APPENDIX
C
ANNEX
C (SAFETY) TO BRIGADE TACSOP
C-1.
Responsibility.
Safety
is a command responsibility. The brigade commander is the brigade safety officer,
and this is his program.
C-2.
Goal.
The
goal of the Brigade Safety Program is to prevent accidents and safeguard soldiers,
families, and equipment.
C-3.
Background.
A.
Each year, the Army loses the equivalent of an infantry battalion to nonbattle,
accidental deaths.
B.
The majority of on-duty accidents involve combat vehicles and are associated
with hatches, turrets, vehicle fires, and roll-overs and are too often linked
to fatigue, excessive speed, and operation during periods of limited visibility.
C.
Safety considerations become even more important in wartime.
C-4.
Elements of Safety Program.
The
following outlines the elements of the safety program in the brigade:
A.
Risk assessments will be conducted prior to all operations.
B.
Integration of safety considerations into all mission planning.
C.
Safety plans prior to operations and weekends.
D.
Safety briefings prior to field operations at battalion/company level, and
by subordinate elements during operations, prior to movement or changes in
personnel or duty.
E.
Mission-related safety briefs.
F.
Safety must be included in all AARs held during and after operations, and at
the conclusion of each phase of training at all echelons, and especially at
the soldier level.
G.
Prompt accident reporting.
H.
Prompt accident investigation.
I.
Prompt action taken in response to the results of accident investigations.
J.
Awards and recognition for those units and soldiers who prevent and avoid accidents.
C-5.
Procedures.
A.
Battalion/company commanders are safety officers of their respective units.
B.
Safety consideration will be imbedded into all tactical and training planning
processes. Risk factors must be considered along with training objectives,
tactical realism, or doctrinal precepts in developing plans and orders, whether
in peace or war. Safety must not be an afterthought. Use principles of risk
management to make operations safer by eliminating or reducing risks while
retaining essential mission values.
(1)
Upon receipt of mission, make risk assessment part of the mission analysis
process. Use risk matrices to identify and assess the degree of risk in operations.
(2)
Develop countermeasures to eliminate or reduce the hazards identified in the
risk matrices. Integrate these countermeasures into consideration of friendly
courses of action and the commander's concept. These countermeasures may include
avoidance of activities or areas, changes in procedures, special education
of personnel, etc. (3)
Ensure that, overall, the training or operational benefits to be gained justify
the risk entailed. C.
Prior to field operations, a safety plan will be developed and implemented
at each level.
(1)
For field operations, this safety plan will emphasize risks associated with
the operation in as much details as possible. The accident categories of vehicle
operations, turrets, hatches, vehicle fires, and rollovers will receive priority
for risk analysis. Specific situations and individuals should be priority for
risk reduction, and appropriate measures designated. These might include, for
example, inspections of turret floors or for hatch pins in use on a daily basis;
or identification of soldiers particularly prone to injury. The safety plan
provides the basis for pre-operation and daily safety briefings. (2)
Each tactical order will incorporate safety into the order. Oral and written
orders will include safety precautions/topics. (3)
These plans will be assessed for their effectiveness in preventing accidents.
D.
As one element of safety plans, safety briefings will be conducted to maintain
among soldiers and leaders a high awareness of safety and to teach soldiers
a "sixth sense" of safety.
(1)
Battalions and companies will give safety briefs prior to field operations.
These should be based on a safety plan which has looked at highest risk situations
and individuals and should provide specific directions where possible. briefs
should also be made interesting to the soldier. Use of "training aids" to include
damaged equipment or "true confessions" by those injured previously is encouraged.
(2)
Safety precautions will be addressed at company or platoon level prior to each
operation. (3)
Squad leaders, vehicle commanders, or first echelon leaders will give safety
warnings whenever personnel rotate duties, change activities, or practice new
skills. E.
Safety will be a mandatory part of all AARs held upon return from field operations.
(1)
The purpose is to identify potentially unsafe acts, practices, or situations,
assess the safety plan, and increase soldier and leader awareness of safety.
The investigation of accidents is not the purpose though discussions of accidents
may occur. However, care must be taken to protect the rights of those who may
be considered respondents or at fault in accident investigations. (2)
The most important echelon is platoon and below. This is because, ultimately,
only soldier awareness and performance to standard will prevent accidents.
Suggestions and recommendations must "bubble up" to affect planning and actions
at higher levels, because safety is fundamentally bottom up, rather than top
down.
Appendix
B
Appendix
D
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