ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE – On-the-job injuries and related lost work time are apparently behind additional Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections at Robins Air Force Base.

Tom Scott, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 987, said those were the reasons given at a briefing several days ago. Local 987 is the bargaining unit for most civilian workers at Robins.

The latest OSHA review comes after the federal agency issued 13 findings in late May related to safety practices in Building 169 where some 200 workers fabricate and repair composite components for various aircraft. Two of the findings were labeled “willful” by inspectors and 11 were said to be “serious.”

Robins has appealed the OSHA rulings and an Aug. 11 hearing is scheduled in Atlanta with Cindy Coe, OSHA’s regional director.

Scott said the latest inspections are apparently unrelated to the Building 169 findings and did not result from specific worker complaints.

“They apparently looked at all the injury reports throughout the base including contractors,” he said. “They plan to look at the base as a whole, although they are concentrating right now on the logistics center.”

The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center – a massive industrial complex employing some 15,000 workers – is the host agency at Robins. Building 169 is a work site within the 402nd Maintenance Wing, the largest element of the center with some 8,000 workers.

Scott said he had not received a report on what the OSHA team will be reviewing or how long the inspections might take.

“They’re targeting areas with the most injuries and lost time using the OSHA 300 log,” he said. “For example, they began by looking at the C-17 area and different parts of the maintenance wing.”

The union leader said the OSHA team was talking with workers and conducting walk-arounds at the locations.

Buildings 149 and 350 have come under review, Scott reported. “Those buildings contain support shops,” he said. “People there work on various things for the C-17 and C-5. They do component repair.”

Robins officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the additional OSHA inspections.

Mike Wald, director of public affairs for OSHA’s regional office in Atlanta, confirmed the follow-on inspections during a July 23 interview, but declined to provide additional details. He said OSHA has up to six months to complete an inspection and provide a public report.