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20th FW strives for zero mishaps

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan Bass
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  The 20th Fighter Wing safety office is leading Team Shaw in the new Air Force safety program aptly named, Quest for Zero.

The goal of Quest for Zero is to have zero mishaps in a given year, said James Fowlkes, 20th FW occupational safety and health specialist.

The Air Force defines a mishap as an unplanned occurrence, or series of occurrences, which result in damage or injury to Department of Defense or private property, and military or civilian personnel, on or off duty.

The intent of Quest for Zero is for Airmen to recognize the hazards they face every day, at work and at home, wrote Bill Parsons, Air Force chief of ground safety, in a memorandum sent to major command safety offices last September.

According to Air Combat Command's safety office, each month focuses on specific Air Force Specialty Codes, detailing specific on-duty and off-duty safety issues to promote increased safety buy-in at all levels.

Quest for Zero started at the beginning of fiscal year 2015 and has already focused in on eight AFSC's ranging from aircraft maintenance to services.

"With aircraft maintenance, we had to key in on cuts, slips, trips, and falls," said Fowlkes. "Cuts and lacerations come from working in close proximity with aircraft. Slips and falls typically happen when Airmen are working with the aircraft and are rushing to get a task done to launch the aircraft."

The services career fields have already seen a reduction in mishaps by six percent from FY13 to FY14. The campaign focused on the injuries that occurred to services Airmen such as lacerations from knives and steam burns, among others, according the ACC safety office.

The Quest for Zero's motto is "My job, my life, my choice." When Airmen embrace this motto, they are fulfilling their commitment to mission success, wrote James Rubeor, Air Force executive director for ground safety, in a memorandum for major command safety offices last October.

The AFSC's selected for the June potion of the campaign focus on Judge Advocacy, Public Affairs, the Chapel, and others, highlighting the potential pit falls that Airmen face in the office environment.