Photo By Vanessa Flores | These are the vital White Sands Missile Range safety tips to keep people safe on the...... read more read more
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WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (June 8, 2022) - Imagine getting sent to test equipment at White Sands Missile Range, and on your first day, the test ran long. Now, you must drive on the pitch-dark desert roads. You get into your vehicle and begin to follow your convoy on an unpaved road, but the vehicle in front of you is kicking up dirt, making it even harder to see. You are relieved when you finally make it to Range Road 7. But then, less than a few miles into your two-hour commute back to the main cantonment area, a giant beastly animal darts in front of your vehicle, causing you to swerve and panic as you barely miss hitting it.
The above scenario may sound dramatic, but it’s entirely possible when you work at or visit White Sands Missile Range. The month of June is National Safety Month, and for the Army, from Memorial Day to Labor Day are the 101 Critical Days of Summer Safety. Spotlighting safety during the warmer months of the year is not random. It is the timeframe when Soldiers have the most incidents.
However, White Sands Missile Range primarily consists of civilians, and there are multiple tests scheduled every day, every summer, and this year is no exception. Therefore, the White Sands Test Office, Chief of Safety Peter Grelle, and U.S Army White Sands Missile Range Garrison, Chief of Safety Seth Dyer are working hard to communicate ways to be safe while at WSMR. The first lesson is if involved in a mission, visiting, living, or working at WSMR, one must know that for emergencies, dial 575-678-1234, not 911.
“Whether you are on or off duty, accidents and incidents can affect the Army's readiness,” said Grelle. “People have to take time off, and they cannot perform those critical mission functions. That causes an impact to the Army.”
U.S. Army WSMR Garrison Safety Outreach
The WSMR Garrison Safety Office will host various events this summer to create awareness and keep safety tips and information on the top of your mind. These are the events for June, with more to come in July, August, and September.
June 8 at 3 p.m., McGruff at the School Age Center
June 15, Hembrillo Canyon Staff Ride all-day
June 13-17, ASAP MADD Truck at Bowling Alley Parking Lot
June 29 from 1100-1300, Safety Outreach at the Frontier Club
WSMR Garrison safety focuses on a variety of safety topics, for on and off the range. For example, they share safety tips that correlate with special occasions, holidays, and weather. The office also keeps a pulse on dangers that arise on WSMR, and if an incident does occur, they make sure to warn everyone on the installation about the hazard.
“There is so much focus on lethal energy issues, radiation, weather, but when we talk about driving, people tend to ignore it,” Dyer said. “A person will put on their protective suit, hard hat, work boots, to be safe on the range, but will get in their car and drive at extremely high speeds. It does not make sense. So we share safety information to remind people of hazards all over WSMR.”
White Sands Test Center Safety Outreach
The White Sands Test Center Safety Office focuses on more internal safety procedures by doing Safety Stand Downs. During the stand-downs, Grelle and his team reinforce the culture within the workforce to be mindful and vigilant.
"We go over all the hazards that apply to our directorates. We convey to our workforce that they need to identify hazards and be aware of hazards in their various job functions," said Grelle. "They need to prepare for hazards with SOPs. The Test Officers need to make sure they represent the range regarding all safety aspects, safety releases, and all the different documentation required to conduct and execute the tests safely."
Hazards within the Test Center are unique. They are not always apparent, like working with rocket motors and different equipment. However, since those unique hazards overtake the mindset when it comes to safety, simple safety measures often take a backseat.
“The common hazards that people overlook are driving, whether it is the commute to work or driving out on the north end of the range on a dirt road,” said Grelle. “It causes an issue when people are dealing with hazardous things like radiation and explosions, and they think just driving into work, or their worksite is no big deal and stays in the back of their mind. It needs to always be in the forefront of our minds.”
Other hazards include dressing properly, dehydration, and wearing sunblock or other protections against the sun. Knowing how to drive on rough terrain and navigate through the vast desert is also crucial for staying safe during a test.
"Driving on unimproved roads is a big issue here. There is a driving on unimproved roads video on the safety website along with a UXO and Oryx video that are required for people to see because those are the big items that could potentially cause serious accidents or incidents for the Test Center,” said Grelle.
The Top 5 Dangers on WSMR
1. Motor Vehicle Mishaps
The number one cause of fatalities and accidents on the installation are motor vehicle mishaps. Reasons include being distracted, including phone distractions, unfamiliarity with the road, depending on following someone rather than knowing where to go, hitting wildlife, or hitting another car.
“We have heard of instances where convoys are driving and the first vehicle slams on the break, the second car avoids the first car, but the other three vehicles smashed into each other,” said Dyer.
Speeding and aggressive driving are another great danger, people driving into other cars, not obeying the speed limit, and people driving so fast they lose control. Dyer says to be aware of dangers and speeding while commuting to work, and especially while driving on Nike or Range Road 7. There have also been instances of people attempting to cross flooded roads or arroyos, which creates a slew of dangers and can lead to death.
The safety offices agree that the most important thing is wearing a seat belt, slowing down, and paying attention. Helmets are a requirement on the installation for motorcycles, bikes, all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, and all other non-traditional vehicles.
"Slow down, throw your phone in the back of the car, slow down on our roads, slow down while driving back home from work," said Dyer. "Look for the wildlife, kids, drunk drivers, trucks, and heavy equipment. Also, look out for NMDOT workers. You put them at risk when you are distracted or speeding.”
2. The Release of Energy
Release of energy deals with water, weather, explosions, or other hazards pertaining to noise, radiation, fire, electricity, or mechanical systems.
“Example of the release of energy are, if something crushes you, encountering a flood or dangerous weather. They are the things we don’t always have control of,” said Dyer. “These hazards can happen because you did not secure electrical power, are overloading a system, or if you have not worn PPE to protect yourself from a hazard.”
Unexploded Ordnance or UXO falls into this category, and the safety offices emphasized, if you didn't put it there, don't pick it up. They also want to remind everyone to practice the 3 R’s Recognize, Retreat and Report.
3. Slips, Trips, and Falls
For people in an office setting, slips, trips, and falls are the most common way they get hurt. But it also extends to those working in the field. For example, wearing inappropriate footwear in a non-office setting will cause foot damage or increase the chances of falling.
"We use a risk matrix. There is the severity of the hazard and the probability that it will happen. The highest probabilities are driving and slip trips and falls, but they are not the highest severity. That is where the test activities are," said Grelle. "However, the odds of you having a slip, trip, or fall is highly likely, so keep it in mind.”
It is also about paying attention and avoiding (if possible) walking on wet, icy, or contaminated surfaces. Pay attention to where you step while walking around the office, use handrails when climbing stairs and take care when going in and coming out of a vehicle.
“According to the most recent BLS.gov data, 95 total civil servants were killed in the line of duty during 2020,” said Dyer. “The highest amount is 41 by slips, trips, and falls, followed by 34 due to a motor vehicle, 15 by exposure, and five by other means.”
4. Wildlife
When walking around their offices at work, the average person does not have to look out for scorpions, snakes, spiders, gophers, and ground squirrel holes. However, at WSMR, one must always look around for wildlife or signs of wildlife and know who to call if they encounter a dangerous animal. Be vigilant while driving on the installation and concentrate on looking for wildlife. They are known to be unpredictable.
“Did I say oryx yet? Every year, about 50-60 pieces of wildlife get hit on this installation," said Dyer. "We concentrate on speeding and oryx for a reason. Slow it down and watch for oryx and other wildlife.”
5. Weather
Weather is known to change in as little as a few minutes at WSMR. The morning can be sunny and clear. Then on the same day, the afternoon can be dusty with low visibility. Pay attention to the weather warnings and get into a habit of checking the weather and road conditions before leaving home.
Dangerous weather on WSMR includes thunderstorms, flooding, high winds, and snow. WSMR has meteorology capabilities on the range due to the hazards the weather can create. Please pay attention to their weather forecasting, warnings, and their advisories.
“Just because you think weather warnings don't apply to you, your unit, or your test, let me remind you, they apply to everyone,” said Dyer. “Some of our most recent fatalities were due to weather conditions.”
Final Safety Messages
The bottom line is be safe and mindful this summer and always while at WSMR or elsewhere. Always think about the risks and prepare for ever-changing conditions on the installation. Also, mind the roadblocks. People have ignored roadblocks because their test was complete and assumed it was safe. Although, what they did not know was that another test was happening simultaneously. Missions get rescheduled, roads wears down, and environments change.
“Many people on the range have specialized skillsets and get complacent. That is a problem. Since they have been doing this for decades, they assume nothing will happen,” said Grelle. “But everything we are doing involves risk and risk of injury. Those hazards are there. In many cases, the test activities have the potential to be a catastrophic event.”
The installation has a good safety record, yet, that does not mean the chance of having a major accident does not exist. The safety offices do not want workers and visitors to get complacent. Instead, they want people to pay attention to safety messages, continue avoiding accidents and always be on alert, especially while driving.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2022 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 422489 |
| Location: | WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, NM, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Top five dangers at WSMR and safety tips for prevention, by Vanessa Flores, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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