they cause mishaps."

To help everyone get ready for the mock audit and the real inspection which will come later, 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," Mr. Johns 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.

"This mock audit is a great opportunity to evaluate where we are with our program and what areas need to be adjusted to prepare us for the real inspection which will be conducted by OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] to determine if the base has met the requirements to become a Star certified site," Colonel Schluckebier said.

During the audit inspectors will assess how well Hanscom has incorporated the four VPP elements into its day to day operations.

The VPP process emphasizes holding managers accountable for worker safety and health, the continual identification and elimination of hazards and the active involvement of employees in their own protection.

The Voluntary Protection Program was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 1982 and formally introduced to the Hanscom community in May 2006. It emphasizes worker safety and health, and the identification and elimination of hazards by involving employees and managers in the process. "Hanscom is moving forward with VPP, and we hope to be able to submit our application to OSHA for review by May," Mr. Johns said.