Safe and sound all year round Published Sept. 25, 2013 By Tech. Sgt. Beth Anschutz Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO RANDOLPH, Texas -- The 2013 Critical Days of Summer campaign is over, but safety officials continue to stress the need for risk management all year long. Although the Air Education and Training Command sustained only one fatality, the command recorded 321 injuries during the CDoS. The death in AETC was a result of a motorcycle accident, but the majority of the injuries were the result of on-duty Physical Training related events, either during PT sessions or as part of a course. These types of injuries accounted for 30 percent of AETC's total injuries during the CDoS. According to John Foreman, one of AETC's Occupational Safety managers, on-duty physical training mishaps were nearly one-third of AETCs injuries during the Critical Days of Summer. "Commanders and Unit Program Fitness Managers must ensure the activities they are doing are appropriate to enhance aerobic capability, muscular strength, and flexibility," Foreman said. "They must also ensure activity-appropriate warm-ups are occurring to minimize the high number of strain and sprain mishaps the command is experiencing." The leading cause of mishaps across the Air Force were motor vehicle related, but motor vehicle mishaps were in the number five spot for AETC, with only 15 mishaps, following injuries during PT. AETC safety officials believe the use of the AETC Form 29B, Pre-Departure Safety Briefing, and safety briefings provided by commanders, first sergeants, supervisors, technical training instructors, and military training leaders were instrumental in helping the command achieve the low motor vehicle mishap numbers. Airmen must keep safety in mind all the time, and not just while they are in uniform, in order to keep the statistics low. "Although motor vehicle mishaps are lower in AETC than the rest of the Air Force, this is one area we must continue to focus on," said Master Sgt. Wallace Greenwood, AETC's Ground Safety superintendent. "It's imperative our Airmen exercise sound risk management both on and off-duty." Motor vehicle related mishaps have consistently been a leading cause of death and injury during the CDoS. "As the mishap numbers from across the Air Force show year after year, operating a motor vehicle is the largest threat to our Airmen. All it takes is a moment of inattention while operating a motor vehicle to result in an accident, which can result in death or a life time of suffering," Greenwood said. The bottom line from the safety community is that safety awareness and good risk management should not be limited to certain days during the year, but all year round. For more information on the Air Force Safety program, visit www.afsec.af.mil.