RICHMOND, Va. –
Apple Incorporated Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook once offered this golden nugget of advice when it comes to making wise career choices: “Work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, it’s just a job, and life is too short for that.”
Billy Evans can directly relate. For close to a decade, Evans has worked as a safety and occupational health specialist for Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Oklahoma City on Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
Evans said he chose this career path after losing most of his right hand in 1984 when it was pulled into a large piece of machinery while he was working at a paper mill.
“I can remember the accident like it happened today. I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety because of it.”
Evans said that experience was a life changing moment and ever since then, he has made it his personal crusade to educate others to avoid the same pitfall he suffered close to 30 years ago.
Evans said in his quest to remain a subject matter expert in his career field, he earned a Master of Science in Occupational Safety and Health online from Columbia Southern University in 2020.
When DLA Aviation at Oklahoma City created the safety council in 2022, they reached out to Evans to lead the effort. He jumped at the chance.
Evans said the current safety council team consists of a mixture of civilian and military members, but DLA Aviation at OKC Commander Air Force Col. Robert Magee is actively recruiting others.
“I want to make employee safety our top priority,” Evans said.
Magee said the safety council has changed the script on how those under his command view risk and the focus on safety as an ecosystem is founded in a premediated approach with a foundation of ensuing that every voice matters.
He said there are several reasons the safety council has been successful since its inception. A safety council workflow box has been established allowing employees to submit their safety concerns and questions directly to the council, resulting in quicker responses.
Safety council members have also been going to the more than 20 DLA Aviation work areas around Tinker Air Force Base passing out safety cards with the workflow email address on it. They are also incentivizing the report of safety concerns through a monetary awards program.
Magee said between the cards and award incentive program, employees have no excuse not to report a safety concern, as it is now both incredibly simple and carries the possibility of additional rewards.
“By doing this, communication amongst our teammates increases the probability that we will discover and resolve a risk before it becomes an incident,” said Magee.