Buckley completes ESOHCAMP Published Feb. 2, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. J. LaVoie 460th Space Wing Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Air Force Space Command officials conducted an Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment and Management Program assessment on Buckley Air Force Base from Nov. 16-20, 2009. The ESOHCAMP takes the approach of helping Team Buckley find and correct problems that could cause or contribute to regulatory violations. If resources are needed to help correct a deficiency, the ESOHCAMP team can help validate the problem and lend support to obtain necessary resources. The assessment covered more than 15 areas, including cultural resources; hazardous materials; hazardous waste; natural resources; Environmental Management Systems; pesticides; petroleum, oil and lubricants management; solid waste; storage tanks; toxic substances; wastewater; water quality; occupational health; and other environmental issues. "The assessors are here to help," said Sandy Ingrassia, ESOHCAMP manager. "If a regulator came in, we could incur fines or penalties, but the assessors help us identify these shortfalls and allow us to fix issues and improve our programs." Overall, Buckley received a healthy rating. Criteria used for this assessment included three categories of negative findings, significant, major and minor, in addition to positive and management practice findings. Findings listed in all categories are calculated and used for an installation's overall rating. There were no significant findings. Two Buckley Air Force Base teams and two individual personnel were also honored with positive findings in their areas of expertise: 1. Customer Service Facility Inspection Team (Tech. Sgt. Jenny Romero, Barry Cox, Ernie Gordon, Olympia Osbourne, Staff Sgt. Terril Musselman and Senior Airman Tyson Baldassare); 2. Coordinated Team Work to Support Birds of Prey (Led by Floyd Hatch); 3. Excellent Management of Air Program (Elise Sherva); 4. Proactive Radiation Safety Officer (John Kurth) The major and minor findings identified in the assessment are tracked by the ESOH Working Group and wing leadership until the discrepancies have been rectified and an assurance is made that the finding will not be repeated. Many of the findings can be prevented if people are trained correctly and continuously. "We offer a lot of training and recommend people attend training as much as possible," said Laurie Fisher, Environmental Quality Chief. "This is especially important during turnover of personnel. New people arrive and may not know what they can or cannot do with respect to environmental aspects. This is where training can help." The next ESOHCAMP assessment, which will be internal to Buckley, is tentatively scheduled for November 2010. If you have questions about ESOHCAMP findings, training or other environmental issues, please contact Sandy Ingrassia at 720-847-9032, or by email at sandra.ingrassia@buckley.af.mil.