MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- All station service members and U.S. civilian employees were required to attend one of six “Back in the Saddle” operational pause and safety stand-down sessions Jan. 20-22 at the Sakura Theater here.
The purpose of the BITS safety stand-down was to provide semi-annual safety training to all personnel.
The training is meant to improve safety awareness while on the job, said Sean G. Kim Han, a safety specialist at the Safety Center here. Safety shouldn’t feel like a burdensome process.
The Safety Center wants service members and civilians alike to learn from past incidents because they’re ultimately responsible for keeping themselves and others safe, he added.
The core topics covered during the training were ground safety guidance, personal-owned vehicle safety, motorcycle safety, and suicide and sexual assault prevention.
The training, which followed the extended holiday season, emphasized the importance of implementing risk management on and off the job, the negative effects of complacency, and the impact of work-related mishaps in the workplace and to families.
After the holidays, personnel are relaxed from spending time with their families and enjoying themselves, said Kim Han. It’s important to re-emphasize safety and get them back into the working mind-set.
All personnel were also required to complete unit or section-level training, covering job-specific hazard and risk-related safety topics.
The postal office here upholds high safety standards on a daily basis by keeping work areas clear, being careful with heavy packages and communicating with each other at all times, so safety consciousness doesn’t feel like a chore at all, said Pfc. Ryan Kerschner, postal clerk.
“There are a lot of people who think safety is just another word, but it’s something that needs to be practiced every day.”