Team Tyndall prepares for ESOHCAMP inspection

  • Published
  • By Steve McLellan
  • 325th Civil Engineers Squadron
The 325th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight is taking the lead on preparing Tyndall for an Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Compliance Assessment and Management Program inspection to be performed Jan. 22 - 26.

The ESOHCAMP inspection team will be reviewing Tyndall's environmental, safety and occupational health programs to determine how well the base is complying with federal, state and local regulations and permits, as well as Air Force instructions.

"Every shop on base - both wing and tenant units - whose job involves any part of the ESOH process, has the potential to be looked at," said Maj. Kent Hobson, ESOHCAMP project officer. "For example, any shop that handles hazardous materials or hazardous waste is eligible to be visited by the ESOHCAMP team. Even the Youth Center is not exempt from a visit by the inspectors. Solid waste disposal and recycling will also be reviewed, probably including what we refer to as 'dumpster diving,' sorting through dumpsters to determine if there are items in the trash that should have been disposed of in a different manner."

Members of the inspection team are from Headquarters Air Education and Training Command and other Air Force bases. The goal is to help Team Tyndall find and correct problems that could cause or contribute to regulatory violations, possibly including fines, if state or federal regulatory agency inspectors were to make the findings. If resources are needed to help correct a deficiency, the ESOHCAMP team can help validate the problem and the resources needed to correct it.

ESOHCAMP audits, which are required for all installations by the Department of Defense, assess the base in areas ranging from hazardous materials, water and air issues to cultural and natural resources. The assessment is a "snap shot in time" of how well Team Tyndall is performing its ESOH duties.

"These audits are especially valuable if they help identify and correct a problem that might otherwise result in a regulatory agency action," said Joe McLernan, 325th CES environmental flight chief. "Regulatory actions for violations can impact the mission, and no one wants that."

In most instances, problems identified by the ESOHCAMP team are corrected very quickly, often before the ESOHCAMP team even leaves Tyndall. If a more complicated solution is needed that cannot be implemented immediately, the environmental flight tracks the progress of the correction and works with the responsible group and squadron to identify and implement the corrective actions needed.

"Team Tyndall has a long history of excellent environmental stewardship, and a great safety and worker health protection record," said Mr. McLernan.

"We have a lot of people around the base working very hard to make sure Tyndall is ready for the visit," said Maj. Hobson. "Personnel from the environmental flight, ground safety, bio-environmental engineering and the unit environmental coordinators from all base organizations are working together to identify any areas or shortcomings we can correct prior to the inspection."