Photo By Scott Sturkol | Fort McCoy leaders and staff members participate in the January 2025 meeting of the...... read more read more
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Fort McCoy held its first meeting of the Safety and Occupational Health Advisory Council for calendar year 2025 and the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 on Jan. 14 at the installation.
The SOHAC is an installationwide council that shares ideas and concerns about all things safety for not just garrison team members but also tenant organization members, Installation Safety Office (ISO) officials said. The council doesn’t just discuss basic safety subjects, they also discuss infrastructure, climate, and weather. They also discuss the potential risks and hazards the post could see in coming months or even years.
Leadership present at the meeting included Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Sheyla Baez-Ramirez; Fort McCoy Deputy Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum; Deputy to the Garrison Commander Cameron Cantlon; office and directorate leaders; and other installation personnel.
Installation Safety Manager Ed De Leon led to discussion during the meeting. De Leon talked about facility inspections the ISO is completing. He said the office has completed 140-plus facility inspections for fiscal year 2025.
De Leon also discussed accidents. During fiscal year 2025, he said of the five recordable accidents that have been documented during this time, four were vehicle accidents.
The safety manager also discussed the importance of risk management to avoid accidents. He discussed some of the following questions people should consider for risk management.
— Does overconfidence lead to accepting unnecessary risk?
— What is the experience level of personnel involved?
— How does other factors influence the risk level”
— What is the level of supervision? What is the experience level of the supervisor?
— If the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is required, was the PPE sufficient with respect to the hazard?
De Leon also discussed the three most common risk multipliers — speed, indiscipline, and alcohol.
“(With) risk assessments, … you all have seen a weather assessment worksheet,” De Leon said. “You know, you had the risk, the hazard, the mitigation factor, the risk level, and the residual risk level. It doesn't always have to be that way. It doesn't take much to say, ‘Hey, it’s snowing outside, maybe you should slow down.’ … It's something that doesn’t always have to be told.”
De Leon also asked the leaders in the room to continue to do what they can to manage risk and help reduce accidents.
“Leaders at all levels, you know, manage risk, and I know you do that throughout your echelons here, so thanks for what you do,” De Leon said. “It only takes one incident to make the news, you know, so just keep preaching safety.”
Corkum said he appreciates having this community safety and health meeting because it helps communicate important topics and supports a very important mission — safety.
“Thank you, guys, for putting this forum together,” Corkum said. “Thank you, everybody, for participating.”
Baez, who shared a personal experience about an accident during the meeting, said she wanted to remind the attendees about incorporating safety into everything they do.
“When we look at the overall aspect of safety, … we know what a big impact it can have.
In an article by Todd Clark with the Directorate of Assessments and Prevention at the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center available at https://safety.army.mil/MEDIA/Risk-Management-Magazine/ArtMID/7428/ArticleID/6959, he discusses more about the “importance of dynamic risk management.”
“Risk management is the five-step process leaders implement to reduce the effect of hazards to Army operations and activities,” the article states. “It enables leaders to identify, assess, and control hazards by implementing and supervising control measures and evaluating their effectiveness. The risk management process is a holistic approach designed to be integrated into troop-leading procedures and the military decision-making process.”
Clark stated the five-step process in the article as well.
The five steps are:
— Step 1 — Identify the hazards.
— Step 2 — Assess the hazards.
— Step 3 — Develop controls and make risk decisions.
— Step 4 — Implement controls.
— Step 5 — Supervise and evaluate.
“Dynamic risk management requires Army leaders to make risk decisions weighing the value of mission accomplishment against the cost of risk accepted,” the article further states. “Although dynamic risk management may force leaders and Soldiers to perform the steps mentally with limited time available, the principles of risk management must continue to be followed. Integrate risk management into all phases of missions and operations. Make risk decisions at the appropriate level; accept no unnecessary risk; and apply risk management cyclically and continuously.”
Learn more about Army safety by visiting https://safety.army.mil. Learn more about the Fort McCoy Installation Safety Office mission by visiting their office in building 1678 or by calling 502-898-3403.
The next SOHAC meeting is planned for April.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.14.2025 15:43 |
| Story ID: | 489077 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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