Safety clarifies use of electronic devices for pedestrians on roadways

Capt. Laura Porter, chief of Combat Airspace Operations with the 613th Air and Space Operations Center runs on a treadmill at the Hickam gym, Jan. 27. Safety clarified a policy regarding headphones while exercising outdoors to ensure the safety of Airmen as they workout becuase wearing headphones lessens situational awareness. The only approved running routes that individuals can wear headphones on are the Missing Man Formation trail and the Earhart Field track. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lauren Main)

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Safety clarifies use of electronic devices for pedestrians on roadways

Published Feb. 1, 2012
By Staff Sgt. Mike Meares
15th Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- If the game is to prevent mishaps and preserve combat capabilities, then Air Force safety Airmen are all in.

The Air Force Safety Center released a letter of interpretation Jan. 18 prohibiting the use of listening and entertainment devices, including single ear pieces and external speakers, when on a roadway.

The bottom line; the use of portable headphones, earphones, cellular phones, iPods or other listening and entertainment devices, other than hearing aids, are prohibited while walking, jogging, running, bicycling, skating or skate boarding on roadways for the sake of ensuring good situational awareness resulting in a lower possibility of a mishap.

"Safety needs to be involved in everyone's daily activities, to ensure we are meeting mission requirements," said Tech. Sgt. Scott Yonushonis, 15th Wing ground safety. "Without safe and health Airmen, we will not be able to complete our mission."

The AFSC preserves and enhances combat capability through resource preservation for both Airmen and equipment by attempting to eliminate mishap. The center develops, implements, executes and evaluates Air Force aviation, ground, weapons, space and system mishap prevention and nuclear surety programs and policy. The center oversees mishap investigations, evaluates corrective actions, ensures implementation and maintains the mishap database Air Force-wide. It also conducts research to promote safety awareness and mishap prevention and develops and directs safety and risk management education and media programs.

"It is not possible to prevent all mishaps, so that is why we do (operational risk management)," said Yonushonis. "The Air Force hasn't had a spike in incidents due to electronic devices, but there have been studies done that show you lose your situational awareness when you are using these type of devices."

The intent of the requirement is to prevent pedestrian-vehicle mishaps and applies only to roadways. The roadway is defined by the AFSC as a strip of land dedicate for the conveyance of vehicles, including the shoulder and median when present, as well as parking lots.

The wearing of portable headphones, earphones, cellular hands-free devices, iPods, or other listening devices while running, jogging, walking, bicycling, skating, or skate boarding in roadways and streets which may impair recognition of emergency signals, alarms, announcements, and the approach of emergency vehicles are prohibited. Pedestrians may, however, wear listening devices on athletic field track, beach areas, not encompassing a sidewalk or roadway, and approved jogging or walking trails. The instruction is not lenient to violators.

"For some runners, listening to music motivates them and keeps their mind off the distances," said Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Hutcherson, 647th Force Support Squadron NCOIC of the Hickam Fitness Center. "If they are running roadways, their attention to their surroundings is limited.

The AFSC understands removing earphones while crossing roadways multiple times can be inconvenient and suggests, in this case, to find a more appropriate place to exercise where this hazard is not present.

"The treadmills and the elliptical machines are good options for those who require music when they run," Hutcherson said.