An organization, its resources and its people are only safe when its team is engaged in and truly owns the safety management system.
Policies may provide a source of worksite rules, but what good are those if not acted on? When an unforeseen hazard arises, does your team ignore it, or do they have the knowledge, authority and skills to adapt?
Workplace safety impacts production, quality, job satisfaction, employee retention and the bottom line. It requires total employee engagement, leadership support and the design and deployment of a solid safety management system. When these components are combined as a shared set of values, an organization has a strong safety culture.
Building a strong safety culture starts with leadership and the deployment of an effective safety management system. It requires the openness of sharing information rather than hiding it and accountability, where the responsibility for safety is shared by all. Most importantly, leadership ensures that the tools and training required for skills development are provided so employees can be successful in sharing responsibility, which empowers them and encourages their engagement.
"Our big emphasis over the past seven years has been leadership development, for leadership coming to an understanding of their roles and their responsibilities to get their engagement," said Corey Arledge, CHST, STSC, executive director of safety for Eldeco Inc., when asked about building a strong safety culture. "Now we have a greater number of safety professionals in the field who are going to be able to see more and do more than any one safety professional can."
Eldeco Inc. is a Certification Sponsor with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). Its leadership invests in the certification of its team members, building an understanding of safety practice across the organization. This led to a 31-percent reduction in injuries for the company, a 50-percent decrease in overall workers' compensation claims costs, and a 15-percent increase in work hours.
BCSP certifications assess safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) knowledge and experience, and they demonstrate competency in safety practice. This brings respect and recognition to the certification holder. Companies and other organizations use certification to validate their workers' skills and promote better safety practices.
BCSP has eight certifications that identify the baseline safety competencies appropriate to different roles within an organization. The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is among the most reputable and recognized of any safety certification, ANSI National Accredition Board-accredited and in high demand - you will often find it as a requirement in job listings for occupational safety and health careers.
Creating a robust safety culture requires a comprehensive credentialing plan. "You've got to get credentialed individuals on board because, first and foremost, they have the knowledge," explained Anthony Miller, executive vice president of safety, health, and environmental for Sunbelt Rentals and Ashtead Group plc. "You [also] have to have someone who is willing to step back to hear operations' side of the problem and then work with them ... The safety [team] is part of building a culture. You have to have [the] safety team."
BCSP Certification Sponsorship began with the Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) and Safety Trained Supervisor Construction (STSC) certifications. For those who do not have safety as a primary duty, the STS and STSC certifications provide a method of ensuring those who achieve them have the knowledge and confidence to engage in creating safer and healthier worksites.
"Front-line supervisors play an integral role in our day-to-day safety culture," said Stacy R. Workman-Wyatt, SMS, HSE culture leader for Cummins. "I would say the front-line supervisors have been really helpful because we have involved them in the development. It's not something the corporate team could just set up and say, 'Hey, we're going to do this for this group.' We really brought the stakeholders together and as a result, it's been well received." The program now includes all BCSP credentials, covering the continuum of those impacting the safety culture of their organizations.
For more information, visit www.bcsp.org or call (317) 593-4800.
