Surveys Marine Corps Safety Climate Surveys

By Shawn Curtis, Safety and Occupational Health Manager, Commandant of the Marine Corps Safety Division

This summer is shaping up to be one hectic permanent change of station season and the ensuing turnover of commanding officers (CO) is no exception.

With change of commands in full swing, it’s a prime opportunity for safety officers and managers to help shape their unit’s safety climate for the next two to three years.

One of the key aspects of command turnover is preparing the new boss to administer the Ground Climate Assessment Survey System (GCASS) for ground units and the Marine Corps Aviation Survey System (MCASS) for flying commands.

These surveys help define the current state of an organization’s safety posture by providing realtime anonymous feedback on the attitudes and perceptions of the safety management system from personnel within the command.

GCASS and MCASS are Inspector General assessment items under Functional Area Checklist 5100 and are required within the first 90 days of the CO assuming command and annually thereafter.

Following a survey, the CO receives a telephone outbrief from an Advanced Survey Design analyst who assesses the unit’s command climate, safety culture, resource availability, workload and the effects of safety intervention programs to highlight areas where the CO might best focus

For more information and to set-up a survey, visit: https://www.safety.marines.mil/Resources/Command-Culture-Workshop/Safety-Related-Surveys/