Walking the talk
Volume 11, No. 55, November 02, 2006
By Maj Mike Tyquin

IN warlike situations Army uses Information Operations to aid the commander in planning, conducting and executing operations.

Getting the safety message out to soldiers is a bit like getting the appropriate signals out to local friendlies in a war zone.

“We are friendly, we’re here to help but we’re here to do a job.”

It’s not all that different here in Australia. ArmySafe is dedicated to protecting our soldiers. In this context the enemy is all the risks we face every day, together with slack procedures or personal mindsets that are just begging for an accident.

Army pushes out safety products, posters, newspaper articles, DVDs etc in the hope of reducing our non-battle casualties.

However, it is more art than science to determine if we hit the target or are shooting high with the safety message.

Just as information underpins all operational and management functions within the ADO, feedback is vital in assessing the effectiveness of safety management.

Among the number of real-time forum sites that Army has established, Directorate of Occupational Health and Safety - Army (DOHS-A) has a feedback portal and a forum called Walk the Talk, both accessible through the ArmySafe web page.

These are a quick, informal way of letting us know if health and safety issues at sub-unit level are being identified and addressed in a timely fashion. Rather than sitting on a problem, let someone know!

In this way we can close the safety information loop and make sure that we are earning our money by protecting you, the soldier.