Welcome to the BCSP Collegiate eNewsletter!

Whether you are a SH&E professor, student, or recent graduate, the Collegiate eNewsletter will include news and information that will help you in your professional safety career.

See the In This Issue section to the right to navigate to the stories of most interest to you.

Thank you to all who contributed to this issue.

 

It is important safety professionals correlate Generation Y's entering the workforce and how our computer-dependent needs will evolve how safety training is conducted. I decided to pursue this research because I wanted to find a topic that was personally relevant, but would also make an impact in safety for the years to come. I myself am a member of Generation Y and consider myself a lifetime learner through the use of technology and computers. The American education system has conditioned us to learn through technology and computers since elementary school and I believe this trend will carry over into industrial training.

Under the leadership of my faculty advisor, Dr. Jack Ogutu, I prepared a survey for members of the Lancaster County Industrial Safety Council (LCISC). We had a 45 percent participation rate from LCISC members, who evaluated the effectiveness of training methods.
 
The results indicated that traditional training methods, such as the lecture-based approach, are primarily utilized in industry. I believe this reflects the fact that 82.3 percent of the participants' employees are over the age of 35 and are not computer dependent. However, 68.8 percent of the participants believe there is a need to utilize computers and technology in their training efforts. I do believe computer-based approaches, such as virtual simulations and computer software, will play a larger role in the future. 81.3 percent of the participants believe their employees would be safer if they could witness the real world effects of their actions, without actual injury of losses, through simulation training. Additionally, 58.5 percent of participants believe computer-based methods will be the primary training method in the next 10-20 years. I believe it is not a coincidence that in the next 10-20 years, Generation Y will become a majority in the workforce.

In order to build upon these results, I will be conducting another survey of senior OSEH majors at Millersville University. I would like to poll Generation Y students and see what they will be demanding, as far as training goes, in their future career pursuits. Hopefully, I will be able to identify strong parallels and will be able to develop an honors thesis with the results. With additional literary resources, I believe I will be able to develop a compelling argument that will be a win-win for both employers and employees in the future.

 

Murray State University's Occupational Safety and Health Department has been busy trying to break geographical barriers and expand students' knowledge in this diverse area of study. A small and inclusive group of students, six undergraduates and three graduates, traveled abroad with Dr. Gary Morris with the intent to answer the question; "does culture affect risk assessment?"

Organizations are becoming increasingly global and workforces have become a melting pot of ideas from various backgrounds and generations. We wanted to have a sense for how individuals in other cultures assess risk, even though they may not share the same regulations or have the same incidents in the workplace. While pondering this question, it led us to believe there could be potential obstacles that a safety manager may face when controlling risk in different cultures. We have numerous graduates from our department working in countries with various cultures, and as it may be part of some of our futures, we were eager to learn and find answers.

 

L-R: Murray State students James Nance, Jeremy Turner, Adam Page, Josh Reed, Meghan Cavins, Amber Miller, Doug Ebert, Erica Cash

We spent two weeks in Europe, five days in Paris, France and eight days in London, England. During this time, we were actively speaking with individuals from different areas and workforces to have them participate in a risk assessment survey.

I can say that conducting these surveys led us to experience a number of incredible things; we would spend hours getting lost in the city and meeting individuals and learning about them. We were pushed outside of our comfort zone, and it was then that we truly began to experience the different cultures. In Paris, we would walk into restaurants for dinner, knowing just enough French to get us by.  Lucky for us, espresso means the same in most languages. While in England, we were able to learn a great deal about the culture by touring places such as the House of Parliament. We were also able to schedule a meeting with the British Safety Council; they gave a presentation on how they conduct risk assessment and shared with us some of the differences in laws and regulations.

 

The students from Murray State stand with Dr. Gary Morris, right, and members of the British Safety Council

The trip was everything we sought it to be, from the sightseeing, having the opportunity to learn the way others view an area that we study and are passionate about, and the cultural experiences. While there are still numerous studies and assessments to be done in this area, I will say that from the experience I had, the individuals that I spoke with, and the surveys I received, culture actively affects the way an individual may assess the risks. 

 

The GSP now has a logo of its own. It combines a graduation cap and diploma with the CSP's trademark diamond shape. Of the CSP's three diamonds -- Thought,  Word, and Deed -- the GSP diamond represents Thought. It indicates the credential holder is on their path to the CSP.

The new logo is featured on a set of posters BCSP has designed and is making available to QAPs. Faculty who would like to promote their program can contact BCSP for a copy.

 

 

In This Issue

Newsletters and Annual Reports Archive

BCSP Schools and Academic Programs Directory

Banner displays are a great way to promote BCSP certifications and earn Recertification credit. A display is available to any certificate holder for use at chapter meetings, regional or local conferences, career fairs, and other safety-related seminars, meetings, and presentations. BCSP ships to and from any U.S. venue and provides literature at no cost.

If you would like to reserve a display, fill out a  Banner Display Request form and email it to Anne Price, BCSP Marketing Specialist. Displays are first come, first serve and must be returned.

Presentations on safety certification can also be done for Recertification points, and BCSP has many resources that can be used for presentations, including pre-made PowerPoints, on our Articles and Presentations webpage.

Item writing illustrates your safety knowledge, earning you Recertification points as well. Find out more on our Item Writing webpage.