SafetySignals. 5 Stories For Safety People, By Safety People. 2020 - WK47
- SkillSignal
- Nov 16, 2020
- 4 min read
Safety Signals Digest – Week of 11/16/2020
Keywords: Safety Technology, Construction Safety, OSHA, Construction Tech, Construction Workers’ Safety, Awards, Influencers, Podcasts
EXCITING NEWSLETTER CHANGES NEXT WEEK!
SAFETY 1: FOUR QUALITIES OF GREAT SAFETY LEADERS (SOURCE: ASSP)
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) is a leading organization when it comes to research, advocacy and promotion of safety in the workplace. Since its foundation in 1911, the organization regularly releases new safety insights and best practice information for its 39,000 members and for the public.
We recommend this study of what makes a GREAT safety leader. Four qualities are particularly important. Make sure to read the entire article, but here are the 4 Golden Rules. We believe number 4 became more important than ever in the exhausting 2020 health crisis:
Know Your Business
Build Relationships
Have A Vision
Remember Your Workers
SAFETY 2: J. J. KELLER HONORS SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF 2020 - BRANDY BOSSLE
Talking about Great Safety Leaders! Brandy Bossle CSP, ASP, CSD, from South Carolina, was honored with one of the most prestigious awards in the industry: First Prize at the J.J. Kellers Honors Safety Professional of the Year (SPOTY). This award is an exceptional addition to Ms Bossle's storied professional accomplishments.
According to the press release issued by J.J. Keller, Ms Bossle tracks leading safety indicators for multiple safety objectives at AVX Corporation, a leading manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components. As the Corporate Environmental & Safety Manager, Ms Bossle is responsible for compliance with safety training, reports of unsafe conditions and near misses, safety in operating specifications, completion of risk assessments and on-time safety talks. She also led an innovative lockout/tagout training solution.
Ms Bossle, who watched what was occurring in China at the end of 2019 had the wisdom to to react early to the developing health crisis by creating a comprehensive plan to keep employees safe and production moving. “I’ve found that the secret to successfully getting buy-in for my EHS initiatives is to build relationships with employees, whether it be workers on the floor or management” she declared. “Once you’ve built that trust, it’s much easier to bring safety concerns to their attention and get them to be part of the solution. Shortly after receiving the J. J. Keller SPOTY award, I was promoted to Corporate Environmental & Safety Manager at AVX, so now I can have an even bigger impact on our EHS projects. I’m super excited for this opportunity!”
Make sure to follow Brandy Bossle on social media where she regularly posts news about her safety initiatives, professional experience and recommendations. She's on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
SAFETY 3: SAFETY INSIGHTS FROM THE 12TH ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL
J. Brett Blanton serves as the 12th Architect of the Capitol. That means he is directly responsible for facilities maintenance and operation of the historic U.S. Capitol Building, the care and improvement of more than 570 acres of grounds and the operation and maintenance of 18.4 million square feet of buildings and historic landmarks. Not a small task!! In this article, Mr Blanton shares how he's managed to proceed with maintenance and construction projects at the Nation's political heart while the pandemic was raging on.
Mr Blanton integrates safety as a core value of all the construction he oversees, so he quickly adjusted to the new working conditions by mandating safety guidelines that were recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The main focus was to keep public servants and private contractors working safely while implementing additional measures such as cleaning, sanitizing, using face coverings and social distancing measures - all supervised and spot checked by our new COVID-19 monitors in construction areas.
SAFETY 4: INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES OP-ED: SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION REQUIRES A LONG-TERM APPROACH (SOURCE: CONSTRUCTCONNECT CANADA / STONERISE CONSTRUCTION)
Wade Gayowsky is an Executive Vice President at Stonerise Construction, a major General Contractor out of Waterloo, Ontario (CAN).
In this op-ed article published in ConstructConnect, he looks back and forward on how the health crisis has changed the Construction industry in just a few months.
Mr Gayowsky starts observing that "In November 2020, the words health and safety carry a lot more weight than they did just seven months ago. Now more than ever, the industry must take a hard, focused, long-term approach to improving workers’ health and safety to ensure we are developing strong cultures of employer compliance and worker protection in the industry."
He continues with emphasizing that it's about both physical and mental health: "Now more than ever, the industry must take a hard, focused, long-term approach to improving workers’ health and safety to ensure we are developing strong cultures of employer compliance and worker protection in the industry."
Mr Gayowski finishes his op-ed on a positive note: "The way we’ve rapidly responded to the unexpected challenge of COVID-19 serves as a model for how we should fulfill our duties and jobs with clear thinking, bold action and innovative ways of doing business."
5. SAFETY 5: OH&S SAFETYPOD - CONFINED SPACES SPECIAL
OH&S' editor Sydny Shepard discusses all things hazards, standards and training regarding confined spaces with guest Chris Koester. Chris is a consultant and owner with Priority One Safe-T, an emergency response and standby rescue services and training firm for industrial and manufacturing companies.
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Do you want to contribute? Have an announcement or an award to celebrate? Let us know and we'll make sure to feature your story in the next issue of Safety Signals. hello@skillsignal.com
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