Independence Gazette - Military News Network

Safety notes ...‘Take 5’ to assess hazardsAs the Brigade Safety Officer, I have accessto all the accident reports Army wide, both inthe U.S. and overseas. Seventy-five percentof the accidents in MND-B are what most ofus would consider minor injuries and oftenfall under a category the Army calls “PersonalInjuries.” A Soldier trips over an object andsprains his ankle, or cuts his hand with a knifeand needs three stitches. Back in the statesthis minor injury costs the unit a five-minutetrip to the post medical clinic and a Soldierwho may not be able to train until the injuryheals. In Iraq, that same “minor injury” mayrequire the unit to send out a combat patrol ofthree vehicles and 15 soldiers to transport theinjured soldier to Company C, 328th BSB atthe Taji Clinic for an x-ray. Until that Soldierheals there is one less person to help with thecombat mission; one less set of eyes lookingfor the enemy; one less set of hands to helpcarry the load.The Army has developed a simple programto assist Soldiers and junior leaders preventpersonal injuries called “Take 5.” As a Soldier,take just 5 seconds to think about whatcan go wrong (hazards) and what you can doto prevent Injury (controls). This is somethingas simple as checking the ladder beforeclimbing into the guard tower or removing atripping hazard from the walk way. If youfind a hazard that you can’t easily fix take fiveseconds to inform your chain of command sothey can get it fixed before you or someoneelse gets hurt.If you are a junior leader responsible for otherSoldiers’ well being, the Army wants youto take just five minutes to conduct a HastyRisk Assessment. This is an informal processused to recognize potential hazards andLegally speaking ...JAG office, battalion paralegals can help Soldierswith issues ranging from house purchases to taxesYour brigade legal assistance team is ready,willing and able to assist with any and all legalquestions or issues that arise during a deployment.Our goal is to provide timely andaccurate assistance with any of your questions.We want to help you keep your mindin the game and mission focused by assistingin eliminating any legal distracters that maybe going on in your life.The services we provide include but are notlimited to domestic relations law (divorce andchild custody), wills and powers of attorney,name changes, tax questions, landlord-tenantissues, civil suits, Service Member Civil ReliefAct, and immigration matters. If you arein doubt as to whether your issue is truly alegal issue, feel free to reach out to the paralegalassigned to your battalion and ask. Theyare here to assist you and can often guide youin the right direction. All are welcome to stopimplement controlsto prevent/reduce injury.When given atask, such asdown loadinga vehicle, takefive minutesto evaluate thetask, determinewhat is likelyto get someonehurt, and getthe right equipmentto do thetask safely. You may think that by the timeyou do all that you could have down loadedthe vehicle and been back inside where its airconditioned. But being hasty and not takingfive minutes to prepare for the task, can leadto a lot more time spent taking a Soldier tothe medics, cleaning up a mess and doing paperwork explaining what happened. This isminor compared to the pain and suffering ofone of the Soldiers you are responsible for.Let’s not forget about that. For more informationabout Hasty Risk Assessments talkto your unit safety officer/NCO or Read DAPAM 385-1 (Small Unit Safety Officer/NCOGuide)Remember, your fellow Soldiers are relyingon you to be mission ready. Your familywants you to come home healthy. Do somepersonal risk management and stay safe.Take 5!!!By 1st Lt. Michael Green56 SBCT Safety Officerby Building 542 and schedule an appointmentfor a Tuesday or Thursday, the brigade’s legalassistance days. However, if you are out ata JSS we try to accommodate you based onyour schedule.For those of you thinking about refinancingor buying a new home either while deployedor once returning home, please stop by if youhave any questions. Mortgage rates are athistoric lows and refinancing may be worthit depending on your particular situation. Ifyou have questions stop in at the legal office.In addition, the American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct of 2009, dated Feb. 19, 2009(the stimulus law) has some benefits in it forfirst time homebuyers. If you are planning onusing some of that extra tax free money thisyear to purchase a new home, you are in luckif you are going to be a first time buyer. If youpurchase and close on a home between Jan. 1Soldier’s wifehonored forfamily supportgroup effortsPITTSBURGH - Patricia Reidenbach (above,right) of Mechanicsburg, Pa. was recentlynamed a recipient of a Highmark Inc. JeffersonAward for Public Service. The insurance companyhonored 12 of its employee volunteerswith the award. Reidenbach was honored in partfor her service with the Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany, 56th Stryker Brigade CombatTeam’s Family Support Group. Reidenbachserves as the group’s committee co-chair andcommunications chair for the group which providessupport for families of deployed Soldiers.Reidenbach is the wife of Staff Sgt. Thomas Reidenbach,HHC, 56th SBCT.and Nov. 30, 2009, you can receive a creditfor 10 percent of the home’s purchase price,up to a maximum of $8,000. This credit doesnot have to be repaid if you own the house forat least three years. In addition, the stimuluslaw provides money for wounded militarymembers who must switch homes to assistwith rehabilitation due to injuries. Militarymembers must try to sell their homes at fairmarket value but if the best they can sell it foris less than what they paid for it, they may beeligible for a refund up to 95 percent of thecost they originally spent for the purchase ofthe property.Come find out for yourself why we are thepreferred legal shop of choice in Taji, Iraq.By: MAJ Frank McGovernPage 10 Independence Gazette May 2009