An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

380AEW Article

BEEs manage occupational health at 380th AEW

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Not all "bees" can fly to their flowers and gather the nectar they need to produce a healthy product for the hive - some have to drive.

The 380th Expeditionary Medical Group Bioenvironmental Engineering team travels across the base to collect information about hazards it can help mitigate in work centers and living areas, thereby producing a healthier environment for everyone.

"If (the BEE section) was not here there would be no one to tell people, 'The stuff you are using is hazardous,' and then we'd have a lot more sick and injured people," said Staff Sgt. Larry Simon, BEE technician. "We're preventive medicine; we want to keep people from getting sick in the first place."

The BEE section's industrial hygiene and occupational health missions here are the main focus of their efforts. These include checking the air in a work space for things people are breathing in, the noise levels they are exposed to, and the personal protective equipment they are using - or not using - to protect themselves from overexposure to those hazards.

Maj. Andrew Wagner, BEE officer in charge deployed from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., said the section is responsible for work centers at the wing locally, as well as at geographically-separated locations.

One example of a work center is the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance mobile firing range, said Staff Sgt. Colleen Silvestri, BEE technician. She recently gathered air and swipe samples from the range to evaluate any exposures to lead.

"(Our evaluations) could be on an individual or a shop," said Silvestri, who is deployed from Charleston AFB, S.C. "It's basically about making the workplace safer and less hazardous to them."

To further prevent overexposure to hazards, Simon and Silvestri instituted several new initiatives across the base. These include water and soil monitoring initiatives, and submitting regular informational articles for local publication.

Some of the other programs the team began also have a morale-building effect.

With the high, desert heat compounded by humidity, evaluating solar load on the body is paramount for the team here. When the body cannot handle the amount of heat it's subjected to, it may succumb to heat-related injuries, said Simon, who is deployed from Offutt AFB, Neb. This was evident in patients recently seen at the clinic for dehydration.

In addition to a robust heat stress informational campaign, the BEE section wanted to do more to educate wing members here.

"So we came up with the popsicle visit initiative," said Simon, a Davenport, Iowa, native. "We get popsicles sent in from the states and we go out to the flightline and hand out popsicles and talk to (Airmen there), ask them if they are hydrating, ask them if they are taking breaks. It's just an education piece."

No matter what the team is doing, each BEE team member enjoys his or her role in keeping the "hive" healthy.

"We get to help people every single day we come in to work," Simon said. "Something we do is going to help someone. It's awesome."

For Silvestri, it's about the future, not instant gratification.

"It's not like I'm a maintainer and I'm turning a wrench and I'm getting the satisfaction of seeing that plane flying today because I did such and such repair," said Silvestri, a Buffalo, N.Y., native. "It's 10 or 20 years down the line when that person retires, and it's because ... we document all the hazards and look into the effects of them, that they're not going to get cancer or they're not going to lose their hearing."

For Wagner, it's also about helping people understand why their efforts are important.

Recently he was called by someone concerned about workers on the flightline who were not wearing hearing protection. When Wagner visited the site, the member was several feet from an aircraft performing an engine run, and was without ear plugs.

"I had a survey meter," said Wagner, a Mabank, Texas, native. "The decibels were 100 decibels where (the person) was standing, with no hearing protection." Hearing protection should be worn at 85 decibels or higher.

"It's hard to tell a 25-year-old person, 'Hey, wear your hearing protection'," Wagner said. "You may not realize, someday, you're going to want to hear your grandchildren talk to you."

For their efforts, the team was recognized as the June/July bi-monthly 380th EMDG Team, which also contributed to the 380th EMDG earning the July 2012 U.S. Air Forces Central/Surgeon General Team.

Lt. Col. Christopher Borchardt, 380th EMDG deputy commander, lauded the BEE team for its efforts in ensuring "safe and effective" operations throughout the wing here and at the team's geographically-separated locations.

"These unsung heroes usually conduct their work quietly in the background unnoticed, but without them numerous workplaces, dorms, (dining facilities), and swimming pools would be far more hazardous places to work, sleep and play," Borchardt said. "Most importantly to me they do it all with contagious enthusiasm and pride that is truly priceless."