The BCSP Business Development team assists businesses, unions, and government agencies in realizing the value of safety in their organizations. BCSP's diverse set of accredited safety certifications makes it possible to ensure safety throughout a business, from the supervisory to the professional level. By consciously planning for safe operations, an organization engages its members, becomes more efficient, and is effective in reaching its goals.

 

This year, Clint Wolfley, CSP, CHST, STSC and Rixio Medina, CSP, ASP, STS joined Eddie Greer, CSP, OHST, STSC as joint Business Development Directors at BCSP.

 

Greer has been BCSP's Business Development Director for six years, before which he served on the organization's Board of Directors. He is an active member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and served as the ASSE President from 2001-2002. With 40 years of SH&E experience, Greer has been instrumental in the growth of the STS and STSC certifications, assisting companies in developing programs to strengthen their safety programs for the long-term.

 

"Companies that have embraced the STS process are finding that is a game changer with regard to their overall safety process," says Greer. "It has helped them develop and sustain leadership skills within the ranks of their front line supervisors and all levels of management."

 

Wolfley became a member of BCSP's Business Development team after working for AECOM, where he held multiple management positions and supported high risk and critical projects domestically and internationally. Wolfley has first-hand experience with industries such as construction, nuclear operations, petrochemical, environmental clean-up, government, and mining. Wolfley intends to use his expertise to expand the importance of the safety profession, accreditation value, and return on investment by working with industry leaders, and has already begun speaking with members of the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), union organizations, and government officials about the benefits of accredited safety certification.

 

"The level of safety performance for the energy sector continues to improve and a large part of that can be attributed to companies investing in their first line supervisors, foreman, and safety leaders," explains Wolfley. "The safety and health industry and its professionals are one of the most collaborative industries today through the sharing of information, lessons learned, and best practices. I look forward to sharing my own personal success stories of how the STS and STSC certification can improve safety for companies and most importantly workplace safety."

 

Medina was an international independent safety consultant and previously held executive and technical positions with AcuTech Consulting, BP, CITGO Petroleum Corporation and Mobil Oil Corporation. He is a Fellow of ASSE. Medina was appointed by the President of the United States, with Senate review and consent, to serve as a member of the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. He also served four terms as safety representative on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and sat on the Industry Advisory Board of the School of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology of Oklahoma State University, where he was introduced to the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame and recognized as a Distinguished Alumni. He served on the BCSP Board of Directors, as part of which he was Board President in 2013.

 

"Safety is the cornerstone of companies' operation discipline, risk management and business continuity efforts that protect employees, facilities, and the communities where they operate," Medina says. "BCSP provides industry with an independent verification of initial and on-going competency and certification of their own, and contracted, safety and training professionals and practitioners, as well as in-house supervisors, contractors and service providers' supervisors."

 

In the next year BCSP will be reaching out to industry groups, meeting with safety councils, and maintaining a presence at about two-dozen conferences and events. Greer will be retiring from his position at BCSP at the end of 2015, but this outreach would not be possible were it not for the lasting impression he leaves on BCSP.

 

"It has been an honor to serve as the Director of Business Development for the last six years," Greer says. "I have been provided the opportunity to develop professional relationships across many industries and promote the value of accredited certifications. It has also given me great pleasure in working with the many professionals at BCSP. I am confident in the future Business Development leadership that will be taking BCSP to the next level and continue to make a difference in the lives of our industry workers and our future certificate holders."

 

The growth in the STS and STSC Sponsorship Program has made it a definitive component of safety in the construction and oil and gas sectors. We enjoy mutual benefit with our Partners, who share our commitment to create a safer world. We are ready for that safer world, and, if we are not combining our efforts now, we look forward to working with you in the future.

"I am hard-headed, determined, and I believe in myself," says Victoria Marie Rios, Ironworker and certified Safety Trained Supervisor of Construction, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Coming in as an apprentice in 2007, Rios didn't follow a traditional route, she was 36 when she discovered ironworking. She says her career has been all about luck and good timing.

"I had my first child at 21. I was working desk jobs not making much money and with no room for advancement, no pension and no retirement. I was looking for something with a future and not behind a desk. I went back to school and got an associate's degree in business administration and then a bachelor's degree in computer technology with a concentration in management. But even with those degrees, I was not happy with the opportunities." A friend working at a manufacturing plant where car parts were built, mentioned they needed help. "Curiosity got the best of me and I applied and learned how to do mig welding." From there, a fourth generation ironworker and longtime friend, Scott Ellis, encouraged her to apply for his local's apprenticeship. She was accepted into the program where she was one of 2 women in a class of 30.

The apprenticeship was a lot of hard work and she came through it with determination as well as support from local members. "I know from the tradeswomen's conference that other tradeswomen have experienced many challenges, but I can honestly say, if there was any conflict, challenges or back lashing, I didn't hear about it and if I did, I shrugged it off - I just didn't have those stories. I can't say enough good stuff about my local."

This past year, Rios made local history as the first woman Local 89 sent to a conference. "I thought that the tradeswomen's conference was spectacular! I was welcomed with open arms. There was not one woman in any of the trades at that conference that wasn't ready to share the good, the bad, the ugly and the in between, we shared everything. I had to report back to the local about the conference and because that is the first time they ever voted for a woman to go to a conference. There is now a glass case in our hall about me and the conference." Victoria is the only female journey worker in a local of about 500 members.

"I made local history again when I took the Safety Supervisor class with the support of the International Ironworker's IMPACT program. I am the first woman to pass the training and get the certificate in my local. There are only 7,000 of us in the United States to hold this certification. As the Safety Trained Supervisor on the worksite, my job is to ensure that all my fellow workers go home safe every day."

"My family and the amount of support I got from them to help with the long hours when I was gone, was key. They have always helped pick up the parenting for my children. And the union has given me the reassurance that if something ever happened to me, I knew my children would be taken care of. My oldest thought my work was crazy, but he followed me into construction and is now a carpenter, a second generation tradesperson."

For any women looking to come in, Rios says "you have to be strong, be bold, be determined and believe in yourself. Believing in yourself will make them believe in you. Be persistent, in what you want, don't take no for an answer and know there are other avenues to help you achieve your goals.

Article originally authored by Salome Mazard for Tradeswoman Tuesday, a series by Equal Rights Advocates. Reprinted with permission .  

BCSP highlights the importance of sound safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) practice by recognizing the accomplishments of safety professionals who hold our CSP, OHST, or CHST certifications at the BCSP Awards of Excellence (AoE) ceremony every year.

 

It is important that your work and that of your colleagues is celebrated. Safety is not merely the absence of workplace incidents, but your presence as a leader in creating a workplace free from the potential for harm.

 

Join us in celebrating the outstanding SH&E practice of BCSP certificants by submitting accomplishments of yours, a mentor, or a colleague for consideration of recognition in the BCSP Awards of Excellence (AoE) ceremony.

 

Guidelines and submission forms for these prestigious awards can be found on the BCSP Award of Excellence webpage .

 

The BCSP Board of Directors has elected officers for the 2016 Board and is proud to announce John E. Hodges, CSP, OHST, will serve as Board President, C. Christopher Patton, CSP, ASP will join him as Vice President, and Patricia C. Cruse, CSP, CET will serve in the position of Treasurer. Cece M. Weldon, CSP, CHST, STSC will become Past President.

Hodges, 2016 Board President, is the Director, HSE, U.S. Construction for Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR). He has 44 years of construction industry experience with a background that includes all phases of safety management, accident cost control, loss prevention, safety education and implementation of all company, federal and state safety regulations. Hodges has extensive experience applying safety practice internationally, advocating, training, or leading in nearly 20 different countries around the world. Hodges is a Professional Member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). He achieved the OHST in 1986 and became a CSP in 1994.

Patton, 2016 Board Vice President, is the Senior Technical Advisor, ES&H for UT-Battelle at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has over 20 years of experience in safety, health and environmental practice. Patton is a past-president of ASSE and served on the ASSE Board of Directors for seven years. Patton received the ASSE Culbertson Volunteer Service Award for outstanding service to the organization. He has held his CSP for 15 years, achieving the certification in 2000.

Cruse, who will serve as the BCSP Board Treasurer beginning in 2016, has over 35 years of experience in industrial hygiene, product stewardship, training, and occupational safety. She is a Safety and Health Manager for Evergreen Packaging, and has worked in consulting, chemicals and the pulp and paper industries in both site and corporate level safety positions in that time. She has held the CET since 2012, and achieved the CSP in 1995.

In addition to these new officers, we want to welcome Joshua J. Franklin, CSP, CET and Mario A. Varela, CSP as they join the organization as new Board Members in 2016. 

The 2016 Board of Directors includes: Patricia C. Cruse, CSP, CET (Treasurer); Jack H. Dobson, Jr., CSP; Joshua J. Franklin, CSP, CET; James A. Gentry, DBA (Public Member); John E. Hodges, CSP, OHST (President); Cheryl L. Marcham, PhD, CSP; Linda F. Martin, CSP, ASP, OHST, CHST, STSC, CET; C. Christopher Patton, CSP, ASP (Vice President); Richard A. Pollock, CSP; Mario A. Varela, CSP; Cece M. Weldon, CSP, CHST, STSC (Past President); and Treasa M. Turnbeaugh, PhD, CSP, ASP, CET (Chief Executive Officer, Board Secretary).

We appreciate the support provided by mentors to those who aspire to professional development in SH&E. These helpful individuals are now listed in our 2015 Mentoring Honor Roll.

If you are pursuing a BCSP certification you have the opportunity to credit any mentor who may have recommended that certification to you.

In the email notification new examination candidates receive when their application is accepted, or on the BCSP website's mentoring page, there are links to the Professional Advancement Mentor Form, which either mentors or mentees can submit for recognition and rewards.

In addition to a listing in the annual Mentoring Honor Roll, mentors who sponsor multiple applicants may receive a logoed product, based on the number of applicants they mentor, as well.

 

The Mentor Program is our way of saying "Thank You" for certificants' support in promoting professionalism in the safety industry.

BCSP is continuing to expand its international outreach efforts, most recently traveling to India, Australia, and Kuwait.

 

International recognition and interest in BCSP's safety certifications is growing. Interest in BCSP outside the US, as measured in new profiles created in the BCSP CMS, has more than doubled in the last year.

 

Speaking to the importance of accredited safety certification. L-R: Dr. Treasa Turnbeaugh, CSP, ASP, CET; Jitendra Patel; and Ashok Garlapati, CSP, QEP, CMIOSH

In India, BCSP attended ASSE India's Safety India 2015 Professional Development Conference and met with many people who aim to achieve safety certification. BCSP staff and dedicated certificants led sessions on the value of accredited certification in promoting safety professionals whose knowledge of best practices save lives, its importance in defining SH&E as a profession, and the process of becoming certified.

 

"The quality and caliber of safety practitioners I met with over the two days of the PDC was incredible," said Erica Poff, IOM, BCSP Government Affairs and Outreach Manager. "There is clearly a growing momentum in India to advance the safety profession, and given the country's vast opportunities for higher education in industrial safety and the growing network of safety associations such as ASSE, I have no doubt that India will continue to remain a priority for BCSP outreach in the future."

Just over a year ago, BCSP joined in a Partnership Agreement with many of the Government of India's Central and Regional Labor Institutes, allowing those who hold the institutes' Diploma in Industrial Safety to qualify for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) examination by waiver of the Associate Safety Professional (ASP), should they meet all other requirements.

In Australia, BCSP joined with other members of the International Network for Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations (INSHPO), the highlight of the organization's meeting being the publishing of The Global OHS Professional Capability Framework. This framework is the result of three years of development with a team representing the safety profession in 11 different countries. Members continue work on a framework that applies to OHS practice in vocational/practitioner roles, among other projects that define safety practice.

Most recently, BCSP visited Kuwait City to participate in the ASSE Kuwait Chapter's 8th International HSSE and Loss Prevention PDC and Exhibition. Recognition of the safety profession is growing rapidly throughout the Middle East, and BCSP spoke with safety practitioners from throughout the region on the importance and value of BCSP's accredited certification, and how certification can further advance safety as a profession.

Outreach will continue to grow in 2016 and the years that follow. You can follow BCSP's effort to create a safer world by subscribing to the BCSP Partners eNewsletter, which will contain further information on international SH&E events and safety leaders who share our vision.

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