No hazard zone Published Sept. 10, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Princeton Drake 99th Air Base Wing Safety Office NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Have you ever driven your vehicle over an unknown pot hole, got angry and just blew it off? Then the next time you came to the same area you simply drove around it. In this situation, like most hazardous situations, an important step missed is to report the incident. Let's think about this from a different angle. Suppose you swerved to miss this hole and went into oncoming traffic, causing an accident. Could this accident possibly have been prevented? Chances are the situation could very well have been avoided. This could save you a headache, lots of money for repair cost or even possibly another driver or pedestrian's life. The challenge is to report anything that could possibly cause an accident to the proper agency. If you do not know who the proper agency may be it is always best to report it to your supervisor. The average daily mishap, loss-time from work, or near-miss incident could have been avoided if the hazardous condition was reported. Do you someone who was injured and thought if you had spoken up, the situation could have been avoided? It is everyone's responsibility to report all potential hazards to their supervisor or the safety office immediately. It is work center supervisors, safety professionals and individual's responsibility to ensure Nellis Air Force Base is a safe and hazard-free working environment. Here are ways to report hazards in order to prevent potential mishaps: Air Force Form 457, USAF Hazard Report - This form is available to all personnel, and is required to be posted on all unit safety boards. A hazard report may be submitted on any event that includes hazards, unsafe procedures, practices or conditions that affects flight, ground, weapons, systems or space safety. Your unit safety representative or supervisor - Every squadron has hazard reporting procedures posted on the unit's safety bulletin board. Transient or temporary duty personnel unable to report a hazard at a base where the unsafe incident occurred should submit the AF Form 457 at the next Air Force base they visit, or to the safety office at their home base. This form can be hand carried, emailed, or even mailed if needed. The bottom line is all identified hazards should be eliminated at the lowest level possible within the unit or workcenter before elevating to the wing's safety office. However, if the hazard presents an imminent danger, the supervisor or individual responsible for the work area must take immediate action to eliminate the hazard to protect personnel or property.