The Air Force Safety Center recently sponsored a department-wide contest to bring attention to off-duty risk management. Participants were encouraged to create both video and safety slogans of off-duty threats to the Human Weapon System. The contest ran from October 8 through November 27, and our Airman and Guardians answered the call.
“At AFSEC we are always looking for ways to bring attention to risk management. How do we best protect our most valuable resource…our people? Recently, we asked Airmen and Guardians to develop messages focused on defending the Human Weapon System from unnecessary threats and risks in the off-duty environment,” said Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, Department of the Air Force chief of safety, commander of AFSEC. “Our vision is to inspire a proactive mindset across the Air and Space Forces in order to safeguard our people, protect our resources, and enable mission success.”
“I want to give a shout out to the participants for bringing their creativity to this contest,” said Leavitt. “A common theme in the videos and slogans was that each of us have an important role to play in avoiding unnecessary risk and making our force more lethal.”
The DAF lost 172 servicemembers to off-duty risk activities between fiscal year 2017 and 2022. In hopes of decreasing losses, we wanted to know from you, our Airmen and Guardians, what messages captured your attention best. Each Wing/Delta was encouraged to participate in creating videos and slogans that demonstrated the proper use of risk management, especially during off-duty activities, and we are excited to announce the winners.
The winning video was based on the amount of “likes” it received on Facebook. Captain Devan Klein and Technical Sgt. Ricardo Sanchez-Crespo, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base, Okla. They created a motorcycle awareness video showing the importance of wearing a helmet while riding. The video depicts the impact of losing a family member, a friend, or a co-worker. In the video the rider makes the right decision to wear his helmet, not losing his life and mitigating the risk.
Air Force Safety Center leadership debated and by popular vote chose two campaign slogan winners, that were altered slightly and combined. The winners are, Aaron Edwards from the 51st Fighter Wing, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea who submitted “If you see something, Do Something” and, Ronald Crabtree from 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., who submitted “Live to be Lethal!”
Combined they became “See Something, Do Something … Live to Be Lethal!” and will be used in DAF publications and social media.
Airmen and Guardians are trained to evaluate risks for on-duty jobs they perform using the four principles of risk management and the five-step process. The intent of the focus was to take that inherent knowledge of on duty risk and build and encourage awareness of using the proper risk management in all activities on- or off-duty.
“In our everyday decisions, risk management is used without even realizing it.” said William Walkowiak, chief of Occupational Safety, AFSEC. “I want to thank everyone who participated in this focus contest, it is our [AFSEC’s] hope that this is just another step to help build a safety culture we each deserve; a workplace free from hazards, a mindset to speak up, and the courage to do something.
