Alliance Safety Council has 60 years of experience improving safety both in the workplace and at home, and it’s applying all it has learned to continually improve safety training programs for the benefit of business and industry across the U.S. and internationally.
What began as a three-person organization instrumental in forming the schoolboy patrol, which later became the crossing guard division of the Baton Rouge Police Department, has now grown into an occupational safety staff of more than 100. Alliance is the second-largest safety council in the U.S., providing the only OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC) in Louisiana through its Mid-South OTIEC. Mid-South is one of only 26 OTIECs in the country. The organization assists in getting over 230,000 workers job-ready annually.
“We are here to support our members and our training partners, so they can in turn be responsive to the changing needs of the work schedules in our area and along the Gulf Coast,” said Kathy Trahan, president and CEO of Alliance Safety Council.
Find a way
As a nonprofit organization, Alliance Safety Council’s success is measured by lives touched. Alliance is committed to the advancement of its members above all and designing every service and program around this aim.
Through collaboration and intelligent risk-taking, the organization has established South Louisiana as a recognized leader in awareness-level training, train-the-trainer and safety practices. Its dedication to providing legendary customer service spurred the decision to decentralize the organization’s operations. This was a risk, but a well planned one that was a win-win for the organization and its members. With locations in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, Walker and Addis, Louisiana, Alliance is more accessible and meets members’ training needs right where they live and work. The organization also created a customer solutions team, which involves staff members answering calls to assist customers with registration and other requests as needed.
Invest in relationships
A fundamental belief of Alliance is “Think safe. Work safe.” And this stretches beyond the workplace. It creates a culture of safety that extends into workers’ homes and fosters lifelong habits for the family as a whole. More injuries occur away from the jobsite, so investing in employees and communities results in a safer, healthier workforce and reduces time away from work. Alliance offers many popular community programs such as Adventures in Safetyland, a summer camp that teaches children life-saving rules, as well as classes on CPR, first aid and safe driving. Through a partnership with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, Alliance educates members of the community on how to properly install car seats.
Do it right the first time
The effective safety training that Alliance provides is invaluable to businesses and industries. Properly trained employees suffer fewer safety incidents, reduce industry costs, and equip individuals with the knowledge and skills they need. Employees’ successes equal company successes as well. Alliance has nearly 1,300 available courses, and it’s always working with companies and contractors to develop new custom training programs.
Current Alliance offerings include Certified Occupational Safety Specialist (COSS), Certificate for Occupational Safety Managers (COSM), Safe Supervisor and AlertDriving, as well as the PowerSafe training system. Alliance provides training on-site at its four locations, online or by bringing the program directly to the customer’s location.
“The reciprocal training model eliminates redundant training to get employees to the jobsite gate-ready,” Trahan explained. The custom Web-based training is the fastest-growing segment and works well for those instances where training is needed immediately or prior to workers arriving at the jobsite.
These established training programs make up the heart of Alliance, but the organization also creates resources to meet customers’ distinct training needs, including courses in other languages. The e-learning development team takes corporate knowledge and converts it into cost-effective training that is comprehensive and consistent. For companies requiring added security, identity verification is available, as well as Security Passport™, which is an economical way to perform background checks on potential employees.
Alliance is well known for its dynamic training courses and has done countless presentations across the country. But Alliance also has expertise in a lesser-known service: data integration and records management. The organization strongly believes in analyzing data to make smarter choices. Alliance takes care of the details, developing custom systems that meet the specific needs of a company. This allows its members to focus on their core business.
Ask, ‘What’s next?’
The past prepares for the future. While the strategies that were successful in the past may not be the same ones that elevate the future of Alliance and the industries it serves, those past experiences serve as fuel for innovation. Embracing change and growth is a fundamental value of Alliance, as it anticipates future needs of the industry and local communities.
The future holds exciting new developments for Alliance’s members that focus on diversifying its digital platforms and offering technical expertise to its network of contractors and the companies it serves. As part of its commitment to the success of members and customers, Alliance aims to assess and address the constantly evolving needs of customers looking to streamline their work processes. With new technologies and safety protocols being introduced regularly in the industry, there’s no time to become complacent. Ensuring members are thoroughly prepared for industry changes is a top priority for Alliance.
Bring it every day
Alliance relies on the ideas and feedback of its team of experts to help develop new processes to apply internally and new solutions to share with members. One of its guiding fundamental principles is to always approach a challenge with a “How can we make this work?” attitude.
Alliance values the relationships it has developed over the past 60 years with its employees, members and industry partners. The organization currently works with over 9,500 companies to train people from every state and more than 30 countries. No matter what innovative programs and services Alliance develops in the future, they will all be motivated by the mission to share knowledge and services in ways that benefit South Louisiana. It’s safe to say Alliance is grateful for the support of its members, communities and partners, and will continue to return that support by providing effective, efficient and innovative training and technology solutions.
For more information, visit www.alliancesafetycouncil.org or call (877) 345-1253.