Commander’sChecklist

SUMMER 2001HOT○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

TOPICSCURRENT ISSUES FOR ARMY LEADERS

Behind the Wheel

Five Steps ofRisk ManagementFive Steps ofRisk Management

Lives in Leaders’ HandsLives in Leaders’ Hands

RiskManagementRiskRiskManagement

Secretary of the Army THOMAS E. WHITE JR.

Army Chief of Staff GEN ERIC K. SHINSEKI

Chief of Public Affairs MG LARRY D. GOTTARDI

Chief, Information Strategy Division WILLIAM R. DROBNICK

Editor in Chief LTC JOHN E. SUTTLE

Special Products Editor BETH REECE

Creative Production IMAGE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.,McLean, Va.

Printing and Distribution FRY COMMUNICATIONS, INC.,Mechanicsburg, Pa.

Special thanks to: JANE WISEU.S. Army Safety CenterFort Rucker, Ala.

DANNY CLEMMONSMedia and Marketing DivisionU.S. Army Safety CenterFort Rucker, Ala.

SOLDIERS PRODUCTION STAFF

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2 Hot Topics

EIGHTY-SEVEN soldiers died during the first halfof fiscal year 2001. They died in aircraft crashes,in their personal vehicles, in Army motor andcombat vehicles, and even while engaged inphysical training. Though labeled accidents,these were not merely chance events. Theywere breakdowns in managing risk.

Accidents are not a built-in cost of doingArmy business. They are the results of us asleaders not taking the time to notice hazards,or potentially bad consequences turning deadlyor destructive because they were carelesslyoverlooked or were left uncontrolled. Accidentprevention is leaders’ business.

The five-step risk management process inFM 100-14, “Risk Management,” gives leadersthe tools to protect their soldiers and equipment.Through risk management, leaders can pinpointhazards and prescribe specific actions that eithereliminate hazards or reduce the risk so thatbenefits outweigh potential costs.

No excuse is good enough when telling awife, husband, mother or father that a lovedone has died or been injured in an accident. Ifyou think making time to talk about safety iswasted effort, think about facing a victim’s family.How would you explain that a soldier in yourunit was harmed because of a hazard you couldhave controlled?

Safety is not a reason for ignoring themission, nor is it an extra, unnecessary step inour do-more-with-less climate. Through detailedattention to safety we perform more efficientlyand push the respect for our soldiers’ lives tothe forefront of all that we do. May this issueof Hot Topics give you the instruction andconfidence to save the lives and equipment inyour hands.

BG Gene M. LaCosteFORMER DIRECTOR OF ARMY SAFETY

BG LaCoste is now the Assistant Director for Personnel.BG James E. Simmons became the Director of Army Safety July 2.

o

Hot Topics — Current Issues for Army Leaders is a U.S. Army publicationproduced by the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. Its purpose is to guideand inform Army leaders and trainers in discussing current or controversialtopics. A contract printer distributes Hot Topics as an insert to Soldiersmagazine. Hot Topics is in the public domain (except for “by permission”and copyright items) and may be reproduced locally without obtainingfurther permission.

Your comments are welcome. They tell us if we are reaching our intendedaudience and help us decide which topics to cover. Write to: Hot Topics, c/oSoldiers Magazine, 9325 Gunston Rd., Ste. S-108, Fort Belvoir,VA 22060-5581. Phone (DSN) 656-4486 or (703) 806-4486. Send e-mail tosoldiers@belvoir.army.mil. You can obtain Hot Topics on the Internet atwww.army.mil (click on Hot Topics under News Publications).

Hot Topics 3

WE can’t let trucks roll over becausedrivers were poorly trained. Wecan’t let planes crash and sol-diers burn because the unit

didn’t enforce the standards.We can’t let soldiers becrushed by tank turrets or

between vehicles because communi-cations broke down. Everyone is animportant member of our team, andteammates don’t let their buddies down.

etterBetterB

Risk management — the process of identifying, assessing and controlling the hazards that put our people, equipment and missions at risk. A pattern of thinking.

“Risk management is not

an excuse to keep from

doing a tough mission. It

is a tool to help us do

tough missions safely.”

COL John Warren

Deputy Commander

U.S. Army Safety Center

—

We Can DoWe Can Do

On Duty

Information and task overload hint at the challengesour soldiers bear in today’s fast-paced environment.Resources, weather, experience and continuous deploy-ments are other challenges. Our reluctance to say “no” mayalso contribute to risks, as does soldiers’ tendency to carrythe load alone instead of asking for help when it’s needed.

Off Duty

Despite the high risk that is sometimes consideredinherent in military duty, soldiers are less likely to be killedin actual operations than in off-duty activities. Moresoldiers die in privately owned vehicle accidents than in anyother category of accidents. On average, the Army losesone soldier every three days in a POV accident.

4 Hot Topics

THE past reveals that we have two rivals: the enemy and ourselves. Almost 80 percent of our accidents —on the battlefield and at home — involve human error. These accidents kill more soldiers and wreck moreequipment than the declared enemy.

One out of every five American soldiers killed in World War II died as a result of an accident. During theKorean War, more than half the Army personnel who were hospitalized were injured in accidents. And inVietnam, accidents killed 5,700 soldiers, disabled more than 106,000 others and produced nearly 5 millionnondisabling injuries.

FATALITY and accident rates dropped inboth ground and aviation operationsduring fiscal year 2000. Aviation fatalitiesand flight-accident rates fell to all-timelows, while FY 00 was the second-safestyear ever in ground and privately ownedvehicle fatalities.

Class A accidents are those with $1 million or more in damage, a fatality ora permanent total disability.

A Measure ofConsequence

o

FY 99 FY 00

AviationAviation Class A accidents 18 6Aviation fatalities 22 4

GroundOn-duty Class A accidents 43 43Off-duty Class A accidents 133 133On-duty fatalities

Non-POV 31 23POV 1 5

Off-duty fatalitiesNon-POV 11 21POV 121 111

Taking ChancesTaking Chances

o

ALTHOUGH statistics herald the Army’s improve-ment in risk management, 163 soldiers died in fiscalyear 2000 from risks that might have been eliminatedwith proper assessment and controls.

Army Field Manual 100-14, “Risk Management,”dictates that every leader and commander is responsiblefor protecting soldiers from unnecessary risks. Thatresponsibility applies to all Army missions, includingmission security; morale and welfare; prevention ofinjuries before, during and after deployments; andavoidance of “friendly fire.”

Fulfilling that obligation requires knowledge andexperience — and some help. The U.S. Army SafetyCenter adopted the risk-management process to helpleaders identify hazards and make informed decisionsto control those hazards. While leaders are good atnaming and recognizing hazards, they often fail toimplement controls needed to eliminate or decreaserisks, according to Safety Center deputy commanderCOL John Warren.

“Our junior leaders don’t have the experiencebase to make informed risk-management decisions.Frequently, they lack a basic understanding of whatright looks like,” he said. “Young leaders often do notunderstand that the risk-management process iscontinuous, meaning that when you get to step five,‘supervise and evaluate,’ you start over again at step

Hot Topics 5

one, ‘identify any new hazards that may now bepresent.’” In fact, he added, investigations often revealthat accidents originate days or months before theactual event.

Choosing ways to lessen risks is one of a leader’smost critical and consequential roles. It starts withdiscipline, team coordination, by-the-book mainte-nance and enforced standards. Managing risks must bean intuitive part of everything leaders and soldiers do,Warren said. Soldiers’ well-being must be every leader’spriority, even if that means double-checking work andreminding soldiers of the standards they were taughtjust a week earlier. It might also mean pushing soldiersto think and act maturely.

“Young soldiers — ages 19 to 25, in the grades ofE-1 to E-4 — have the most POV accidents. Thesesoldiers think they are invincible and tend to underesti-mate their personal risk and overestimate their personalability,” Warren said.

The Army’s accident rate was 10 times higher 25years ago than it is today. Despite today’s decreasingrates, leaders shouldn’t ease their focus on safety orassume soldiers will do the right thing when life andequipment is at stake.

“Safety is fragile,” Warren said. “If commandersdon’t keep the emphasis on safety and standards, thencomplacency and indiscipline set in.”

DodgingR I S K

Hazard — Any existing or potential condition that cancause injury, illness or death; damage to, or loss of,equipment and property; or degradation of the mission.Risk — The chance of hazards or bad consequences;exposure to injury or loss. The risk level is expressed interms of hazard probability and severity.Probability — The likelihood that an event (loss) willoccur:

• Frequent — Occurs often, continuously experienced.• Likely — Occurs several times.• Occasional — Occurs sporadically.• Seldom — Unlikely, but could occur.• Unlikely — Can assume it will not occur.

Severity — The expected result of an event (degree ofinjury, property damage or other mission-impairingfactors):

Catastrophic — Death or permanent totaldisability, major security failure, major equipmentor system damage, severe environmental damage,mission failure.

Critical — Permanent partial disability, temporarytotal disability in excess of three months, significantequipment or system damage, significant missiondegradation or environmental damage, considerablesecurity failure.Marginal — Minor injury, lost workdays, minor equip-ment or system damage, some mission degradation orenvironmental damage.Negligible — First aid or minor medical treatment;minor equipment or system impairment; little or noimpact on mission accomplishment or the environment.

Exposure — The frequency and length of time that soldiers,equipment and the mission are subjected to a hazard.Controls — Actions taken to eliminate hazards or reduce risks.Risk Assessment — The identification and assessment ofhazards (first two steps of the risk-management process).Residual Risk — The level of risk remaining after controlshave been implemented. Controls are altered until theresidual risk is at an acceptable level or until it cannot bepractically reduced further.

6 Hot Topics

Identify hazards — Identify hazards to people, property and mission. Considerall aspects of current and future situations, as well as historical problem areas.

Remember that conditions can change quickly, requiring constant vigilance.The enemy is normally an obvious hazard. Consider also the:

o complexity and difficulty of the mission; o terrain and environment;o weather and visibility; o equipment; o time available for execution; ando supervision, experience, training, morale and endurance of the troops.

Assess hazards — Determine the potential loss and cost that could result fromthe identified hazards, based on probability and severity. Probability determines

the likelihood that the hazard may cause a problem. Severity asks: “How badcould it be?” Hazards are measured as extremely high risk, high risk, moderate risk

and low risk.

Develop controls and make a risk decision — Develop courses of action that eliminatehazards or reduce their risks. Controls may range from hazard alerts and physical warning

signs to issuing protective clothing or avoiding the hazard area altogether. After establishingcontrols, leaders should re-evaluate the hazards to check for residual risk and to ensure risksare reduced to a level at which benefits outweigh potential costs. Leaders should involve theirchains of command if the level of risk exceeds their commanders’ guidance or necessary controlssignificantly reduce the chance of mission success. This step demands analysis, judgement and,sometimes, intuition.

Implement controls — Put into place controls that eliminate the hazards or reduce their risks.This may be done through verbal or written orders, standard operating procedures, performancestandards, safety briefings and rehearsals. Ensure unit members clearly understand the controls.

Supervise and evaluate — Enforce the controls and evaluate soldiers’ understandingof the standards. Adjust and update standards as necessary.

5Steps of Risk

Management

Risk-Mangement Terms

CHANGE has so long been a part

of Army business that we spend a

lot of time just keeping up with

the pace. Doing anything, any-

where, anytime, at any cost has

become our cultural mindset.

Sometimes we get so caught up in

what we have to do that we forget

about what we should do. By

embracing risk management, we

invest in readiness. More than ever

before, our missions demand exact

planning. With proactive leader-

ship and teamwork, risk manage-

ment can make our jobs easier and

missions more successful.

Hot Topics 7

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Safety

8 Hot Topics

o Continually re-evaluate hazards and their risksas missions and conditions change.

o Assure supervisors and managers thatthe commander’s counsel may be soughtif needed.

o Examine how subordinates manage risk andoffer suggestions for improvement.

o Review unit SOPs to ensure safety is built in.

o Emphasize caution in driving, equipmentmaintenance and weapons handling.

o Ensure that soldiers are qualified and licensedto operate the vehicles and equipment they use.

o Ensure that personal protective clothing andequipment is inventoried, serviceable and available.

o Give seasonal safety briefings to remindsoldiers about holiday-related hazards.

o Teach soldiers to make on-the-spot decisionsin emergency situations that require immediateattention.

o Ensure that accident-reporting requirementsand procedures are understood.

o Teach soldiers to be aware of their ownlimitations, as well as those of their unitsand leaders.

o Help subordinates to learn from their mistakes.

o Resist the temptation to take shortcuts.

o Use the safety specialists assigned to the unitor installation.

o Make safety references easily accessible.

o Inject safety into everything the organizationdoes: mission planning, preparation and execution.

o Clearly articulate risk-management policies andgoals, even if they are written into standardoperating procedures.

o Remember that failure to impose standards givesway to low standards that could result in accidents.

o Teach all leaders and supervisors to regard thehealthy lives of soldiers as a prerequisite tosuccessful mission accomplishment.

o Hold a brainstorming session for junior leaders toidentify potential hazards and their risks. Includeeverything from degradation of job-specialty skillsto macho attitudes to time constraints.

o Adopt the buddy system to enforce waterconsumption, healthy eating, personal hygieneand rest. Monitor sickness, heat and cold injuries,and drinking and driving.

o Remember that overloading soldiers physically,mentally or emotionally can interfere with missionaccomplishment.

o Use a chronological sequence when identifyinghazards and assessing their risks. For example,consider all aspects of moving to a training site:road conditions, length of trip, weather, vehiclecondition, driver experience, driver rest, day versusnight driving, speed limits, cargo, congested areas,fuel points and supervision.

Hot Topics 9

10 Hot Topics

THE standard for risk management is leadership at theappropriate level of authority making informed deci-sions to control hazards or accept risks. All leaders areresponsible and accountable for assessing their opera-tions as total systems. They must ensure that risk-management decisions match the mission and thatcontrol measures reduce the risks to a level that sup-ports their commanders’ guidance.

The degree of risk determines the level of authorityat which a decision is made to accept that risk. Whenresources to control high risks are not available, elevatethe issue to the next-higher command. This processcontinues until it reaches a level of command that hasthe resources and authority to eliminate hazards or tocontrol them to an acceptable level. In this manner, aconscious and informed decision can be made toacquire and commit the resources to control hazards oraccept risks.

TheStandard

“Army Chief of Staff GEN Eric K. Shinseki isadamant that he is the safety officer for theArmy. He is equally adamant that each com-mander with a flag outside his or her office isthe safety officer for that unit or organization.

“Shinseki has stated that: ‘Our business is adangerous business, and command involvementis the key to our success. When I talk safety andwhy we are having problems, I talk to com-manders.’

“His words reinforce to those of us who haveaccepted command responsibility that it is upto each of us to protect and ensure the safetyof the human lives entrusted to our care.”

BG Gene M. LaCoste Former Director of Army Safety

Hot Topics 11

Accept no unnecessary risks. Leaders with the authority to

accept risk have the responsibility to protect their soldiers

from unnecessary risks. An unnecessary risk is one that, if

reduced or eliminated, still allows mission accomplishment.

Make risk decisions at the proper level. Risk decisions

should be made at a level consistent with the commander’s

guidance. The leader responsible for the mission should make

the risk decisions, seeking the advice of the next-higher com-

mand if resources to control the hazards are unavailable.

Accept the risks only if benefits outweigh the costs.

Leaders must occasionally accept necessary risks to accomplish

the mission. They must also understand that risk-taking re-

quires a decision-making process that balances mission ben-

efits with costs.

WHEN identifying hazards and assessing risk, look for:

• shortcomings in personnel, intelligence and logistical support;• lack of clear standards or no standards at all;• lack of or outdated training;• poor leadership;• lack of self-discipline; and• lack of appropriate resources.

Rules

Potential HazardsPotential Hazards

The

12 Hot Topics

COMMANDERS should havestrong management abilities, specificsafety goals and extensive technicalbackgrounds in their areas ofresponsibility. Safety-consciousleaders know the common causes ofaccidents and which of their soldiershave high accident-risk factors. Theygive on-the-spot corrections, and donot tolerate below-standard perfor-mance.

Leaders who make safety apriority teach their soldiers to keepmaintenance manuals current andeasily accessible. No matter themission or the environment, theydo not accept excuses for ignoringroutine maintenance. Leadersalso establish training standardsand afford time for hands-onpractice. Quality is never sacrificedfor quantity.

Profile of aSafety-consciousLeader

Profile of aSafety-consciousLeader

“Risk management helps us think in terms of whenthe next accident will happen. This is a huge leap inchanging our Army culture.”

— Brigade commander

“To be part of the solution, soldiers have to think interms of hazards and controls. We must anchor tostandards and offer the commander options forinformed risk-management decisions.”

— Training group deputy commander

“All soldiers must understand the military decision-making process and how to integrate risk manage-ment into it.”

— Infantry brigade commander

Hot Topics 13

ACCIDENT reporting helps safety experts identify hazard trends and preventsimilar accidents. All accidents should be reported to the local safety office and tothe immediate commander or supervisor whose operation, personnel andequipment are involved. Reports should include:

o the primary cause of the accident;o contributing factors;o factors not contributing but increasing the severity of

damage or injuries; ando factors not contributing but which could cause an accident in the

future if left uncorrected.

Reporting instructions and forms are available under “Guidance” at http://safety.army.mil. Reporting guidelines are also available in Army Regulation385-40, “Accident Reporting and Records.”

“We were able to deploy and redeploy a lot of troops andequipment over a two-year period without any major acci-dents by exercising risk management.”

— Area support group safety manager

“Risk management is our policy for every mission.It truly does work and is an important process with truerelevance in our Army environment.”

— Brigade combat team commander

“There is no cold start; risk is a cumulative thing. Riskmanagement must be a continuous process.”

— Infantry brigade commander

ReportingReporting Accidents

14 Hot Topics

MOST accident fatalities occurwhile soldiers are driving their owncars. Such needless deaths arepreventable when leaders encouragesafe driving habits and set anexample of self-discipline andpatience.

Leaders should set unmistak-able standards that reflect trafficlaws. Be uncompromising on theuse of seatbelts and motorcyclesafety equipment. Educate soldierson the risks of speed, fatigue andalcohol use. Conduct mandatoryPOV safety inspections and randomroadside checks. Also emphasize

the use of designated drivers forsocial events.

Since safety demands vigilantattention, leaders should persistentlyemphasize POV safety. Junior andnoncommissioned officers see theirsoldiers every day. They shouldknow where their soldiers go andwhat they do, and can assert positiveinfluence on how, when and wheretheir soldiers operate POVs.

Soldiers sometimes telegraphsignals that translate later intoaccidents. Negative behaviors suchas traffic offenses, alcohol abuse,misconduct and poor performance

are often indicators of potentialPOV-accident victims. Leadersmust identify at-risk soldiers, thencounsel and encourage them tochange their risky behaviors.

Leaders can also eliminate therisks soldiers take by providingalternatives to driving POVs andgiving incentives to keeping off thehighway during weekends. Scheduleactivities on post. Establish liberalhours for gyms, recreation centersand other places that soldiers useafter duty hours. Use similarmeasures to provide alternativesto alcohol use, and post public-transportation schedules in promi-nent places.

Following every POV accidentor fatality, commanders shouldconduct an assessment of theaccident with the involved soldier’schain of command. Determine whathappened, why it happened andhow it could have been prevented.Implement preventive measures.Publicize lessons learned.

BEHIND

Get the U.S. Army Safety Center’s POV risk-managementtoolbox at http://safety.army.mil/pages/tools/index.html.The latest POV accident-prevention video, “Driver’s Dozen,”is available by going to http://afishp6.afis.osd.mil/dodimagery/davis/ and clicking on PIN/ICN, then searchingfor PIN number 711416.

the Wheel

Hot Topics 15

U.S. Army Safety Center —Gives commanders tools to inte-grate proactive risk managementinto their units’ daily business.It offers training at unit locationsand provides assessments (notinspections) that point out prob-lems and suggest improvements.The center also has a comprehensivewebsite with leader safety guidesand risk-management tools athttp://safety.army.mil.

A mobile training team teachesa 45-hour risk-management integra-tion course to noncommissionedofficers. The intent is to teach safetyto NCOs, not produce safetyNCOs.

In aviation safety, the centeroffers four six-week safety officercourses, two two-week aviationsafety officer correspondence phaseII courses, and one one-weekrefresher course per year. A 17-weekresident safety-intern program offersmore than 30 professional-develop-

resources

ment courses, which are alsoavailable as refresher training.

Located at Fort Rucker, Ala.,the Safety Center offers a help deskat helpdesk@safety.center.army.mil, or (334) 255-1390 or (DSN)558-1390.

Field Manual 100-14, “RiskManagement” — Helps leadersdevelop a framework to integraterisk management into planning,preparing and executing operationalmissions and everyday tasks.

Risk Management Chain-Teaching Packet — An instruc-tional CD-ROM that includesPowerPoint training slides withscripts, plus 26 training scenariosthat can be tailored to specific unitsand taught at both junior andsenior levels. Emphasizes theArmy’s five-step process to identifyand assess hazards and develop andimplement controls to reduce risks.

Also includes POV inspectionchecklists and surveys that measuresoldiers’ knowledge. Packets areavailable at installation and unitsafety offices.

http://call.army.mil/products/newsltrs/99-5/99-5toc.htm —Outlines risk management responsi-bilities according to FM 101-5,“Staff Organization and Opera-tions.”

Flightfax and Countermeasure— Published monthly by the SafetyCenter, these magazines offerhelpful tips and current informationabout risk management.

Installation staffs (including thesafety office, provost marshal, anddrug and abuse prevention andcontrol office) — can provideassistance with local accident dataand prevention measures.

Soldiers’ maturity and skill levels directly influence their ability to react tohazards — a task that typically becomes intuitive with age and experience.Because all soldiers develop at varying rates, leaders must adopt an encour-aging, helpful approach while teaching soldiers to incorporate risk man-agement into their lives. These goals can help soldiers develop a naturalconcern for their own safety and that of those around them:

Make safety a lifestyle.Don’t neglect or underestimate personal limitations.Everybody has them.Keep a positive attitude. Negativity breeds complacency.Make safety a priority, both on and off duty.Be a buddy — look out for others.

Risk management helps us to safely perform tough missions.BOTTOM LINE

Leaders Can Make a DifferenceLeaders Can Make a Difference