ESOHCAMP assessors teach, learn to improve base safety Published June 26, 2007 By Corey Dahl 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Teams of workers here were busy poring over legal codes, checking out pesticide tanks and even dumpster diving this month - all in the name of safety. Part of Peterson's ESOHCAMP - Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment Management Program, the teams of contractors, government employees and servicemembers spent June 18 to 22 making sure units are in compliance with the laws, rules and regulations that govern them. The assessment, which is implemented by Air Force Space Command every three years, has two goals - to catch and correct any violations before an official inspector does, and to ensure the safety of the base and its employees. "We want to make sure the Air Force isn't vulnerable to any fines or bad PR," said Maj. Pamela Grover, ESOHCAMP's individual mobilization augmentee. "But we also want to make sure we're taking care of our people and our property." The assessors check for flaws and violations in everything from a unit's method of storing chemicals to its recycling program, Major Grover said, but they're also there to look at what's being done right. Often, the information the assessors gather is passed on to other bases and units that have experienced similar problems. "If we see a program that is working really well, we ask them, 'What are you doing?' and then we bring that back and apply it to other programs," she said. "Or we might suggest that a program try something another base is using. It's just a really good method of exchanging information." That's a message assessor Mary Anderson tries to pass on to the units she visits. Mrs. Anderson, an AFSPC employee who works on Peterson, has been helping with ESOHCAMPs for nearly 10 years, visiting bases as far away as Thule. She said the process often causes units to worry needlessly. "Some people do think it's an inspection; they get a little nervous," she said. "But none of us go in like, 'We're going to find findings, and we're going to penalize you for them.' We're here to help people with any problems they might be having." And many times, the assessors are the ones who end up being helped. Doug Johnson, pest control supervisor for Embassy Landscaping on base, spent much of his assessment comparing notes and giving advice on pest management with Mrs. Anderson, something she said she can take back to other bases. "I've given classes to whole battalions about this," Mr. Johnson, who has worked in landscaping for decades, said. "No, I'm definitely not intimidated. I find it helpful." Comment on this story.