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On Nov. 15, the Air Force Safety Center released a mobile version of the Airman Safety App enabling Airmen at installations Air Force wide to voluntarily report safety issues with their devices as they encounter them.
A capability designed to advance the Airman Safety Action Program, this simple proactive tool utilizes every Airman as a sensor to identify hazards in their workplace and throughout the installation for the purpose of mishap prevention.
“We are leveraging technology to capture those unintentional errors, hazardous situations, and high-risk activities that may not be identified through traditional safety reporting channels,” said Kevin Tibbs, Airman Safety Action Program manager for AFSEC. “The Safety Center receives more than 60 reports a month that may not have been revealed otherwise.”
Submissions to ASAP using the Airman Safety App are designed to encourage open reporting of safety concerns and information that might be critical to identifying precursors to accidents.
This includes initiating reports identifying (1) the existence of hazards, (2) events or conditions negatively affecting nuclear surety, and (3) chronic, work-related occupational illnesses.
As of Nov. 1, more than 4,500 ASAP reports have been filed since 2009. Of those, 858 in FY18 were remote submissions via the URL-based app.
The Airman Safety App, once downloaded from the major app stores — Apple or Android — is accessible anywhere, anytime, and focuses on minimizing the most common obstacles, making reporting quicker and easier to accomplish.
“The main advantage of the downloadable app vs the web-based app is that it is self-contained,” said Frank Svet, deputy chief of the Analysis and Cyberspace Operations Division at AFSEC. “It does not need a data connection or a browser to enter and store inputs to the application, while the web-based app requires a data connection to reach the URL initially via a browser, then the app is cached and can be utilized from that point on without a data connection.”
The application brings a modernized touch to the Air Force’s safety reporting by providing a paper-free connection between the submitter and the safety professional at their own installation saving countless hours in the process. Additionally, the report will be instantaneously available for that safety office to triage the issue and start mitigating identified hazards.
“Whether it’s a young Airman at the gate or a pilot in the plane, feedback is important to closing the loop,” added Tibbs. “Not only does the submitter receive a response to their issue through active messaging, but ASAP helps “next generation” Airmen by passing on valuable lessons learned across the force.”
Air Force personnel with a Common Access Card can access the ASAP “Scoreboard” on a protected website in order to see what others are reporting and to see what remedial actions have been taken to address those identified hazards.
While the majority of the functionality of the URL-based app will be replicated on the downloadable app. One enhanced feature enables air crew to default to aviation only questions. Another feature will enable the user to submit test/practice reports to the Air Force Safety Automated System simulations environment.
The downloadable app was a cost-effective initiative developed and tested “in-house” by AFSEC personnel to provide Airmen with advanced reporting options and improve the center’s ability to capture hazards at installations around the world.
“Technology has transformed how Airmen send and receive information now more than ever,” said Douglas MacCurdy, chief of AFSEC’s Analysis and Cyberspace Operations Division. “This app capitalizes on these advancements and takes our mishap prevention efforts to the next level by providing users with real-time access to submit safety hazards and issues.”
Download the Airman Safety App on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store TODAY.
