​ 
It seems that there are all kinds of new safety rules coming out these days. In the last couple of years, we have seen new rules covering COVID-19, Heat Illness Prevention, Wildfire Smoke, Silica Exposure, Manganese in Welding, OSHA Penalties, and others. And guess what! There are more coming.
 
Federal OSHA is in the final rules stage in Hazard Communication updates and Tracking of Workplace Injuries. They also have proposed rule updates for Cranes in construction, Lock Out, Tree Care, PPE in construction, Walking and Working Surfaces, Forklifts, and others. It is likely these will eventually begin to show up in the OR-OSHA rules as well.
 
You can read the rules. You can ask questions to OSHA about their intent and application. You can attend classes at conferences to learn more. But did you know that your safety peers in the community may also be sources of information for rule changes and how those changes will be implemented? In fact, because of the networking afforded by our monthly meetings (generally the first Tuesday of each month), you can meet with peers and either ask them how they are responding to the changes, or maybe you have it all figured out, and you can share what you are doing with these new challenges. 
 
In the local safety community, networking is highly important. We re-energize and support each other. Quite often we learn from each other. Besides the professional lasting relationships we develop, these attributes of networking are what it’s all about. All you have to do is choose to be plugged in and participate. 
 
If you are already attending and participating, help to bring others along in our safety community. If you are not attending, think of how much you are missing out on. Despite so many of us being very busy these days, most will tell you that the time spent in the American Society of Safety Professional’s Southern Oregon Chapter gatherings are of great value. The networking and the training are worth the time. As noted above, with all the changes coming to safety rules, it will be difficult for one person to know and do it all, but together we can decipher the changes and find best practices for implementation.
 
Remember, our monthly meetings are the first Tuesday of each month (holidays may cause the date to move out a week on occasion) at Black Bear Diner starting usually at noon. Safety community members begin showing up at 11:30 though to ensure the networking time. I hope to see you there.
 
Chris Lawrence
Chapter President
 

​ 
Working, Specializing and Getting Certified as a Safety Professional: Where to Start?
March 17, 2023

Being a safety professional is a rewarding and respectable career choice, allowing for flexibility, variety, growth, opportunities for leadership and long-term stability.
“This is not a boring job,” says Colin Brown, Ph.D., CSP, CIH, CIT, director of business advancement with the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). “The sky’s the limit. You can do anything you want to in this profession. . . . It’s dynamic and it’s always changing, and that means that we have to be well-prepared with the skills and knowledge to respond to that kind of environment.”
To keep up, safety professionals are constantly investing in ongoing professional development, often in the form of obtaining certificates and certifications that demonstrate their growing knowledge base.
These credentials are worth more than just bragging rights. This is underscored by the median salary of full-time safety professionals who have one certification, which is $98,000, according to BCSP’s salary survey. That salary grows as these professionals add more designations, such as associate safety professional (ASP), certified safety professional (CSP), safety management specialist (SMS), construction health and safety technician (CHST), and occupational hygiene and safety technician (OHST).
For example, the CSP certification adds approximately $27,700 to the salary of a practitioner, according to the survey.
“As safety professionals, you have an opportunity to really take charge of your own professional development and to build those skills that are going to make and keep you in high demand,” Brown says.
For emerging professionals who want to invest in their careers through certification, Brown and Jessica Richardson, M.S., CSP, CIT, CHST, STSC, senior manager of professional and organizational advancement with BCSP, explain how safety professionals can move through the credentialing process efficiently.

Specializations Within the Safety Profession
One of the first things many safety professionals consider is how they might want to specialize within the safety field. Because of the broad need for safety across many different types of industries and the many niches available within the field, safety professionals have an unprecedented opportunity to determine their own paths.
“Many safety professionals are generalists and that’s excellent because that’s what many companies need. But if you also find a particular passion or specialization, there’s a lot of opportunity for you as well,” Brown says.
Specialization can make you more valuable, Richardson adds. “Think about things like transportation safety. Right now, modular construction is on the rise. They’re building things off-site and transporting them to the actual job site. Now we’re transferring the risk from the construction job site to the transportation professionals. So follows the risk, so follows the safety professional. . . . Our jobs are going to change and you can be at the cutting edge of that.”
She suggests that emerging professionals “do as much as they can as early and often as they can to find out what they like and what they're good at and become great at it. Get as much exposure as you can to the overall profession and really hone in on what excites you.”
Certification can also support specialization. As you realize the path you want to follow, gaining specialized certifications, such as the certified professional ergonomist or (CPE) or certified instructional trainer (CIT), can demonstrate your special knowledge and skills in that area.

Safety Certification: What It Is and What It Isn’t
Certification carries specific defining features and is different than similar credentials like a certificate or license. In its most detailed definition, a certification is a:

• Professional credential
• Competence assessment
• Third-party validation of the four Es: education, experience, examination and ethics
• Voluntary process
• Evaluation of individuals against a standard
• Requirement of continuing education, professional development, and recertification

The continuing education requirement is an important distinction between certification and a certificate. Whereas a certificate is like a snapshot of learning in particular moment, a certification shows the development of a professional throughout their career.
Because of the requirements for recertification, professionals who are certified attend conferences, take webinars, read and write books and articles, join industry communities, network, and generally stay at the forefront of what’s happening in the profession and making the profession stronger, Richardson says. “Your ASSP membership is a very important part of your recertification process,” she adds. “You get recertification points for not only being an ASSP member but also for participating in ASSP, so be a leader.”

Why Earn a Safety Certification?
Certification comes with numerous benefits for safety professionals. Richardson and Brown outline a few:

• Opportunities for career advancement
• Personal satisfaction
• Recognition by peers
• Potential increase in salary
• Required by employer or government

They also stress the importance of choosing an accredited certification that is recognized by an accreditation body such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This ensures the certification maintains specific requirements, which protects the validity and integrity behind the process of achieving it, Richardson says.

Which Safety Certification Is Right For Me?
Determining which credential is right for you depends on many factors, but primarily depends on your education, work experience, and career aspirations. Talking to other credentialed professionals in the safety field can give you an idea of which direction to pursue. “The longest-running credential is the CSP. For many, this is a career aspiration and a certification widely recognized by employers,” Brown says.

The Safety Certification Process
Regardless of which certification you choose to pursue, the process for BCSP certifications is the same. Here is an overview:

1. Choose which credential is right for you and apply online.
2. Meet the education requirement. This varies depending on the certification.
3. Meet the experience requirement. This also varies.
4. Apply. You will be notified when your application is approved.
5. Purchase an exam. Candidates have one year to schedule and sit for the exam.
6. Sit for the exam. Exams for BCSP certifications are scheduled through Pearson VUE testing centers and delivered via computer. As soon as candidates submit their exam, results are available.
7. Maintain certification. There is an annual renewal fee and recertification is required every five years.

How to Prepare For a Safety Certification Exam
To prepare for your certification exam, Richardson and Brown recommend asking other credential-holders you know how to prepare. They offer several other suggestions as well.

• Assess your strengths and weaknesses: Each exam has a “blueprint” that outlines the exam’s content. The blueprint is broken down into different domains that cover various topics. Brown recommends looking through those domains and giving yourself a score based on how well you know each topic so you see where you need to focus. His rule of thumb: If you can create your own questions on the topics, these are likely strong areas. If you struggle to do this, these are your likely weak areas.
• Have an examination preparation plan: Build a road map to work on your strengths and weaknesses that focuses on consistency. Brown recommends setting a time and a space to study every day, even if you just start with five minutes at a time. “Being consistent builds up small wins and will help you study for longer and maintain it,” he says.
• Develop a test-taking strategy: Think ahead to the techniques that will help you perform best on test day. Brown recommends reading items carefully and thinking about the context of each question, as well as having a strategy for ensuring you get as many questions answered as possible during each timed section. Above all, he advises, get a good night’s sleep.
• Learn how the questions are asked: The way the questions are written can trip up test-takers who aren’t prepared, Richardson says.

One of most comprehensive ways to prepare for the exams is with our exam preparation courses for the ASP, CSP, SMS, CHST and OHST certifications. You can take these courses three different ways: in-person at a specific location, in a live virtual classroom, or in a self-paced online format. Course participants receive study outlines, workbooks, practice problems, suggested resources, and study aids, as well as guidance in areas where they need additional preparation.
Regardless of when or how you become certified, it is important to know there is a certification available for every stage of your career journey. It’s never too late to add credentials to your career.
 
Understand and Master the Steps to Safety Certification
Our certification exam preparation courses are led by knowledgeable industry leaders who will coach you to success. Each course includes a thorough overview of the exam, giving you the opportunity to assess your current understanding of the content and create a study plan that works for you.
 
 
 

​Learning safety can be a funny thing. The average person in the workforce does not sit down at the workstation and say, “I wonder what the national safety awareness topic is for the month of (pick a month).” However, most safety professionals will do this more than once in their career. By doing so, we find there is an amazing amount of information to be gained. There is a copious amount of awareness topics for each month, but there are always a few that fit right with our needs. 
 
Recently, I did this Google search: “Safety awareness topic for the month of March.” Did you know that ladder safety is a March national focus? That’s right. Many topics showed up, but for me ladder safety was the standout. This was timely because I was recently having a ladder safety discussion with a colleague, and of course, there are the usual things I have to say about ladder safety, which is probably similar to what most safety folks would discuss. However, are there other things to consider? Is there more I can dive into regarding ladders? Why not see what the ladder gurus have to say! 
 
This is the beauty of these national safety focus monthly programs and how we can learn from them. Whatever the national monthly safety topic is, you can find some very refined and valuable information to advance your safety efforts. Using the ladder safety month as an example, I found this paragraph in an on-line article from Teddy Durgin: “National Ladder Safety Month is all about educating the public on the steps one must take when climbing a ladder, whether at home or at work. But any industry professional worth his or her salt will tell you – safety begins even before that. It begins with picking the right ladder. And when choosing the right ladder, there are several things that must be taken into account.”  Teddy went on to share comments from Chad Lingerfelt, National Safety Training Manager for Illinois-based WernerCo, who suggested that the first step to ladder safety is choosing the right ladder for the right job.
 
What’s interesting here is that Teddy’s article is from the laddersafetymonth.com website, which is presented by the American Ladder Institute, and Chad works for one of the world’s premier ladder manufacturers. Just think of the ladder safety knowledge encapsulated in this National Ladder Safety Month website! I am certain I can find more than enough information from this website to teach a crew on how to choose the right ladder – and much more! My point in this article is not ladder safety per se. Rather it is more about ways to learn and develop as safety professionals. A simple search for a national monthly safety topic can lead to a wealth of knowledge that comes from subject matter experts. These tools are readily available and are often filled with free, yet valuable, information to help us become better at what we do. 
 
Want to improve your working knowledge in safety? Do this search: “Safety awareness topic for the month of March (or other month).” It can be very enlightening. It can build your knowledge and give you tools for your safety program.
 
Chris Lawrence
​Chapter President

​James Moulsdale is the new Government Affairs Coordinator for the Southern Oregon ASSP Executive Committee, and we are super excited to welcome him aboard!
 
 
 
Hi, James! Can you share a few tidbits about yourself or maybe a favorite hobby?
 
James: I spent most of my career on the East Coast, doing industrial hygiene and EHS consulting in the Baltimore/Washington region. In 2018, my family and I moved to Oregon, and I began work with Erickson, Inc. in their safety department, where I focused on environmental compliance, hazardous waste management, and general safety programs. In 2022, I joined SAIF as a Senior Safety Management Consultant and work with businesses primarily in the Klamath Falls region. My wife (Lisa) and I have two girls, Natalie-4 and Nora-15-months. We enjoy all sorts of outdoor activities like camping, hiking, boating, etc., and I’ve been a dedicated hunter and fisherman since I was a kid.
 
How long have you been a member of the ASSP?
 
James: I joined ASSP in 2022 when I started with SAIF. I joined the executive committee in February 2023 as Government Affairs Coordinator. I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the executive committee and look forward to a productive year for our chapter.
 
What do you think is the biggest benefit to membership?
 
James: I think the greatest benefit to membership is the chance to network and get to know all the great folks we have in our safety community here in Southern Oregon!
 
Can you share an item on your bucket list?
 
James: Being from the East Coast, I’ve had the opportunity to do lots of deer hunting but very little elk hunting. Taking a bull elk with archery gear is one of my long-term goals/bucket list items.
 
What is something you wish more people understood about occupational safety?
 
James: 100% compliance will only solve 20% of your safety problems.
 
This one is for fun. ☺
If you had a personal “warning label,” what would it say?
 
James: HAZARDOUS TO WILDLIFE.
Kidding aside, I’m a conservationist and care deeply about the health of our fish and wildlife populations and their proper management.

Occupational safety and health have made great strides over the past five decades. Since the signing of the OSH Act in 1970, standards and regulations have been put in place to improve conditions for workers across all industries. However, there is always more work to do to ensure everyone goes home in the same condition as when they arrived.

In 2020, 4,764 fatal occupational injuries occurred in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, OSHA’s top 10 most cited violations relate to many of the same standards year after year. With all of this in mind, what more can safety professionals do — and what can we as a Society do — to improve workplace conditions?
We recently spoke with President Christine Sullivan, President-Elect Jim Thornton and Senior Vice President Pam Walaski for their perspective on the current state of occupational safety and health, the challenges facing safety professionals, what they’d like to see from OSHA, and how we can continue working together for a safer, stronger future in the coming year.

The Current State of Occupational Safety and Health

ASSP: What are your thoughts on the current state of occupational safety and health?

Sullivan: Since March 2020, workplace safety and awareness of workplace safety has changed significantly. Although workers still need to be kept safe from traditional hazards, COVID-19 has introduced significant new exposures.
In the past, safety professionals were primarily asked to prevent injuries and illnesses in their organizations, but now responsibilities are expanding to nontraditional items like wellness, mental health, and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). Currently, safety is at the forefront for many company executives, but we need to continue to push to be in the C-suite.

Thornton: Safety professionals have helped to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatality rates over the years. However, despite their dedicated efforts, injury, illness, and fatality rates have recently held steady. The COVID-19 recovery has created even more challenges: the loss of experienced workers, hiring of new workers, transition to remote work, changing of work schedules, and more.

Novel approaches to OSH management are warranted to further reduce injuries and illnesses. We must emphasize and research the human side of safety, including mental health and workplace stress. In my view, this is the new frontier for OSH programs and represents a monumental opportunity to make a difference.

Walaski: Hardly anyone would disagree that the pandemic created significant changes in the way organizations operate. From telecommuting to worker shortages to supply chain disruptions, these changes required and continue to require organizations to pivot quickly. This is especially true regarding how OSH needs are addressed.

However, I believe that a significant evolution of OSH practices has been going on for much longer and has provided a foundation for managing current changes. In the past five to seven years, we have seen an increased awareness of emerging approaches that focus on the role of the organization’s systems to effect change. More people have begun to appreciate how those systems create capacity and resilience to operate effectively under varying conditions.

Approaches like human and organizational performance (HOP) and Safety Differently focus on understanding human behavior in the context of the system, rather than the other way around. Aligning with these systems-based approaches are those which focus on the role of the OSH leader to create an environment that fosters creative problem-solving and a willingness to speak up without fear of reprisal or shame. 

The Challenges Facing Safety Professionals

ASSP: What are the greatest challenges facing safety professionals today?

Sullivan: Many safety professionals lack business skills such as effective communication, calculating the return on investment of safety, and demonstrating the impact they have on their organizations. Wellness, mental health, and ESG are emerging issues where safety professionals can have an impact. 

Thornton: I have had conversations with safety professionals who say they are having challenges adapting their OSH programs to adjust to new employees entering the workforce as well as senior workers leaving.
But the primary challenge for OSH professionals is to find time for continuing education while keeping their workplaces safe. As we enter our new normal following COVID, OSH professionals will be met with increasing responsibilities and challenges. We must recognize these challenges and find ways to help our members.

Walaski: One is the need to recruit more people to enter the profession. We know that the number of OSH professionals nearing retirement age is high and the number of those entering the profession doesn’t match. Recruitment can take place at the high school level, but finding ways to attract people already in the workforce will be a big part of any targeted endeavor.  
We also know that evolving workplaces require new and different approaches to OSH. For example, “blame the worker” approaches are being replaced in organizations that recognize incidents are opportunities to learn. These organizations understand that workers are acting and reacting as part of a system that needs to be understood for real change and improvement to occur.

How Our Community Can Help

ASSP: How can our Society help safety professionals address these challenges?

Sullivan: We need to be quicker and more nimble. For example, Total Worker Health® has been a topic for many years, but we are not there yet. How do we do this faster so we are not overshadowed by other organizations? Many safety professionals don’t understand ESG and how it ties to human capital and the impact they can have in their role. Education is key, but again we need to be nimble.

Thornton: We must use our Advisory Group to identify emerging trends in the workplace so we can develop solid educational programs to help our members. We must deliver these programs in an efficient and effective manner.
We should also teach safety professionals how to implement specific training programs that are tailored to employee experience levels and cultural differences. Customized, targeted training could be a real gamechanger.

Walaski: OSH professionals join this profession by following a variety of paths. We know from our research than more than half of members enter our profession from other disciplines or with degrees other than those with occupational safety and health in their names.
The formation of the ASSP Foundation’s Educational Framework Task Force is a critical step in meeting professionals where they are, when they are ready.
 
Looking to the Future

ASSP: How do you see work changing, and how can safety professionals adapt to those changes? 

Sullivan: Artificial intelligence and data collection will play key roles. COVID pushed us into a remote work environment, and while currently this is focused on office workers, I see more robotics and AI allowing even those in manufacturing to work remotely.
Continuous learning and change will become important. I think you are going to see a need for people who are more like coaches and teachers as work changes, so those are skills safety professionals will need to learn.

Thornton: The workplace is constantly changing and always will. It is critical that OSH professionals stay ahead of trends in this dynamic environment and participate in networking and educational programs that help them effectively manage their programs and better protect workers.
With technological changes moving at the speed of light and the global economy in flux, the future of work is highly unpredictable. It is critical that the Society remain fully committed to monitoring the evolution of work and adapting our strategic plan.

Walaski: Professions and professionals are always evolving, changing, and adapting — and OSH is no different. I am confident that we will continue to learn and be open to new and different ways of leading our organizations. We have become so much more aware of our role as a partner and trusted advisor rather than a “doer.”
Our role as a safety cop or safety officer should be considered outdated, and our role as an engager who helps workers share their knowledge and expertise should be the norm. We should all acknowledge the dignity of work.
 
What OSHA Can Do

ASSP: What would you like to see from OSHA to help improve conditions for workers?

Sullivan: OSHA needs to reexamine the way it does standards. While standards are important for many organizations, the standards have no impact on where employee injuries are occurring. OSHA needs to use the data they are collecting from companies and do a better job using predictive analytics to focus their efforts on areas where they can make an impact.

Thornton: I think OSHA should require the recognition of qualified safety and health professionals for future regulations. Safety professionals will ensure requirements are properly followed and will be able to provide different control options for regulatory compliance. As a result, many more workers would have a safety professional looking out for their interests.
In addition, I think OSHA ought to consider more frequent use of the “negotiated rulemaking” method of developing OSH standards. Although the moniker carries a negative connotation, the concept is that the agency has the authority to bring affected stakeholders and technical experts together and develop “reasonable-yet-protective” OSH standards.

Walaski: Addressing emerging and changing hazards requires a process that is nimble, so relying on OSHA to promulgate regulations is unreasonable given that its process is part of the OSH Act and unlikely to be modified. However, the approaches and voluntary consensus standards that OSH professionals rely on are based on a model that includes all stakeholders and is revisited on a prescribed basis to be revised or reaffirmed.

I would like to see OSHA find a way to incorporate the required use of OSH professionals who use these standards into some of their activities. Perhaps local area directors who are negotiating with employers for the reduction of fines could require consultation as part of negotiations. In a way, this would expand the use of the consultation programs already in place.
 
 
 
 

Hi, Chris! We already know you are our chapter president, but can you please tell us a little about who you are?
 
Chris: I grew up in Oregon and graduated from Crater High School. I joined the Air Force after a short stint in logging. In 1982, I started my Air Force career in Security Forces protecting nuclear weapons and eventually took on a collateral duty roll in safety in 1993. I loved safety so much that I was able to formally cross train into the profession and graduated from safety school in 1996. 
 
I retired from the Air Force safety program in 2006 with my final assignment as the Occupational Safety Manager for Schriever AFB where we placed space payloads in orbit and operated space-based assets such as the GPS system, communications, reconnaissance, etc. After retiring, I was able to return to Southern Oregon as the regional safety manager for Knife River Corporation. I eventually moved to be the corporate safety manager for Swanson group and eventually landed where I am now as the regional safety manager for Boise Cascade Company.   
 
I enjoyed my Air Force safety career because of the variety of opportunities; I was able to be involved in occupational safety, weapons systems safety, flight safety, space operations safety, and systems safety. Nevertheless, I love being a safety manager here in Southern Oregon, and the safety community peers I get to associate with.
 
How long have you been a member of the ASSP?
 
I have participated in ASSP since 1996 in the Alaska Chapter, I but started my first membership in 2001 in what was then called the international chapter since I had moved overseas. 
 
What do you think is the biggest benefit to membership?
 
Being tied to a community of people in all levels of the safety profession. I firmly believe that my maturity in the safety career field is because of being a member and getting to associate with my peers. I have been mentored by them, and I have mentored some of them. They keep me going! 
 
Do you have any upcoming travel plans?
 
We will do our annual camping trip to Oregon’s Wallowa Lake in July, and then my youngest daughter’s graduation trip to Maui in September.
 
Can you share an item on your bucket list?
 
Since I have traveled to so many places around the world, I want to do something simple and quiet like build a cabin in Ketchikan, Alaska.
 
Is there anything you wish more people understood about your role in safety or safety in general?
 
I wish more people understood that safety is not something you buy in a program. It takes work & effort. A safety person needs to be well rounded. They have to learn laws to comply with, but then work to build a culture that is beyond compliance. It is an art and science to make safety happen. The effort includes being an advocate for the employee and the company at the same time; it requires sales capabilities to convinces ideas and programs; it takes planting seeds and allowing others to take credit for the growth in the safety effort.
 
This one is for fun J:
What would your personal warning label say?
 
Warning: This person loves his family and freedom and knows how to defend them both! Oh, and coffee builds relationships with this person.
 
Thank you, Chris!
 
Check back next month for our continued Member Spotlight series!
​

Help Share Awareness for Preventing Scald Injuries During National Burn Awareness Week
 
National Burn Awareness Week is February 5-11, 2023.
 
 
National Burn Awareness Week is a window of opportunity for organizations to mobilize burn, fire, and life safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in our communities. (American Burn Association, 2023)
OSH Professionals can participate in this national awareness campaign in various ways:

• Review your fire prevention plan
• Evaluate burn hazards at your establishments
• Hold a safety toolbox talk regarding burn hazards in your workplace
• Have a first-aid refresher class for treating burns
• Invite an educator to your facility or host a class
• Share your participation on social media

 
Visit: https://ameriburn.org/advocacy-and-prevention/burn-awareness-week/ to find ways you can participate and share graphics on your social media.
Remember: “Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire!”
​

In January’s Southern Oregon Chapter of the ASSP monthly meeting at Black Bear Diner, we were blessed to hear a presentation from David Hanson, a Senior Safety Consultant with SAIF Corporation. He presented on how to retrain our brain to make conscious decisions that influence safety, time, money, and resources in our organizations. There was a crowd of local safety professionals on hand to participate in this great opportunity to learn and network.
  
Seeing the group made me reflect on past meetings. Prior to COVID-19, we were having excellent meetings routinely, and there were many long-time attendees whose presence assured valuable networking among the local safety community. It was that small town feel where everyone knew each other, and all were willing to ask questions and share ideas. In the meetings since returning from the pandemic, we are again having excellent learning opportunities and starting to see familiar faces. We are seeing relationships build again. This is so important for our safety community. Each person brings a perspective, brings a level of knowledge, and even brings a level of desired learning. We are a group of people who can share experiences and learn from each other. But, what’s more, we are able to continue to build professional relationships and long-term friendships.
 
As I have said before, if you are not regularly attending these monthly meetings at the Black Bear Diner on the first Tuesday of the month, you are really missing out on an opportunity to share what you bring to the table and to learn from what others bring. These meetings give us a chance to meet people who have different perspectives and a variety of experiences. You are missing an opportunity build friendships with outstanding members of our safety community.
 
In all my years of being in safety, becoming an active member of this group is one of the things I cherish most. When I retire down the road, these relationships will be what I will hold onto. I think all routine attendees will convey a similar perspective. We are a community. I hope to see you there in future meetings—I can’t wait to hear your perspective at improving and sustaining safety! It just feels like it’s a place where safety people belong.
 
Chris Lawrence

​ 
A new year is coming!  What will we make of it? I always like the new year feel because it’s a way to tell myself to start fresh with renewed enthusiasm for making operations safer. I feel like I can have a chance to make the new year better than the last!
 
One of the best ways to do this is to have a safety committee evaluate what was done to make the current year as safe as possible. From there, the committee can develop new plans for the new year to make it even more successful. 
 
A committee can look at actual events, review trends, and determine the success of goals and key performance indicators. By doing this, the committee can get a good feel for how things went and define with confidence what didn’t work so well, what did work well, and what adjustments might need to be made. Studying the year’s events for trends and situations that did not go according to plan are very telling for a committee.  As an example, a safety committee had a goal of increasing hazard reports and near miss reports by 15% by the end of 2022. However, after reviewing the data, they found that they were down 11%. Why? What went wrong? In their review they found that the day shift was not reporting as many items as they used to. They found that the shift was down a supervisor, and the supervisor they did have was new. The supervisor was not aware of the intent to increase reporting and did nothing to further the effort.
 
The committee had great intentions but found a “hiccup” in their plans. So, now the committee has to determine whether this situation had a negative impact on their overall goals. Considering the situation above, the safety committee can now see some of the challenges they did not count on. They can now add fixes to these challenges into their 2023 safety plan.  Safety plans are kind of like a play book. The committee sees how the previous year went and can clearly adapt adjustments to the new year plans. They will want to keep the plan manageable and effective but also not so rigid that they can’t make changes as they go throughout the new year. If the committee and leadership follow the plan, and evaluate their success along the way, they can make timely adjustments to ensure a more effective plan that realizes the intended outcomes.
Essentially, the plan becomes a baseline to operate by. When you have a known baseline, your starting and evaluation points are more refined. This truly does help with making minor adjustments and with resetting the plan each year. So, evaluate your year. Consider what worked and what didn’t work and then make a new plan for 2023. Doing this can help 2023 be the safest year on the books!
 
Happy Holidays! End the year safely and make the new year an awesomely safe year for your teams and keeping their families whole!
 
Chris Lawrence
Chapter President
 
 

 I first created this StayWell 18 years ago. It has been so requested that I have updated it over the years and continued it as an annual tradition. My wish is that there is an idea in this that is meaningful, or supportive, for you. I know I learn and benefit from it each year :).

 
Bringing Your Best to Holiday Gatherings
Thanksgiving and holiday gatherings can be full of wonderful moments spent with people we love. I hope your gatherings are full of this.

• Before you meet, think about what you want to bring to the table: your wit, a great story, patience with your 'gift' person, and what do you want to leave in others' hearts and memories about you and this gathering? 
• Attend to your greetings. You set the tone for the whole experience in the first ten seconds of greeting people. Set a kind, warm, or gracious tone.
• We have had much loss, and this gathering might be the first for someone who has recently lost a beloved or is making their way through grief and/or depression and is struggling with feeling thankful. Honor and support them.
• Remind yourself that people who may be challenging for you are important to the person you love. Honor your loved one by rising above pettiness. And have a sense of humor—we are all someone's challenging person!
• Remember your Q-TIP (Quit Taking It Personally). Let others be who they are. Their behavior is not about you. Let go of any urges you may feel to change, criticize, or fix others. 
• Focus on positive aspects of your lives, share funny stories, and remember special family moments. Intentionally bring delight and positive pieces to the conversation.
• If you have children, be aware that you are teaching them important lessons about being kind, polite, and respectful. Model handling holiday gatherings with grace.
• Every awkward or tough situation needs someone to “step-up.” Be that person. Appreciate yourself for taking the high road. Breathe... 
• Use gentle humor to lighten tense moments. Conflict requires two. Avoid it by not engaging in it. Maintain your perspective. It's just a party. You can do this.
• Have a long festivity? Add a walk or go outside and toss a ball with others. Some fresh air and activity are great additions.
• Quick reminder—you can stress, or you can digest, but you can't do both at once. If you are tense, nervous, or angry, those emotions will impair your digestive system. Focus on the positive... you'll be happier in the moment, and your body will be a lot happier in the long run.
• Hosting? Find a moment for yourself, some solitude, to rest, to reflect, to be with your thoughts and feelings. It's easy to lose ourselves in the midst of a busy day in the midst of a stressful year... Take care of yourself; you are important.

I am grateful for each of you and wish you, and those you love, gatherings that bring meaningful connection, a spirit of joy, and moments of pleasure.

Robin

 
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