101 Critical Days: Summer’s on the way; remember safety Published May 22, 2014 By Jenny Gordon Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Summer is just about here. Soon it will be time to rev up the engines for long road trips on the motorcycle, summer travel with the family, and increased boating and recreational activities. With all of that increased activity comes the potential for additional hazards and risk to personal safety. Addressing this with risk management is the Air Force's annual Critical Days of Summer safety campaign which runs Friday through Sept. 2. The campaign has focused on topics of interest to Airmen since the Air Force first highlighted safety for summer activities in 1964. The 78th Air Base Wing experienced seven minor reportable mishaps at Robins during the 2013 campaign, according to Clyde Turner, an occupational safety and health manager. Topics highlighted this year include: motorcycle safety; summer sports safety; vacation travel; drinking and driving; heat illness prevention; Fourth of July activities; boating and personal water craft safety; bicycling; swimming safety; driving preparedness; grilling and barbecue safety; fatigue causes; weather safety; physical preparedness; safety tips during the Labor Day weekend and other risk management programs. Safety should always be on everyone's mind, whether at home or work when it comes to paying attention to our surroundings. Sharing information about hazards in our environment is important. Supervisors, safety officers, trainers, training and awareness programs, instructions and safety legislation are all needed to ensure everyone has the opportunity to know what to do in case of an event, according to Turner. "The language of 'common sense' is always used to blame others for a form of thinking that is not common. For example, 'If they had only used their common sense, they wouldn't have been hurt' or 'common sense would tell you not to do that,'" he said. "If common sense were a reality then there would be no need for instructions or training, people would somehow magically know what to do. The evidence shows that even after extensive instruction and training, people still don't know what to do. "Let's make the difference in 2014 with learned sense as we face the Critical Days of Summer, and remember - safety is no accident," he said.