Safety 2011 Blog

"When we come here, we feel like we’re coming to a family reunion!"

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:27:00 -0400

““When we come here, we feel like we’re coming to a family reunion!””

- Del Tally, ASSE Fellow and past president

Addressing Pain Before it Becomes a Claim

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:35:29 -0400

Using data from a real world example with client Kimberly Clark, Trent Shuford, from InjuryFree Inc. (Session 766), talked about the societal factors that increase risk in the workplace, as well as the key areas of reducing risk: biophysics, ergonomics, education and awareness. With the goal of addressing pain before it becomes a claim, Shuford’s firm worked with Kimberly Clark to educate its workers to pay attention to pain and address it before it manifested into an injury. By addressing the four barriers, the firm was able to significantly, measurably reduce injuries.

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:30:06 -0400

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole:

“Check your shoes and your day will not slip away.”

Thanks, Hytest. ASSE appreciates your support!

Insights From the Loss Control Executive Summit

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:28:47 -0400

To get the ear of the C-level executives, risk control professionals must demonstrate value to the business. This was the overarching theme of the Loss Control Executive Summit.

The panel included senior executives in loss control, Steven Hernandez, CSP, ARM, from Chubb & Sons; Christine Sullivan, CSP, ARM, from Lockton Cos.; Connie Bayne, CSP, from Liberty Mutual Insurance; Chris Iovino, CSP, ARM, from AON Risk Services; and Bill Boyd, CSP, CIH, CPE, from CNA.

The panelists talked about how their firms add value for their clients, offered some insight into the future of loss control, their perspectives on predictive modeling, how they see technology affecting loss control and what they look for when hiring staff.

While technical expertise is important, each panelist talked about additional key abilities when it comes to hiring staff. Iovino stressed that loss control professionals must understand the financial and business side. Bayne added that the ability to communicate well, and more importantly, the ability to effectively listen and understand business needs and drivers, is critical.

Hernandez pointed out that 15 years ago, candidates were assessed based on safety and scientific expertise. Today, the firm looks for people who understand business. Loss control or technical knowledge can be taught, but the business understanding is crucial.

Sullivan and Boyd pointed to the ability to develop relationships, and develop those relationships as professionals.

Thanks to ClickSafety for sponsoring this session!

Great Week for ASSE Foundation

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:22:07 -0400

ASSE Foundation had a banner week at Safety 2011. The Foundation raised $127,000 from the golf outing, silent auction and ASSE members making contributions to the profession. Continuing a popular tradition, chapters, regions and members donated $97,000 during the ASSE House of Delegates meeting alone!

NIOSH’s John Howard at Safety 2011. NIOSH’s John...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:15:00 -0400

NIOSH’s John Howard at Safety 2011.

NIOSH’s John Howard and OSHA’s David Michaels shared their insights and thoughts on the future of safety during the plenary session at Safety 2011 in Chicago.

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:00:06 -0400

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole:

“Ignoring a warning can cause much mourning.”

With special thanks to Radar Speed Signs & Trailers

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:47:06 -0400

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole:

“Don’t be safety-blinded. Be safety-minded.”

Thanks, DuPont Protection Technologies, for exhibiting at Safety 2011! See you in Denver for Safety 2012!

Words Are Heard, Actions Are Believed

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:11:00 -0400

Words can have a profound effect on safety—particularly when fault or blame are the default setting for safety. Words also greatly affect an SH&E professional’s credibility—especially when something that can’t or won’t be done is promised. These problems lead to a safety culture based on negative management techniques and avoidance, none of which build ownership or engage employees.

So, what can you do to develop a positive safety culture? That was the focus of “Actions Speak Louder Than Words: How to Create a Positive Safety Process.” According to presenter Chris Goulart of RCI Safety, SH&E professionals need to understand the motivations that drive actions; make safety personal; remove cultural barriers and organizational norms that prevent safe work actions; have credibility by reinforcing safe work habits whenever possible; focus on the positive; and coach instead of discipline. “To get employees to own safety, we have to create an environment where they are motivated to work safely,” he said.

It’s also important to emphasize action and performance, not outcomes. “Focus on working toward achievement, not the avoidance of failure.”

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:00:06 -0400

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole:

“Falling objects can be brutal if you don’t protect your noodle.”

Thanks, Honeywell Safety Products, for exhibiting at Safety 2011!

Poster Session Winners

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:54:00 -0400

ASSE recently announced the winners of the poster sessions at Safety 2011.

“Measuring Ambient Air Concentrations in a Research and Development (R&D) Clean Room Environment.” The project was conducted by Samantha Connell, Burton Ogle, Ph.D., CIH, CSP; Tracy Zontek, Ph.D., CIH, CSP, all of Western Carolina University; and Scott Hollenbeck, CIH, and John Jankovic, CIH, of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

“A Study of NIOSH Highway Work Zones Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program Based on Gibb-Haslam Model of Accident Causation,” which was conducted by Hossein Hosseini Tabar and Michael Behm, Eastern Carolina University

“NIOSH Development of a Multi-Functional Guardrail System,” by E.A. McKenzie Jr„ Thomas Bobick and Douglas Cantis, all of NIOSH.

Avoiding Death By PowerPoint

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:12:00 -0400

In his presentation, Bag of Tricks: Presentation Design, Don Weatherbee of Reichhold Inc., shared guidelines and tips for creating presentations that engage people—not put them to sleep.

Weatherbee outlined four key elements of any presentation—speaker, audience, location and “the deck” (the “slides”); examined delivery platforms; and highlighted three types of training—topic-based, task-based and story-based.

One thing any trainer must remember, Weatherbee said, is that PowerPoint is not Word. “Think of PowerPoint as a billboard,” he said. That means don’t overload slides with too much information and remember that images speak louder than words.

At the end of the fast-moving session, Weatherbee asked the audience to guess how many slides had been in his presentation. Guesses ranged from 45 to 90. The actual number was 200—but it certainly didn’t feel like it. Best of all, Weatherbee didn’t use one bullet point.

You can view his presentation at http://tinyurl.com/yfcudd8

Thanks to ASSE’s Training and Communication Branch of the RM/I Practice Specialty for sponsoring this session!

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:45:00 -0400

A Safety Slogan From ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole:

“Safety fits like a glove. Try one on.” (or) “No Glove, No Safety!”

With special thanks to Magid Glove & Safety

Sponsor Spotlight: LJB Inc. Associate Sponsor Corporate...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:33:02 -0400

Sponsor Spotlight: LJB Inc.

Associate Sponsor

Corporate Profile: LJB (www.LJBinc.com) focuses on reducing risk for workers at heights. The company provided fall protection program management, risk assessments, abatement design and commissioning services. LJB also delivers fall protection training in both in-class and online formats.

LJB is independence from equipment manufacturers and its involvement on the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Committee allows staff to be educated but unbiased when evaluating and designing fall protection solutions. In addition, LJB staff of dually registered P.E.s and CSPs help ensure that unique structural and safety issues are addressed.

To learn more, contact Thom Kramer, P.E., CSP, at (937) 259-5120; tkramer@LJBinc.com.

Does Loss Control Contribute to Your Company’s Bottom Line?

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:33:00 -0400

I am often asked: How does loss control make a valuable contribution to the company? That depends on how the organization utilizes loss control and the characteristics of professionals who are part of the team.

If loss control is used primarily as an inspection service that raises objections which are seen as roadblocks to writing new business, then the ultimate financial results will reflect that attitude. Loss control will be ignored as much as the organization will allow, and many poor risks will be placed on the books.

In turn, if loss control is used as a marketing tool, mainly focused on pushing services to promote the sale of insurance, but not focused on addressing loss exposure issues, the same thing will ultimately happen.

Instead, organizations should seek an integrated model that considers loss control an internal partner, a vital part of the insurance decision process, and an important value-added service to the client. Loss control should be at the table as a part of the underwriting and account management process; an equal partner with claims and underwriting in determining client insurability, acquisition and retention.

This integrated model offers a way to measure the contributions loss control is making to the bottom line. First, we can gather feedback from internal and external customers who can speak specifically about how loss control brought value to the business relationship, which is tied to income generated or expenses saved.

We can also track client performance based on their time with us. For instance, we may be able to show that the loss performance of longer-term clients is several points better than newer clients, indicating the impact of services provided.

Finally (and this is an evolving process at Chubb), we have developed better tools to track the clients we interact with versus the clients we do not. Our initial observations are that the clients we interact with more have better long-term performance than those with whom we interact less.

However, bottom-line success loss control professionals to be solution developers and problem solvers. They should be a reason a client cites for either selecting an insurance provider or staying with that provider when it’s time to renew.

Loss control professionals should be open to robust debate and conversation around new ideas and potential solutions. In fact, the best loss control professionals and the most successful are those who embrace change and find ways to be a part of it. Loss control professionals who embody these qualities are the ones that can delight the customer and make a measurable and positive contribution to the company.

What’s your company’s approach to loss control?

—Contributed by Steve Hernandez, senior vice president and worldwide loss control manager for the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies

Executives Advise SH&E Professionals

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:31:46 -0400

During the Safety 2011 Executive Summit, a panel of high-ranking corporate executives shared their insights on how SH&E professionals can be more effective and have greater influence. When asked what advice they could give attendees to take back to their workplaces, each executive provided some sage counsel.

“Read The Logic of Failure,” advised Anne Pramaggione, president and COO of Commonwealth Edison. “It explains how people think and make decisions. She also said, “At the end of the day, it’s about people. The role of leader is personal, not isolated. Engage with the people being asked to take safe actions.”

Jim Cristman, vice president and general manager of CITGO Lemont Refinery, shared this strong advice: “No regrets. Don’t wait to say it, don’t wait to do it,” he said about working to advance safety.

Charlie Bacon, chair and CEO of Limbach Facility Services, stressed caring as the key change agent in companies. “When people care about a company because they know the company cares about them,” the investment in safety can have a “ginormous return on investment,” he said.

Boeing’s Atsuo Miyake encouraged SH&E professionals to be problem solvers and to be persistent. Quoting Winston Churchill, Mikayke said, “Success is to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm.” Miyake is corporate director of EHS, commercial airlines.

Susan Lewis, corporate director of EH&S Operating, Dow Chemical, pointed to her industry responsible care initiative as an important guiding principle and emphasized the safety-first mind-set. “Instead of thou shalts, we need to encourage I wills,” she explained. “We want people to feel strange if they aren’t operating in a safety-first mind-set.”

Thanks to BP for sponsoring the Executive Summit!

A Safety Slogan from ASSE’s Nancy...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:00:00 -0400

A Safety Slogan from ASSE’s Nancy O’Toole

“Personal protective equipment is self- defense.”

Thanks, Protective Industrial Products, for exhibiting at Safety 2011! Hope to see you in Denver!

"There’s a reason we can reach so high, and it’s because we stand on the shoulders of giants."

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:45:53 -0400

““There’s a reason we can reach so high, and it’s because we stand on the shoulders of giants.””

- Mark Hansen, ASSE Fellow and past president

Session 662, Lessons From Past ASSE Presidents and Fellows

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:44:53 -0400

Delmar E. Tally, P.E., CSP; Margaret M. Carroll, P.E., CSP; Mark D. Hansen, P.E., CSP, CPE, CPEA. The thousands of volunteer hours amassed between these three speakers—each a past president and ASSE Fellow—is mind boggling. As each spoke, one couldn’t help but reflect on the changes that have been effected within the Society and the SH&E profession due to their leadership and guidance.

Between them, they inspired, led and spearheaded change that launched the ASSE Foundation, elevated the Society to be recognized as the source for SH&E expertise, restructured the Society to manage the profession, bringing safety to the next level.

Hearing from influential leaders spanning the past three decades is humbling and moving. Every volunteer leader, as well as students and members interested in pursuing leadership roles within the Society, should hear this session.

Stop by the CD sales booth in front of the Service Center for information on ordering.

"If you don’t have a vision of where you want to go, you’re probably not going to go anywhere."

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:04:00 -0400

““If you don’t have a vision of where you want to go, you’re probably not going to go anywhere.””

- Margaret Carroll, ASSE Fellow and past president