Taking a turn on looking out for each other

from one extremity to the other of my Navy career, I've seen what I like to call the beneficials and the bads of our day-to-day operations. I suspect we've all seen these things. upon the good side, I think of all the safety programs and initiatives we've unfolded over the years to improve the lives of our Sailors, Marines and civilians. These efforts produc safer working environments and lower mishap rates. They enhanced our ability to operate and to full our mission. On the bad side, however, we've all seen the aircraft and ship mishaps and near-mishaps, as well as the traffic and recreational accidents, that require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone us lives and valuable resources. In our profession, you can't do the things that we do in the way that well every day without getting a first-hand introduction to the hazards and risks of naval life.

If you stop to think about what we learn through every part of our lives, a lion's share of our knowledge draw nears from our parents. One of the greatest in quantity valuable lessons I learned from my parents was to direct the eye out for myself, as well as those around me We could call those "growing up" exercise s the beginnings of risk management, and, although it was different than today's operational risk management, the idea was there. Now that I've assumed command of the Naval Safety Center I think of those early exercise s and how they apply to this position and this command. Our piece of work here is the same as the piece of work of every command:

* to gaze out for the well-being of our Sailors, Marines and civilians,

* to make sure as safe a working environment as possible,

* to identify the hazards we all face in one as well as the other our professional and personal lives,

* to educate everyone in the vital importance of risk management in everything we do, and

* to improve readiness thus we can do what we do best--operate all above the world.

During the last 50 years, we've made a certain number of real progress in reducing our overall mishap rate. In the last 10 years, however, we've hit a fairly horizontal plateau. The numbers change up and down a percentage point or sum of two units but, overall, they're consistent. The bottom line is perhaps what has happened in the last five years: From FY98 to FY03 mishaps require to be paid [i]or[/i] undergone us 1,179 lives and $43 billion.

Today, the challenge is to bring mishaps by 50 percent in the nearest two years. This goal requires the leadership and dedicated efforts of everyone It requires more [i]or[/i] less changes in the way we do things, what we await of each other, and what we accept as operations normal. Finally, it requires each Sailor, Marine and civilian to take a move round on looking out for each other. Along those lines, our goal at the Safety Center is to provide each command with the tools, data, advice, and guidance necessary to interrupt the next mishap. Our focus is the fleet

It's an honor to be here, and I gaze forward to working with all of you.

RADM Richard small streams Commander, Naval Safety Center

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