PPE Board boosts unit's safety Published Aug. 24, 2010 By Staff Sgt. Logan Tuttle 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- When the 52nd Component Maintenance Squadron propulsion flight set a goal of having zero safety discrepancies for personal protective equipment, the unit looked at ways to streamline the process it used to identify required PPE. Using identification codes for each hazardous chemical the unit typically works with, a team of Airmen checked the material safety data sheets that correspond with each chemical, and which protective equipment was needed for it. They then placed a board near the MSDS with photos of the chemical and which PPE was required. Since the safety board's conception in 2009, the unit hasn't had any PPE safety discrepancies. Additionally, after being recognized as a group best practice during the 2009 unit compliance inspection, it was later recognized as an Air Force best practice. "It's good to know that something we created is being used, possibly all around the Air Force," Sergeant Rutherford said. "All Airmen have to do is walk up and check the board, saving time, man-hours, and focusing more on the job, so that's a good feeling." "Most of the time when you go to any work center that handles hazardous chemicals, it's mandatory to have MSDS's," said Master Sgt. Christopher Montoya, a test cell section chief who helped develop the PPE board. "If you have a young Airman who's signing out chemicals to do their job, they want to get the right PPE. They have to go through a tabbed MSDS, and most work centers have the chemicals listed by their national stock numbers. They have to look through 12 different numbers to identify a chemical." "Not only that, but every single MSDS is different. They're not set up the same because they're given to us by the manufacturers," said Staff Sgt. Erin Rutherford, a programs manager who helped work on the board. Now, according to Sergeant Montoya, Airmen can simply look at the board, which has pictures of each chemical they can be expected to work with, and identify the corresponding PPE visually. "We provide them the chemical, it spells it out for them, and says 'you need goggles, gloves, an apron, boots,' and then they can simply check the MSDS to make sure there's no changes," Sergeant Montoya said.