​David Hanson CSP
Southern Oregon Chapter President
 
President’s April Message
 
There are some good things happening in our chapter this spring. On May 12, we are holding a special free three-hour Professional Development Workshop event in conjunction with the Cascade ASSP chapter and the Oregon TWH Alliance. This course is targeted especially to occupational safety and health professionals, although occupational health nurses, physicians, and wellness and human resource professionals will also benefit from attending. Our instructors for this event are Dede Montgomery from OHSU and Liz Hill with SAIF Corporation. Look at the information about this event on our website under the conference tab. Seating for this event is limited, and we expect interest in this event from all over the Pacific Northwest. We are promoting the event to the Southern Oregon region first. After not being able to do our PDC last October, I am delighted that we are able to offer this professional development workshop this spring. Please join us!
 
I would like to thank our local sponsors that help us provide great programming. This includes our annual safety conference, safety committee university and other events throughout the year. Our sponsors are Boise Cascade, Timber Products Company, Asante, Knife River, Redwood Safety Association, Oregon SHARP Alliance, Oregon Columbia Chapter of AGC, D2000 Safety, Oregon OSHA, Light Symphony, EHS Maven, SAIF Corporation, Sweed Machinery, Duro-Last Roofing, Rogue Valley SHRM, Concepts in Advertising, First Response CPR Training, Mallory Safety Supply,& Providence Medical Group. Without contributions and support from these sponsors, our efforts would be severely hampered. If you know anyone with these organizations, take a little time to thank them again from all of us at Southern Oregon ASSP.

To Register for the Free Total Worker Health Professional Development Workshop, click below:
Total Worker Health Workshop Registration
 
To download the flyer for the event, click below:
Total Worker Health Marketing Flyer

Sincerely,
David Hanson
 
 
Stay safe!
 
David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation
 
David has an expertise building dynamic safety teams and developing high-performing safety cultures. He spent 18 years at Timber Products Company as a Supervisor and Safety Coordinator and facilitated continued certification into Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

​  As we do each year, the chapter holds an election to place volunteers into positions that help the chapter run according to the ASSP guidelines.  We are very grateful for these volunteers because many hands make light work and, quite frankly, our chapter has a lot of resourceful members who bring great ideas to the direction of our chapter.  The slate as posted in this month’s newsletter is put together by a committee of volunteers and is submitted for your review.  The committee nominates candidates for the open positions on the board and it includes movement of persons already on the board.   In the month of May, at the chapter meeting, the membership will be asked to vote on the slate.  If the slate is confirmed by the members, it becomes final and the candidates assume the slated positions on the first of July.  If you have any questions about the slate, please contact Chris Lawrence via the chapter website or directly. 

​A healthy organization does a better job of solving and preventing problems. One of the best ways to measure the health of an organization is to look at how it responds to failure. When a strain is placed on an organization, its ability to be proactive, flexible, and achieve better solutions says everything about how successful the organization will be. Consider some concepts that I think are key attributes of a healthy organization.
 
An organization that fails well:
 

• Understands that human error is normal and predictable.
• Understands that the organization shares the responsibility for failures.
• Succeeds as a team and fails as a team.
• Seeks to understand the mistakes and learn from failures before trying to fix them.
• Looks at the organizational context surrounding a failure for opportunities to understand what happened and how to improve.
• Does not allow one person or department to shoulder the entire responsibility for a failure or mistake.
• Does not ignore problems out of fear of making people feel bad.
• Encourages and thanks team members who speak up when there is a problem.
• Does not hesitate to support employees that need more help to be successful.
• Is introspective about the messages that are sent to employees and supervisors and how they will be interpreted.
• Looks for ways to be resilient to human error.
• Does not blame and punish individuals that make mistakes.
• Does not use inadequate policies and documentation as an excuse for failure.
• Provides positive feedback to employees and supervisors when things go well.
• Does not wait for a failure to provide constructive feedback and is not afraid of tough conversations.

 
 
I hope there are some things here that can help you and your organizations. Some of these things take a lifetime to keep working on. It’s hard work, but it is worth it.
 
David Hanson, CSP

​David Hanson CSP
Southern Oregon Chapter President
 
Our next chapter meeting will be a special treat. Because of our virtual meeting platform, we are able to invite speakers from farther outside of our chapter area. Jose Perez will join our chapter meeting and provide a presentation for us. Jose Perez was a speaker at the ASSP National Leadership Conference a couple years ago on resiliency and being tenacious. He is providing a special program just for our chapter on leadership and being adaptable. I am really looking forward to this. I hope you are as well.
 
In April, our very own Mark Hurliman will provide information for those of you thinking of pursuing a SHARP or VPP certification for your site. Even if you are not, this presentation will have valuable information about building a world-class safety program and what it takes.
 
Watch for updates and information about a new professional development course we are working on offering in May. This will be a 3-hour morning PDC on Total Worker Health topics with Dede Montgomery from OSHU and Liz Hill from SAIF. This PDC will offer .3 CEU credits. Currently, we are looking closely at holding this event during the second week of May. Keep watching our website for updates on this event as we get closer.
 

Stay safe!
 
David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation
 
David has an expertise building dynamic safety teams and developing high-performing safety cultures. He spent 18 years at Timber Products Company as a Supervisor and Safety Coordinator and facilitated continued certification into Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

​One day, maybe very soon, our world will be turned upside down. In the last thirty years we have learned that there is a major fault beneath the ocean floor to our east that can cause earthquakes that can be catastrophically destructive for the entire Pacific Northwest. The fault extends from Northern California, all the way to British Columbia. The fault could generate an earthquake of 8+ on the Richter scale. Coastal communities would be hardest hit as they would be closer to the potential epicenter. This could cause soil liquification and landslides. The tsunami would also be a major consideration as the shockwave moves inland. The sea level could rise to levels unseen for nearly 500 years.
 
In 2010, geologists predicted a 37% chance of a magnitude 8.2+ event within 50 years.[i] Kenneth Murphy, director of  FEMA’s Region X (Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska), was quoted in 2015 saying,  “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast.”[ii] Between the landslides, tsunamis, downed powerlines, damaged bridges, blocked roadways, broken gas mains, broken waterlines, and fires, the Pacific Northwest will be reeling. Concrete structures could be severely compromised structurally. Because the anticipated destruction is expected to stretch from Canada to Northern California, it could take quite some time before our Southern Oregon region will see much help. As bad as it may seem for us, the locations of greatest need are expected to be the larger population centers to the north. Because of this, we may be on our own for up to three months.
 
What you need before the earthquake:

• Water and water treatment capabilities
• Food that is easy to prepare and ways to prepare it (you might need months-worth)
• First aid kits
• Batteries and charging devices
• Communication devices, radios, and phones.
• Tents or makeshift shelters
• Lights, lanterns, and flashlights
• Tools that are easy to get to; crowbars, chainsaws, and demolition tools will be needed to help others
• A gas main wrench located at your gas main
• Full fuel tanks in your vehicles
• Bicycles may be a necessary means of travel for some time due to hazards, obstacles, and fuel shortages.
• Easily transportable kits containing supplies you might need for 72 hours
• Hardhats, dust masks, work gloves, and safety glasses or goggles
• A supply of any pharmaceuticals that you need
• Anchor any household items that could tip or fall
• You may need to decide ahead of time how much you will be able to help your neighbors in the event of an emergency

 
What you need during an earthquake:

• A place where you will not be injured by falling objects
• Be ready for jarring aftershocks

 
 
What you need to do after an earthquake:

• You may need to dig yourself or others out of a mess
• Make sure people are okay and treat any injured
• Be aware that buildings that may appear to be structurally sound may not be
• Evaluate communication options you still have: radio, phone, satellite, etc.
• Turn off any gas to your property
• You may need to find out which roadways remain open. Many roadways will have fallen trees and powerlines. Some bridges may also be severely damaged
• Monitor emergency radio information
• Be prepared to evacuate your area for any number of reasons

 
If 2020 has taught us anything, it has shown us that our safety is, first and foremost, our own responsibility. Preparation in advance can help ensure survival for you and those you care about in the event of a natural disaster.
 
 
David Hanson, CSP


[i] “Odds are 1-in-3 that a huge quake will hit Northwest in next 50 years.” Oregon State University. 24 May 2010
[ii] Schulz, Kathryn (20 July 2015). “The Really Big One.” The New Yorker.

In hindsight, I should’ve known that our January meeting was going to have a large attendance. The timeliness of the topic and our excellent speaker Matt Kaiser made it one of the largest monthly meetings ever. If you missed the meeting, the PDF of the presentation is still available on our website. There was some great new information.

The next couple months we have a great line-up of presenters. February 2nd, we will be joined by Craig Hamelund to speak on “Keys to Effective Safety Supervision.” This is always a popular topic and speaker for our region. This will be a great reminder as to how important good supervision is to implement a successful safety program.

March 2nd will be a special treat as we invite Jose Perez, who was a speaker at the national ASSP leadership conference in 2019. His presentation was on never giving up and being tenacious. The last year has proven that these have been valuable attributes. These will be valuable skills in 2021 as well. He has a custom presentation specifically for our chapter and our region this March.
We are glad to be able to provide quality programing, even when we can’t meet in person.
 
Stay safe!
 
David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation
 
David has an expertise building dynamic safety teams and developing high-performing safety cultures. He spent 18 years at Timber Products Company as a Supervisor and Safety Coordinator and facilitated continued certification into Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

​David Hanson, CSP
 
Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) approaches seem to be getting a bad reputation these days. The Human Operations and Learning Teams approaches to safety seem to be very popular, and the concepts in these safety approaches have loads of applicability to the workplace and making improvements at an organizational level. The success of these newer approaches has led many to think that newer is necessarily better. I think conversations about these systems help us distill what is worthwhile for safety managers today.
 
Training is a great example of how BBS is still relevant. Training is a foundational concept in the behavior-based safety model. The truth of the matter is that in the real-world work environment there is still solid case for managing the decisions and behaviors of employees. If this were not true, would our employees need training at all? Most employees want to do good work and want the training they need to do a good job. Training is a management and supervisory approach to help employees make decisions that are better for the organization. Every organization depends on employee involvement to have safe operations.
 
BBS concepts have been around for a while now, and we have had many more opportunities to implement them improperly. Somewhere along the line, the wrong message was received. That unintended message said, “My workers’ decisions are the reason for my problems. If I fix my workers so that they make better decisions, I will have fewer problems.”  This previous sentence is not consistent with Behavior-Based Safety because it uses blame as a foundational function. Blame disrupts the communication cycle that a BBS program depends on.
 
We should be looking for ways to understand the behaviors of everyone within an organization. I believe that the foundational concepts of BBS are still solid:
•Most incidents/injuries are triggered by unsafe behaviors.
•Behaviors are leading indicators that predict performance.
•Behaviors are measurable; attitudes are not easily measurable.
•Addressing behavior change can solve real-world problems.
•Safety partnership between management and employees that focuses attention on processes and systems creates a framework for safety success as behaviors are updated and improved.
•Understanding how work is accomplished.
•Preventing errors reduces the chances for injuries and other problems.
•Discovering root causes can help identify ways to prevent incidents from happening again.
 
If we implement a solid BBS program, we will have:

• An organized system for solving problems that arise.
• An engaged workforce that participates in the safety program.
• A process for continuous improvement.

 
Behavior-based safety—it can still work when implemented in a focused, deliberate way.
 
David Hanson

David Hanson
Southern Oregon Chapter President
 
 
I want to make sure you know about a FREE opportunity that is being offered to our membership. ASSP members Jon Sowers and Jim Nusser are offering the leadership training series classes to our chapter. This class begins on January 6th at 1:00 pm and occurs every other Wednesday for seven classes. This is a great opportunity. There is a limited seating. Normally a class like this would cost hundreds of dollars.
 
If you are an ASSP member, please consider serving on our executive committee. There are two vacancies on the committee, and we are already looking for volunteers to serve on our executive committee for the 2021-2022 term. We need help filling executive committee positions. Our chapter depends on these volunteer positions in order to provide the quality services to our Southern Oregon community. When you join the executive committee, you will join ten other local safety professionals that are amazing to work with.
 
It probably goes without saying, but the COVID-19 pandemic has not made anyone’s job easier, which is just one more reason I am so grateful for the outstanding service that your executive committee members provide. If you get a chance, please thank them for all they do to help our chapter.
 
Don’t forget that Safety Committee University content is still available on our website. You are welcome use this free online content to support your safety committee operations and hear from local safety leaders.
 
On January 5th, we have Matt Kaiser joining us for our chapter meeting to discuss the new OR-OSHA COVID-19 rule. While this may seem late, the timing may actually be good for those of us that have questions following implementation of the required elements.
 
I look forward to 2021 being a good year for our chapter, and I want to thank all of you that participated in the survey we sent out last month. Your input helps your executive committee provide the best programs possible.
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 
Sincerely,
 
David Hanson
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation
 
David has an expertise building dynamic safety teams and developing high-performing safety cultures. He spent 18 years at Timber Products Company as a Supervisor and Safety Coordinator and facilitated continued certification into Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

​Safety Committee University was a success! Thanks to all who helped us put this great training together for our region. From our dedicated conference planning team, the many presenters and contributors, our wonderful sponsors, and especially the many people and groups that attended online, thank you for helping to make this training series a success.
 
On October 21st, we rolled out an exciting series of trainings for safety committee members. This training was designed to help safety committees sharpen their skills, learn what is required of them under Oregon OSHA, and to take their committee to a whole new level. We heard some great feedback. We got to meet most of the Timber Products Medford Hardwoods safety committee who met safely together on the day of the roll-out to attend all five modules and even join us for the live welcome session. The really cool part is this training was not limited to our region. We met several people from the Coos Bay area that were attending.
 
The best news of all is that this training will continue to be available throughout the year. Feel free to have your committee members take advantage of the Safety Committee University from the comfort of their own computer in a self-paced manner. All five modules are recorded and available at no charge at www.SafetyCommitteeUniversity.com.
 
In case you missed any of this great content, it’s not too late!

• Craig Hamelund’s inspirational and touching keynote presentation.
• Patti McGuire’s super informational Safety Committee 101. Learn the safety committee requirements in a simple to understand way.
• David Hanson’s version of CSI for safety in his skilled presentation on Effective Incident Analysis.
• Chris Lawrence’s 25+ years of experience taught to you in this dynamic Hazard Identification training.
• Lastly, one of my favorite modules, a collection of safety committee success stories with the powerful conclusion by Tim Hart of Duro-Last Roofing, one of the safest companies in the nation.

 
Our plan is to continue to grow this resource with added trainings, best practices, and stories when they become available, so if you’ve already enjoyed the training and are looking for more, check back. If you have something to share with other safety committees, please reach out to us on the “contact us” page at www.SafetyCommitteeUniversity.com.
 
Michael Hill
ASSP Southern Oregon Chapter Conference Planning Chair

​Who is responsible for safety at your organization? The answers to this question are windows into how safety happens at your organization. This reminds me of a story.
 
I remember years ago helping to get my safety committee members signed up for the annual Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference. This was a big deal. We depended on this conference to boost our safety committee members’ knowledge about their role in many different safety topics. New safety committee members always went to the safety committee track to make sure they had the required safety committee training. Seasoned safety committee members often chose other topics that they were working on that could help them make our department better. Part of this process included applying for safety committee awards and safety program awards. Would we finally get the coveted “Randall Lundberg” award for outstanding safety and health program this year? Would we be in the running for the exclusive “Best of the Best” for safety committees? Did we work hard enough to earn these awards in the last 14 months? We were enrolling our safety committee members to attend the best safety conference in Southern Oregon when we noticed a new question on the application. It read, “Who is responsible for safety at your company?” Aha! We knew the answer to this question. Our department had attended enough of these conferences to know what the correct answer to this question was. We knew that there was only one correct answer you could ever give to that question. This was a foundational safety principle and clearly the conference organizers were trying to test our safety culture IQ with this clever question. We all patted ourselves on the back as we answered the question correctly with a “me” or a “everyone,” convinced we had passed the test. In hindsight, the lesson was clear: The Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference had effectively shaped the way that our safety committee understood safety and our role to keep everyone safe.
 
It has been a constant refrain for the last few months—the conference will not happen this year. It still hurts to say it, and it hurts as I type it now. I do find comfort in this fact: our chapter is still committed to safety committees. This event will be available as free recorded content for you and your safety committees. This material can help support your safety committee in its important role.
 
Years later I had a chance to speak to a couple veteran conference planning committee members. I asked them why we don’t ask the safety culture question on the enrollment process anymore. They admitted that they weren’t sure what I was talking about as they glanced at each other with puzzled expressions. I explained to them the question, “Who is responsible for safety at your company?” When they realized what I was referring to, they said, “Oh, we just wanted to know who to send the attendee schedules to.” 
 
Let our free Safety Committee University continue our long tradition of helping safety committee members to understand their important role in workplaces across our region and beyond.
 
David Hanson
​President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation