West Michigan Chapter of the ASSE

Jan 2005 News

What's Shakin??

This section provides an opportunity to brag abut promotions, certifications, announce job changes and generally keep track of what is happening in the safety community. If you, or someone you know, has reason to brag - please let us know

Mark Labaza - formerly of Steelcase - has moved to Consumer.s Energy. He will be working with the divisions and work crews throughout Western Michigan. Mark was instrumental in setting up our forklift training session at our November meeting. We wish Mark the best in his job change.

SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR (SPY)

Last Chance to Nominate a Safety Professional of the Year

January 15 is the last day to nominate a deserving safety professional for WM-ASSE Safety Professional of the Year. Please e-mail your nomination, and provide a short description as to why that person should be selected, to Greg Green at greeng@gvsu.edu. Even if your not sure your person will win - nomination is a great way to recognize a fellow professional that is doing an extraordinary job! Nominations take only a few minutes and the rewards can be great.

ASP/CSP STUDY GROUP

WOW! We have something like 12 people who have expressed interest in studying for their ASP or CSP! If you've been considering this NOW IS A GREAT TIME! Pat Knight of Marsh is helping to organize this. The 12 people responded to an earlier newsletter article about setting up a study group for the ASP and/or CSP! This kind of response is sure to generate a lot of energy for those folks. Now the details:

Locations:

Two people, Clara and Lisa, indicated they would be willing to conduct a meeting at a site in Kalamazoo.

Lisa also offered a location to meet in Muskegon and we have a person in that area who would like to participate

For those around Grand Rapids - Marsh has a fine room for training with video conference calling, etc. Marsh can even arrange to pay for parking too. They are located downtown on Ottawa NW.

Time:

The current thinking is to do this in the late afternoon, say 4 PM -6 PM every other week on a set day such as Wednesday. The middle of the week is usually less hectic. Those in the group will make the final decision. They will probably start the 3rd week of January.

Materials

The Chapter (through Pat Knight) has ordered the study CD ROM for both ASP and CSP from the ASSE. Pat's initial thoughts are to develop a lesson plan around the product, send out whatever information he can to the people leading at the remote locations and then telephone conference them in for the discussion at the Marsh office. We would have to see how this develops but we would adapt to whatever the groups think. If we wish to proceed independently, we might do that too. We cannot legally copy the CD's and distribute them.

If you have any interest let Pat know. His phone is 616-233-4256

NOMINATION COMMITTEE FORMING FOR NEXT YEAR's OFFICERS

Eric Krieger will be heading up a committee for next year's officers. If you are interested in being on the committee or serving give Eric a call at 616 446-0103.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Our last few questions have had less than stellar results. We.ll take a month off but be back next month. If you have a question you would like to ask - let us know.

How to Pick a Health or Safety Consultant by Pat Knight

In a May 2004 article of Health + Safety, a National Safety Council publication, I found an interesting article entitled "2004 Job Outlook". It was an encouraging article for any professional safety person. Nearly 40% of companies had hired a safety consultant in the past year. In addition, 34% of companies outsource part of the facility safety program. To top all this off, 56% of companies have hired a safety consultant in the past 5 years. Assuming all of this true, and I do believe this is the case because I 'is' one (a consultant). How can you determine what qualifies a safety consultant to be someone your employer would consider hiring?

In my research I have found the following critical qualities to be important before someone hires a health or safety consultant professional:

Certification: I have many friends and you probably do too, that have been safety people for many years. Does this mean they can not do the job? No, they can do the job. However, you better be able to defend their experience if you need to do so in court. Certifications such as Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST), and Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) as well as numbers of others out there, are only a means to define people who have pursued the certification and succeeded. Does that guarantee the person is good at what they do? No! The quality of what they do must still be evaluated in different ways.

Experience versus Certification: To state the certified safety professionals are more qualified than those who worked in the field for many years would be inappropriate and wrong. There are some really fine safety professionals that know more about specific topics and issues than many of us put together. Many of these people do not have certifications. Decide on what the expertise it is that your organization needs. Then determine the best resource (s) available to fill that need. A background check maybe in order for those consultants selling services, if you have no understanding of their experience. Require a resume, past client list, and references. Ask for professional organization affiliations, work history and areas of expertise. As in any profession, scrutinize the applicant as they will be representing you and your company. Only the highest level of performance and professionalism should be considered.

Continuing Education and Certification Maintenance: The best certifications, CSP and CIH, also require a continuing education component to maintain the certification. If the person succeeds in passing the test, they must also continue to maintain their certification in order to practice within their profession. Some people achieve a goal of being certified but fail to maintain it for many reasons. It is costly to maintain ones certification. The professional must attend professional development conferences; participate in seminars or local chapter activities, etc. This is an effort some do not choose to pursue. However, there are effective ways to determine if the prospective consultant is currently certified.

The Bureau of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and the American Board of Industrial Hygienist (ABIH) both have a website where you can check the status of the person you are considering. The following websites are addresses you should use when considering an applicant. You can search by last name and certification type. There are other searching criteria too. Be careful as sometimes home addresses are used instead of business addresses. If all else fails, ask the consultant for proof of membership and certification as part of the qualifying process for a contract.

http://www.bcsp.org/bcsp/index.php or http://www2.abih.org/query/ABIH_roster.asp

Liability: There is the ability for anyone to buy liability insurance as a safety practitioner. These policies tend to be expensive. The need for insurance is evident in the society in which we live. The safety professional will be providing your company information which may be critical to the safety of an employee. Although workers' compensation should be the primary means of pursuit in the case of an injury or death, information this person supplies might be critical in some instances. A negligence or third party claim against your company may bring this person into the process quickly. Your company needs to protect itself by whatever means is appropriate. If the professional is working for a large professional services firm, they are likely covered by a professional liability policy. If they are an independent, working on their own, it would be wise to consider asking the professional for a proof of insurance certificate.

Task verses Consulting: There is a difference in the levels of consulting or services provided by safety professionals. Some of these may not require a certified person to conduct them. Some training topics may not require great technical backgrounds, special certification or other qualifications. Review the task you need someone to do and determine if the exposure is such that a special expertise is needed.

Past Clients: It is especially valuable to ask past clients their level of satisfaction. Asking for (and checking) references is important.

Price and Quality: Do not just consider the price of the professional you hire. The lowest price may not be the best solution. The resources a consultant has available to them is a key element of pricing. Your company should be paying for someone who can get the correct and most current answer, applied according to your companies needs. This may not be the lowest price around. Experts are experts for a reason -- they specialize in a field of study. They usually demand a higher price for the knowledge they possess.

The quality of the products provided need to be a part of the proposal specification. A training program is not a training program is not a.....If the delivered product or task fails to accomplish what your company needs to satisfy; there will be a gap between the expected and delivered outcome. Check the past work of the consultant to assure you are getting something you can be proud of. Remember, if this is a safety project or health survey, you will be evaluated by this person.s delivery by your organizations management. There is more than the cheapest consultant riding on this contract.

There are many things to consider when asking a safety or health professional to assist your company with their program implementation or maintenance. Since it appears that many companies are looking for such help, the above should help you in that process.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS ALERT MEMBERS ABOUT POSSIBLE FAULTY FALL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT

December 10, 2004

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is urging its members and the public to stop using fall protection products Dyna Lock Self Retracting Lanyard (SRL)/Dynevac, Dynevac II and Lynx Rescuers manufactured between June 1 and September 30, 2004 and January 1, 2001 through October 8, 2004 due to safety risks. According to a notice issued by the manufacturer, Mine Safety Appliance Company (MSA), and forwarded by OSHA, although the units will lock in the event of a fall, the line extension exceeds the MSA specification of 40 inches.

The MSA products affected are the Dyna-Lock Self-Retracting Lanyard . 10m (30 ft.) and 16m (50 ft.) types and Dynevac, Dynevac II and Lynx Rescuers . 16 m (50ft) Types manufactured between June 1 and September 30, 2004. Also affected are the Dyna-Lock Self-Retracting Lanyard . 22m (70 ft) and 30m (95 ft) and Dynevac, Dynevac II and Lynz Rescuers . 30m (95 ft) types manufactured between January 1, 2001 and October 8, 2004.

In its recent stop use and return notice MSA notes that their internal investigation found some of the housing sub-assemblies of the SRLs and Rescuers were improperly manufactured allegedly by their supplier.

Important MSA information on these products can be found at http://www.msanet.com/msanorthamerica/msaunitedstates/usnoticeindex.html or by calling MSA customer service at 303-975-2314 (U.S. and Mexico) and 1-888-396-1067 (Canada).

MEETING INFORMATION

The West Michigan Industrial Hygiene Society has two meetings coming up. Both sound like they will contain some really nice information.

Feb. 16th - Communication's Workshop featuring non-verbal communication skills, Communicating with Technical Jargon and Listening Skills. 9AM to Noon Cost $25 non-members

March 16th - Ventilation: Hands on approach 9 AM to 4 PM Cost $60 non-members Contact Julie Callaway at BDN Industrial Hygiene Consultants to RSVP or for information! Phone 269 329-1237