NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Nellis is gearing up for its next external Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment and Management Program, currently scheduled from March 13 to 17 for the ranges and March 20 to 24 for Nellis.
ESOHCAMP is a management tool to assist base leadership in managing their environmental, safety and occupational health programs more effectively by helping to identify and correct deficiencies before they result in violations.
The ESOHCAMP program relies on both internal and external evaluations. Internal evaluations are the foundation of an ESOHCAMP and are normally conducted by installation personnel annually, except during years when external evaluations are conducted.
Air Combat Command conducts external evaluations at least once every three years, and the inspection teams are usually composed of personnel from the headquarters and from other bases with some specialized support from contractors.
“Whether an installation is undergoing an internal or external compliance assessment, the ESOHCAMP process is similar,” said Bob Ostrea, Nellis’ ESOHCAMP manager. This compliance assessment consists of record searches, interviews and evaluations of various work centers. Deficiencies are written up as findings, and then the team must prepare root cause analysis and management action plans for the findings.
The ESOHCAMP team will then provide constructive feedback to applicable work centers so all findings can be corrected as soon as possible. Additionally, the team will identify best management practices and will recognize units with excellent compliance programs.
There are five assessors for the ranges and 20 assessors for the base. The ESOHCAMP team will publish a report which will contain all observations, including findings that were immediately corrected. Environmental corrective actions, as developed by the assessment team to correct deficiencies, will emphasize pollution prevention as the preferred method to achieve compliance.
As with most compliance assessments, there are several keys to a successful Internal and External ESOHCAMP.
First, units need to review previous internal and external inspection reports. During this review, units need to ensure that previous inspection write-ups remain closed.
Next, units should review the latest inspection reports from other installations to see inspections trends and focus areas.
Finally, units need to focus on their most vulnerable areas, as determined from current regulatory climates.
Ultimately, the measure of merit for a successful ESOHCAMP is having an environment-friendly, safe and healthy workplace.