Ppe U.S Army

Recent revisions to Army safety regulations include updates to motorcycle safety policies as well as new guidance on how leaders should handle Soldiers with limited swimming ability. Major revisions to AR 385-10 the army safety program were released Nov. 27. They were the first revisions to the regulations since 2007. Changes to the motorcycle safety regulations include updates to the Progressive Motorcycle Program plus making it clear that personal protective equipment or PPE must be worn both on- and off-post, and both on- and off-road. Under previous guidance, commanders were allowed to put Soldiers in remedial driver’s training only if they committed an offense in a government vehicle. The revision to AR 385-10 gives a commander much more flexibility. Concerns about water-related fatalities led to new regulations that require commanders to identify weak and non-swimmers and make sure they are getting the proper survival training. Previous to these revisions, the Army Readiness Assessment Program was highly encouraged. The survey is now a requirement within 90 days of a battalion commander assuming his position. It is an anonymous survey that can tell a commander a lot about his unit. All the safety regulations in the world won’t help unless NCOs and other leaders are paying attention to Soldiers and making sure they behave safely, on- and off-duty.
Thanks to the efforts of dedicated NCOs and other leaders in the Army vast safety improvements have been made in the past 40 years. The statistics have shown steady improvements. Back in the early days, we were having fatalities in the number of 500 and 600 a year. In 2005, we had 300. Last year we drove that down to