Don’t side step the problem, report it

An Airman recently suffered minor injuries when the member fell through a ‘soft floor’ while cleaning an area in a dorm. The member’s foot went through a soft area of the floor. As the member was pulling their foot out, the floor gave way and the member fell through the floor up to their chest.

Whenever an Airman encounters an unsafe environment, it is important to immediately contact the appropriate entities.

“The person who sees a problem should first contact the dorm rep or first sergeant,” said Staff Sgt. Mohindra Lauchman, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing safety rep. “The rep or shirt will then contact lodging, and they will send the 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron customer service a request. Another possible option is for the members contact the Safety office with concerns.”

As Lauchman pointed out, the 380th ECES are responsible to fix structure issues, and their squadron leadership wants everyone to know they are engaged in fixing the issue but also need Airmen’s assistance.   

“Our CE Ops team are well aware of the “soft floors” issue based on facility inspections conducted within the last month and are working diligently to renovate, replace and/or repair these defects,” said Senior Master Sgt. Brian Bowler, 380th ECES operations engineering superintendent. “As the issues were/are identified, the CE team will immediately produce work orders associated with the soft floor issue and are treating these concerns as a high priority for corrective maintenance.”

Even though the safety office and civil engineering are around to address the issues, there are tips that can be done to help prevent future issues.

“Humidity and standing water is causing the wood beneath the floors to become saturated,” said Lauchman. “Exhaust fans need to be on at all times in the bathrooms.”