1. What Would You Have Done?
The set-up: It’s Thursday night and two mechanics who
worked all day (from 0700-1700) plan to drive through rush-
hour traffic to party at a club that is at least two hours
away.
been drinking, he feels sleepy. He pulls over
Question #1: Supposing this was your to rest at 0400. However, feeling pressured
plan, what do you think of it? to get back to work on time, they get back
Now assume that these Sailors work on the road at 0445 without getting any
directly for you. In fact, they are among meaningful rest.
your best workers. They have been making At some point, the driver falls asleep and
this road trip once a week for three months, loses control. The car crashes. The driver
and nobody has said anything about it. isn’t buckled up and is killed. The passenger
(who was wearing his seatbelt) survives with
Question #2: As a supervisor, what do you injuries.
think of their plan?
You decide to discuss their plan with Question #7: How does the loss of two of
them. They assure you that one of them will your best workers affect your team?
be the designated driver and that they’ll stop You have just lost two of your best
to rest if necessary. performers, and it will take some time
before BUPERS details new personnel into
Question #3 and #4: Do these risk your command. As the supervisor, it’s not
controls make you feel better about their just a workload and mission issue (others are
plan? Can you do anything to improve their going to pick up the tasking, which increases
chance of success? their risks) that you are going to have to deal
Here’s another factor. Work tempo at the with. Work-center morale and family
command has been high, and they have had concerns of the lost members are going to
a total of just 15 hours of sleep during the complicate the situation that you must
previous three days. address.
Questions #5 and #6: What do you think Questions #8, #9 and #10: What does it
of their plan now? Do you see any red say about the culture of a command when
flags? personnel think that they can party all night,
The event: They stay at the club until getting little or no sleep, and still be able to
0300, having a great time. They start to do skilled, technical work the next day?
drive back to base so that they can report to What risk does this pose to the command’s
work at 0700. Even though the driver hasn’t

2. mission? Do you think these Sailors Using the A-B-C-D mnemonic, they could
understood ORM? have:
They apparently felt bullet-proof. They ● Assessed the plan at the point where
had done some planning and had had the they were too tired to drive.
same routine for three months. The hazards ● Balanced Resources by getting a hotel
of driving while fatigued, driving impaired, room or stopping in the car for a longer rest
sometimes not wearing seatbelts and ending period.
up not fit for duty the next day were all ● Communicated with their supervisor
additional risks that weren’t adequately (another resource, via a cellphone call or
controlled. text) that they would be late and would
Their execution of their “plan” wasn’t as make up for the lost work.
routine as they had thought. Time Critical ● Debriefed, after the event, by
Risk Management would have been discussing how to better plan this event in
appropriate to use and should have come order to have controlled the known risks, so
into play for both the Sailors and their
that no last-minute phone calls would have
supervisor.
Let’s assume that these Sailors weren’t been necessary.
afraid to call their supervisor to confess that
they would be late.
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DISCUSSION POINTS
● As a supervisor, what could you do in your span of control to improve these
Sailors’ risk management? What could leadership do in terms of effectively teaching
Sailors how to balance work and play, and how to make sensible plans as a result?
● Why was there not some kind of command “trip wire” for leadership to provide to
their Sailors under circumstances like these?
RESOURCES AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES
● Have a Leave or Special Liberty Chit stashed for just such an emergency, so that
personnel are covered (to some extent) if they are late. This doesn’t mean they’ll
evade any repercussions, but you are protecting them.
● Establish a phone tree so personnel know who to call when their plans aren’t
working.
● Identify rest areas or lodging that can be easily accessed.
● Modify work hours so that Sailors can drive during daylight. Offer earlier secure to
avoid rush-hour traffic, thereby reducing driving time, or a late report the next day.
It’s better to lose a few hours from people than to lose the people.
● Duty driver.
● Different liberty schedule.
BY DEREK NELSON, HEAD MEDIA DIVISION
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Supervisors: Use this page to guide safety discussions with your personnel
Send your feedback to: safe-mediafdbk@navy.mil