Wisconsin Safety Voice | Fall 2019

Fall 2019 Issue 10

Transitioning Supervisors Into Safety Leaders Also in this issue: • Cannabis Really is Complicated • Measuring Safety Performance (and more!) wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Now accepting Sponsors and Exhibitors!

Contact Ana Hamil at ahamil@wisafetycouncil.org or 608.661.6940

Save the date to experience: • Kalahari’s New Convention Space • 200+ Exhibits • Professional Development Courses • Renowned Keynote Speakers • Over 60 Educational Sessions to choose from

Visit our website for registration information! wisafetycouncil.org

2020 Wisconsin Safety Council Annual Conference April 20-22, 2020 Kalahari Resort & Conference Center

Fall 2019 Issue 10

Transitioning Supervisors Into Safety Leaders Page 8

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N AT I O N A L SA F E T Y C O U N C I L Cannabis Really is Complicated

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R I S K M A N AG E M E N T Breaking Down Risk Management Internal Silos

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E M P LOY E E P O ST E R Staying Safe This Fall

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L E A D I N G I N D I CATO R S S.M.A.R.T. Safety Performance Measurement W S C S E E N & H E A R D Behind the Scenes of the Annual Conference

Table of Contents | wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019

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A National Leader in Safety

Kyle Pankow

Contributing Writers Katie Yeutter, Lorraine Martin, Chevon Cook, Shannon Seefeldt, Christina Bergman, Kady Olson, Stephanie Blumer

Advertising Sales Nick Novak, nnovak@wmc.org Ana Hamil, ahamil@wisafetycouncil.org

took home the Honor Chapter award for the second year in a row and two additional awards for exemplary results in workplace training and the Advanced Safety Certificate program. (Read more about the awards on page 18.)

We are so incredibly proud of the work we do each day to keep Wisconsin workers safe on the job, at home and throughout your communities, and we are humbled to receive national attention for the work we do.

That work, however, would mean nothing without our dedicated members. It is because of you that we have increased the amount of training we’ve done year-overyear. It is because of you that our annual conference has sold out the last two years.

And it is because of you that Wisconsin workplaces put safety above all else.

While national attention and praise are welcomed and appreciated, the results from our members are what truly drives us throughout the year. All of you have made us a national leader, but all we really care about is making Wisconsin the safest place to live, work and play. n

Looking to advertise in Wisconsin Safety Voice?

Contact Ana Hamil at ahamil@wisafetycouncil.org.

Fall 2019

Managing Editor Art Direction/Production

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4

Kurt Bauer

Nick Novak

By Katie Yeutter Wisconsin Safety Council President very April, Wisconsin Safety Council is proud to host one of the largest safety conferences in the country. Safety professionals from across the state join us at the Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells for multiple days filled with top-notch breakout sessions, nationally-renowned speakers and a couple hundred exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest in safety innovations.

As you can read on page 16, we have been getting ready for the 2020 conference since the last one wrapped up earlier this year.

Now, I say that Wisconsin Safety Council hosts one of the largest conferences related to safety because there is at least one group every year that manages to get a larger audience at their conference – and that is the National Safety Council (NSC).

Our team was thrilled to get the chance to travel to San Diego this year to learn about what our friends in other states are doing to make safety a value and to better prepare every person in Wisconsin for the inherent risks they come across every day.

The NSC’s mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. This mission could be clearly seen at the NSC Congress & Expo in early September. It can also be seen in each training session we do through Wisconsin Safety Council for our members and our major events throughout the year.

In fact, Wisconsin Safety Council was recognized as a national leader at the recent NSC Congress & Expo. Our team

President/Publisher

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | From the President

Wisconsin Safety Voice is published quarterly by Wisconsin Safety Council.

WSC is Wisconsin’s leading provider of safety training and products in the state, serving members of all sizes and every sector of the economy. WSC is a program of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

Wisconsin Safety Council

501 E. Washington Avenue Madison, WI 53703 tel.: 608.258.3400 wsc@wisafetycouncil.org

Follow us: WiSafetyCouncil

Wisconsin Safety Council @WiSafetyCouncil

PRIVATE CLASSES Let Wisconsin Safety Council train your staff at YOUR location!

FOR STAFF OR OTHERS FROM YOUR COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS

CUSTOMIZED TRAINING

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Contact WSC for more information on private training sessions at 608.258.3400 or wsc@wisafetycouncil.org.

Table of Contents

| wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019

5

Cannabis Really is Complicated

By Lorraine M. Martin President & CEO of the National Safety Council

T

he trend toward decriminalization of cannabis, not just for medical but also for recreational purposes, is changing our country’s safety conversation. Illinois, home of the National Safety Council, just joined 13 states and territories to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults.

We worry that some states are moving toward decriminalization without incorporating appropriate safety measures.

History tells us that this could have

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grave consequences.

It took decades to understand and respond to the significant public health impacts stemming from alcohol and tobacco, and to eliminate second-hand tobacco exposure from our workplaces. In those intervening years, too many lives were cut short. We can’t afford to wait to address the safety and health risks posed by marijuana. We already know that cannabis is an impairing substance, just like alcohol, opioid

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | National Safety Council

painkillers and other drugs. Cannabis can impact judgement, reflexes and cognitive dexterity, increasing the risk of injury both behind the wheel and in the workplace.

The National Safety Council recently hosted its first-ever symposium—Cannabis: It’s Complicated—with world-renowned experts addressing the complexity of the cannabis situation for employers. Participants joined us to discuss current trends and safe-

ty implications, drawing from latest available information from the fields of toxicology, medicine, driving safety and the legal arena. The big takeaway from our symposium is that this issue is impacting, and will continue to impact, workplace and road safety. We have just started to scratch the surface of what research can tell us about marijuana impairment. Therefore, we need to hasten our research efforts to better understand how cannabis affects humans across the life span so we can develop and implement appropriate counter-measures.

Although robust data around the safety effects of cannabis are lacking, states with legal recreational or medical marijuana have reported an increase in motor vehicle crashes involving THC, the psychoactive substance in cannabis. Correlation does not equal causation, and we don’t yet have dependable road-side impairment testing for cannabis akin to the Breathalyzer for alcohol. We also do not have solid data indicating cannabis’ impact on the workplace, but given its ability to impair, it could expose workers who use it to life-threatening hazards.

A recent NSC survey demonstrates there is significant public concern regarding impairment at work and on the road. Seventy-two percent of survey respondents said they are apprehensive about their own safety and the safety of loved ones due to marijuana impairment on the road. This underscores the importance of educating drivers and the public about marijuana impairment.

Sixty-one percent of survey respondents cited impairment as a workplace safety concern, and 55 percent said employers should test for cannabis, even if it is legal at the state level for either medical or recreational use.

Employers often don’t have the benefit of waiting for the results of long-term research studies or legalization implementation before they take action. A majority of employers recognize that all substance use, including opioids and marijuana, directly im-

pacts their workforce and their bottom line. Courts have tended to side with employers that enforce substance-free workplace policies, and medical marijuana use is not covered by either Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The National Safety Council supports substance-free workplaces and encourages employers to create clear guidelines and policies to eliminate confusion.

A majority of Americans now live in a state that allows either medical or recreational use. While the public has come to support easing legal restrictions on marijuana, most recognize that this substance carries genuine risks that employers and public health officials must tackle. In order to make data-driven decisions in regard to public safety and health, we need to make it easier for researchers to study the impact of marijuana.

We also have a responsibility to educate the public that cannabis presents safety challenges because

it is an impairing substance. When it comes to activities such as driving, operating machinery and managing high-consequence work environments with little margin for error, addressing impairment cannot fall by the wayside.

This is especially true at a time when injuries and fatalities continue to be a top concern for workplaces across multiple industries.

Looking toward the future, the National Safety Council will be taking a more critical eye towards this issue, and expects to share additional policies and procedure recommendations for lawmakers and employers in order to keep workers and drivers safe. n

National Safety Council | wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019

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Transitioning Supervisors Into Safety Leaders

By Chevon Cook Safety Manager, Wisconsin Safety Council

O

ne of the things I enjoy the most about teaching the Safety Management and Leadership programs offered by the National Safety Council (NSC) is working with the wide array of students who attend these courses. From Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practitioners to Supervisors, Line Leads or Managers, the NSC offers strong training to transition leaders into safety leaders. (This article will refer to the position Supervisor going forward, even though we speak to all types of positions within the realm of “middle management.”)

While we know the OSH practitioners are attending because they want to further develop their leadership skills, it is always exciting to see supervisors enroll because we know they are looking for answers on how to transform themselves from their “normal” leadership position to becoming a safety leader.

The questions on these students’ minds tends to be the same: how do I make the transition from being a production leader to being a safety leader? What does this road map look like? What does being an effective

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safety leader – or just a leader, for that matter – look like? These are great questions that, at times, are received with complex answers. This article will attempt to break down this process in simple terms with basic first steps one can follow when making this transition.

Management Commitment It is difficult to discuss what the transition process should look like without addressing the elephant in the room. Organizations looking to develop their supervisors into safety leaders will have a greater chance of success if top management provides their full support in this process. In his research on safety climate in industrial settings, Dov Zohar noted that factories that had successful safety programs also had a strong managerial commitment to safety. In other words, management was involved in safety activities and promoted safety in distinctive ways1.

Despite the research pointing to this conclusion, selling top management on the benefits of developing supervisors into safety leaders can still pose a challenge. Barriers or perceptions one may have to overcome can include: a low safety culture maturity level within

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | Cover Story

the organization; top management only seeing time and costs being lost vs. understanding the long-term savings from developing such practices; competing priorities such as production; and top management not understanding the importance of the supervisor’s role within the safety management system.

Safety practitioners are challenged with the task of selling top management on the idea of developing supervisors into safety leaders. Top management usually responds best to seeing numbers, usually in the form of some type of financial measures. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a tool commonly used to justify the safety and health needs of an organization. If a CBA is to be developed and used, it should be based on how the organizations completes CBAs for other types of projects related to areas such as increased production, quality, etc. In general, developing a CBA to justify safety and health needs of an organization can follow these simple steps: 1. Calculate the costs of injuries/ illnesses (often referred to as accidents.) Both direct and indirect costs should be included. There

are many published indirect-to-direct cost ratios that safety practitioners have traditionally used, ranging from Heinrich’s 4:1 ratio2 to Bird’s iceberg theory, which suggests a high ratio potential of 50:13 and everything in-between.

According to Manuele’s accident costs research in 2011, no published ratios are currently valid because the increase in direct costs has exceeded the increase in indirect costs substantially within the past 15 years4. Safety professionals should feel reasonably comfortable using a 1:1 ratio when calculating accident costs4.

2. Determine the costs for time.

This involves estimating the amount of time employees will need to sit through the training, then using hourly wages to determine costs associated with the time component.

3. Determine the costs for the training itself. Most training is developed by the in-house safety practitioner so these costs can be estimated in a similar fashion to the time component mentioned above for employees. If another medium is being used for the training (purchased content; consultant-provided training; professional development course; etc.), the costs for the selected medium should be used.

4. Compare training costs to the cost of one incident. This data can then be used to determine how many prevented incidents are needed in order to cover the cost for the training. Another angle to investigate involves using the company’s profit margin to show how much product needs to be sold in order to make up for the loss.

Once management commitment has

been gained, the process for transforming supervisors into safety leaders can begin.

Supervisor Safety Leader Development The roadmap to developing supervisors into safety leaders requires many steps and, in actually, is a continuous improvement (CI) process similar to CI processes used in all other aspects of an organization. The amount of time, energy and resources needed to effectively implement this process can seem daunting at first. Following a systematic approach will allow the process to run more smoothly. If you’re looking for the first few steps an organization could take to start this development process, consider the following: • Develop a list of skills supervisors need in order to become effective safety leaders. This requires a few steps: •• Develop the list of skills •• Determine the level/rank they need to be at to be considered proficient in that skill •• Assess the supervisors on their current strength with each skill • Create a training matrix with the skill assessments of all supervisors.

Your organization now has a gap analysis they can work with. The data can be looked at from an individual, department and/or organizational level to determine the best approach for laying out training needs.

• Develop a training plan. Depending on the skills supervisors need to develop, training gaps can be closed via internal training, sending leaders to a workshop, online training, etc.

• Provide supervisors with a roadmap of best practices they should follow. Judy L. Agnew, PhD is a Senior Vice President of Safety Solutions with Aubrey Daniels International. During a presentation she provided at the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Safety 2017 conference, she

spoke about how organizations can set supervisors up for success in relation to safety and health efforts. During her talk, she offered best practices organizations can encourage supervisors to engage in, including: •• Building relationships with employees •• Focusing on prevention as much as possible (proactive vs. reactive) •• Addressing hazards on a consistent, timely basis •• Providing frequent feedback to employees on safety-related and/ or at-risk behaviors observed •• Initiating specific safety interactions with employees on a frequent basis •• Responding positively to incident and near-miss reporting •• Incorporating safety into every decision made for the department As stated before, these are just some of the first steps an organization can take to successfully develop supervisors into safety leaders. Continuous development and reviews of measurable results are other key phases that need to be incorporated into this process.

By engaging supervisors into the various activities related to an organization’s safety and health program, a company can ensure that their safety objectives and goals are being met on a consistent basis. Organizations needs to avoid the pitfalls of this journey and understand that supervisor safety development is a process, not an event. Taking the time to develop supervisors properly and following an organized process to do so will lead to the success companies are looking for: lower costs of injuries, lower frequency of injuries, high involvement of employees, and a positive safety culture. n

References 1. Zohar, D. (1980). Safety climate in industrial organizations: Theoretical and applied implications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65(1), 96–102. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.65.1.96 2. Heinrich, H. W. (1959). Industrial accident prevention: a scientific approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.

3. Bird, F. E. Jr. (1974). Management guide to loss control. Atlanta, GA: Institute Press.

4. Manuele, F. (2011). Accident costs: Rethinking ratios of indirect to direct costs. Professional Safety, 56(1), 39-47.

Cover Story | wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019

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26 thAnnual

WISCONSIN CORPORATE SAFETY

Awards

Applications accepted January 1-31

Celebrating our 26th year, this awards program honors businesses for exemplary safety records and excellence in safety & health management.

WHY APPLY?

• Winning a corporate safety award is an excellent recognition tool and provides opportunities for new business thanks to the prestige and exposure.

• Leading companies like yours deserve the opportunity to be recognized as a leader in workplace safety efforts.

• Exclusivity – winning this award places you in an elite group of fewer than 200 Wisconsin companies who have won in the past 25 years • Nominees and winners alike have received substantial and deserved recognition in the media locally, statewide and beyond.

• This awards program highlights significant accomplishments and industry firsts of those companies leading the way for future generations.

• The application process allows you to fully assess your organization – helping you evaluate your safety program’s strengths and improve upon weaknesses.

The CSA selection process involves two phases: •Phase I involves statistical data relating to a company’s incidence rates for the past three years, with an emphasis on current full year’s calendar data, is reviewed and a core group of finalists is selected.

• In Phase II the finalists will be notified by February 7 and asked to answer a series of subjective questions pertaining to workplace health and safety issues.

Questions? Contact Barb Deans, WSC Associate Director, at bdeans@wisafetycouncil.org or 608.258.3400.

The Awards Program is sponsored by:

Now 10 Fall 2019

easier than ever, the streamlined application process can be fully wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | completed online at www.wmc.org/corporatesafetyaward

Breaking Down Risk Management Internal Silos

By Shannon Seefeldt, CSP, Aon Global Risk Consulting and Christina Bergman, CWCP, CHRS, Aon Global Risk Consulting

O

ne of the toughest challenges we face as Risk Management professionals is learning to break down the silos that will divide our organization, ultimately derailing our efforts towards best practice risk management and improvement in total cost of risk (TCoR).

A coordinated safety and integrated injury management process can positively impact employee safety, operational efficiency, compliance and organizational profitability.

Implementing an integrated approach has many positive impacts: • Improves compliance • Improves internal communication • Increases efficiency • Promotes teamwork • Improves safety • Impacts your bottom line - profitability and TCoR • Improves underwriting marketability • Can lower insurance costs Here are the key steps to breaking down those silos that restrict us: 1. Identify Integrated Leadership and Team Overlap Claims, Committees, EHS, Employees, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Operations, Risk Management, Safety, Supervisor / Manager, Union, etc.

2. Define Responsibilities and Overlap • Who ensures the root causes are correctly identified?

• Who meets with the employee and reviews the Employee Injury report?

• Who completes the Incident Investigation report?

• Who reviews SOP to ensure safe practices are corrected or defined?

• Who completes the First Report of Injury (FROI)?

• Who communicates with the insurance/TPA? – Compensability? RTW? • Who communicates with the injured employee? – SOP deviations? RTW? • Who red tags/inspects equipment involved in the accident?

• Who tracks the financial impact?

• Who is trending the data?

• Who oversees that the corrective actions are completed?

3. Define Your Goals and Metrics • Develop integrated strategic plans that include measurable goals, defined activities and performance metrics.

• SMART goals – Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely: • Frequency • Severity • Leading • Lagging • Prevention is the ultimate goal – Controlling costs is not enough.

The ultimate goal of best in class organizations is prevention, or the zero-injury culture.

4. Define Communication Triggers Equipment, Safety Violations, Investigations, Witness Statements, JSA – correlation of injury to job duties.

Professional understands OSHA and injury prevention considerations.

6. Establish Meeting Platform • The team should meet regularly (monthly/quarterly) • Identify a team leader/scribe who will coordinate • Assign each member with responsibilities to report on their area • Discuss goals and metrics – organizational/company/location • Review incident investigation reports • Ensure root cause(s) are properly identified • Ensure preventative measures are developed and implemented 7. Continuous Improvement Keep in mind that any process is not fool proof so instilling the mindset of “What can we do better?” will reap benefits that will improve the culture and keep the silos from reforming.

One of our greatest professional assets is to understand the functions within our organizations and how to maximize each element to continue the forward direction to total risk management. One voice, One goal! n For more information, contact Shannon at shannon.seefeldt@aon.com or Chistina at christina.bergman@aon.com.

5. Cross Train It is important that the Safety Professional understands claims and injury management, and that the Claims

Sponsored Content | wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019 11

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wisconsinsafetyvoice.org |

a day

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Slips, Trips and Falls

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Staying Safe at Work

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Twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than any other day of the year.

Driving visibility decreases at night, and is only 250 feet with normal headlights.

Staying Safe at Home

Falls account for nearly 1/3 of all non-fatal injuries in the US.

| wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019 13

S.M.A.R.T. Safety Performance Management

By Kady Olson Senior Safety Manager, Wisconsin Safety Council

H

ow do you measure safety performance in your organization? The most common answers to this question are metrics such as recordable injury or DART rates. However, I argue that these measurements really measure how unsafe your organization is. These traditional measurements of an organization’s safety performance are lagging indicators. They tell you when a problem or hazard already exists or when incidents have already occurred.

This reactive approach to safety performance measurement does very little for the success of your safety management program. Recently, more and more safety professionals are incorporating leading indicators as a way to preemptively mitigate risk in their organizations. This proactive approach sounds great in theory, but deciding on which leading indicators to measure can be challenging.

To demystify the process of choosing the correct leading indicators for your organization, OSHA recently published a guide as part of their efforts to promote the implementation of safety and health management systems. Using Leading Indicators to Improve Safety and Health Outcomes is a step by step guide that not only explains the benefits of using leading indicators, but also helps you determine which measurements are most appropriate based on the safety goals of your organization. The document identifies three classifications of leading indicators

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based on the needs of your company: leading indicators based on data you are already collecting, leading indicators for controlling an identified hazard and leading indicators to improve

Management Leadership

Using

Leading Indicators

to Improve Safety and Health Outcomes Worker Participation

Find and Fix Hazards

Occupational Safety and Health Administration www.osha.gov/shpguidelines OSHA 3970 U.S. Department of Labor n www.osha.gov n (800) 321-OSHA (6742)

June 2019 i

an element of your safety and health program.

Looking for a quick win when it comes to implementing leading indicators? Why not use data you are already collecting as part of your safety and health efforts? Whether it be training records, inspection records or notes from safety meetings, you can use this data to improve elements of your safety and health system. Start with data you already have and determine if there is a correlation between any of these factors and your lagging indicators. Is the low attendance at your annual safety trainings tied to an

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | Leading Indicators

increased incident rate? Is the lack of safety inspections leading to missed opportunities to identify hazards before they lead to injuries? Utilizing your existing metrics can help you develop meaningful leading indicators.

If you are operating in a particularly hazardous industry, you may be looking to use leading indicators for controlling an identified hazard. For example, you may have an increased risk for fire in your company due to the amount of hot work that occurs within the facility. Tracking the number of fires, or near misses, would be a lagging indicator.

However, if you have implemented a Hot Work Permit system you could use the number of correctly completed Hot Work Permits as your leading indicator.

As the leading indicator (number of correct Hot Work Permits) increases, the lagging indicator (number of fires or near misses) will decrease. This inverse relationship between lagging and leading indicators is exactly what we are looking for to reduce risk.

Already have a safety and health management program in place? You’re ahead of the game! If your program has a few gaps you can use leading indicators to improve elements of the program. Let’s say you are having some trouble getting management to participate in your efforts. One way to get management and supervisors involved is to have them lead discussions about a safety topic. In this case, your leading indicator would be the number of times in a determined

frequency (week, month, quarter, etc.) that management initiated a safety talk with their employees. As this number increases, the participation by management will become more visible making your program that much stronger.

Regardless of what type of leading indicator you choose to use, it is imperative that it have all of the characteristics of an effective metric. The best way to do this is to make sure that your leading indicator is S.M.A.R.T., meaning that it is specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-oriented.

Be Specific Taking too broad of a measurement can actually move you backwards in your safety performance. Is the leading indicator you have chosen specific enough to minimize the risk from an identified hazard? Is it particular enough to improve a designated element of your safety and health management program? If your area of concern is in employee participation in safety, a specific leading indicator would be the percentage or number of employees that attend monthly safety trainings. This is more specific than just capturing the number of safety trainings held because it targets the element you are looking to improve-employee participation.

Be Measurable Deciding that you want to reduce risk through a risk assessment process is great, but how will you measure that?

You can make a list of all of the risk assessments that need to be completed and then track the number of them that have been performed. You can assign each risk a specific risk-value and then calculate the percentage it will decrease with the addition of a new control measure. You could even determine the percentage of employees who are participating in the performance of risk assessments. That should get you some good, hard data!

Be Actionable

Be Timely

There is nothing worse than collecting data for the sake of collecting it with no real idea of what it will be used for. That is why all leading indicators should be actionable; they should help you identify gaps in your program that can be addressed. Let’s say that as a way to improve safety participation you implement a safety concern process in which employees can submit their safety concerns. Collecting and tabulating these concerns may help us to identify hazards, but they are useless if we don’t actively address the concerns. It’s one thing to know about a hazard, it’s another to do something about it.

In addition to being reasonable, your leading indicator should also be timely. The data you are collecting should help you identify trends in your workplace and these trends are time sensitive. Recording data contemporaneously is critical to effectively using your leading indicators.

In the past it has been very difficult to stray from the traditional view of safety performance measurement of lagging indicators, but it doesn’t have to be! There are so many resources that safety professionals can use to choose the right leading indicator for their facility. Interested in learning more about making leading indicators work for you? Check out the Safety Management Techniques course offered by the Wisconsin Safety Council. This course will help you see the benefit of using leading indicators and how they can improve your overall safety and health management system. n

Be Realistic Leading indicators should be easy to collect. If your leading indicator requires to you log into a software system that isn’t user-friendly or to perform complicated calculations to retrieve your data, you won’t get much traction.

Leading Indicators | wisconsinsafetyvoice.org

Fall 2019 15

Behind the Scenes of the Annual Conference

By Stephanie Blumer Customer Service Specialist, Wisconsin Safety Council

E

very April, around 1,200 safety professionals and approximately 500 vendor representatives come together to learn and collaborate on how to make Wisconsin the safest state to live, work and play. All of this is made possible by our six person Wisconsin Safety Council staff and more than 100 volunteers and speakers.

As you can imagine, planning the Wisconsin Safety Council Annual Conference is no small task. What exactly does the planning process look like?

First Steps: Immediately after conference, our

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team reads through every survey response to learn what attendees like and what we should change. Over the course of the next 12 months we continue evaluating the survey responses to ensure we are staying on track and meeting the expectations of our attendees.

Next, we begin discussing new ideas to increase the benefit to our attendees, including keynote speakers, workshop tactics and the stage set up for the upcoming conference. For example, one change we will be implementing next year is the program app. We will still print our traditional program, however,

wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | Annual Safety Conference

the app will allow us to update everyone on last minute changes along with numerous other great features.

Sessions: Mid-summer we meet with the volunteers of our conference committee.

This team reviews session feedback from the previous conference before planning topics and speakers for the upcoming year. Participants leave the meeting with a list of potential speakers for specific topics. Through the next two and a half months we receive 100 nominations from interested speakers.

Once the nomination cycle is closed,

our conference committee is asked to vote on the sessions to be offered at conference.

Exhibitors: We typically open exhibitor booth sales at the beginning of August. This year, we pushed the date back to help us plan the expo space and features for the new Kalahari expansion.

Speaking of the new space, we continually hear that our event has out-grown the Kalahari. We are excited to announce the utilization of the newly built expansion at the Kalahari. The space is beautiful with a lot of natural light and, as promised, more space.

CSA Awards: Starting in January, we collect submissions for our Corporate Safety Awards. Our CSA committee meets to select finalists based on company incident rates compared to the industry averages. Finalists submit a detailed report highlighting the company’s unique initiatives, significant accomplishments and industry firsts related to safety. The judges review the reports and choose a winner for each category.

The Countdown: Between January and our kickoff in April we obtain volunteers to help moderate rooms, assign each session to a specific room, secure all logistics with the hotel and outside venders, communicate with speakers and ensure all materials are printed and delivered on time.

As you can tell, planning conference takes a full year even with a whole team working on it. This event is truly one of the highlights of the year. We can’t wait to see you in April! n

WSC SEEN & HEARD

W

isconsin Safety Council was honored with three national awards for its work in 2019, including being named an Honor Chapter of the National Safety Council (NSC) for the second year in a row.

The awards were presented to Wisconsin Safety Council – the state chapter of NSC – at the National Safety Council Congress Chapter Meeting Awards Luncheon in San Diego, California in September. Chapters were recognized at this event for making significant contributions to safety, for exemplifying NSC’s statement of leadership, and making its mission and vision a reality.

“I am so proud of the team we have at Wisconsin Safety Council,” said Wisconsin Safety Council President Katie Yeutter. “Our team has exponentially grown our impact over the last year, which is helping to create a culture of safety at more and more employers all around Wisconsin.”

The Honor Chapter award was given to Wisconsin Safety Council for the second year in a row recognizing the chapter’s efforts and contributions towards safety. The “Honor Chapter” Award is presented to qualifying NSC chapters that

Snapshots from the NSC Congress and Expo:

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wisconsinsafetyvoice.org | WSC Seen & Heard

excel in the following categories: Diversified Training, Yearend Fiscal Surplus, NSC Product Purchases, Chapter Participation in three of the five NSC focus areas and increased awareness on three of the five NSC National Emphasis priorities.

Wisconsin Safety Council also took home the Advanced Safety Certificate (ASC) Training Award and the Workplace Training Award.

The ASC Training Award was presented to Wisconsin Safety Council for its remarkable 114 percent growth in this program, and the third award presented to Wisconsin Safety Council was the Workplace Training Award for the organization’s unprecedented 233 percent growth year-over-year in safety training programs.

“As Wisconsin Safety Council continues to grow, we are humbled to be recognized nationally for our accomplishments,” added Yeutter. “This would not be possible without our strong Wisconsin Safety Council team and our amazing members.” n

ARE YOU LOOKING TO CONNECT WITH OTHER YOUNG SAFETY PROFESSIONALS? JOIN OUR GROUP TO CONNECT AND LEARN WITH OTHERS AT THE START OF THEIR CAREERS! Building a culture of safety is important at all levels of an organization. From the top executive to the newest entry level employee, safety is something that needs to permeate everything a company does. That type of commitment to safety should begin early in one’s career, and that is why Wisconsin Safety Council has developed its Young Professionals group.

From professional development aimed at individuals in the beginning of their careers to increased resources from veteran safety professionals, the Wisconsin Safety Council Young Professionals group is a tremendous opportunity to not only succeed, but to do so safely.

This group will empower young safety professionals to improve safety practices at their organizations and in all aspects of life. Wisconsin Safety Council Young Professionals aim to improve safety through collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment to having every single person go home safe each and every day.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP?  Access to a listserv with veteran safety professionals to create connections and answer safety-related questions.

• Participants on this listserv represent some of the largest manufacturers in Wisconsin as well as Fortune 500 companies. They are experienced experts including CSP professionals and Corporate Safety Award Achievers.  Access to professional development courses at the Wisconsin Safety Council Annual Conference, along with networking events and facility tours throughout the year aimed directly at individuals in the beginning of their career.  A complimentary copy of Wisconsin Safety Voice each quarter, highlighting the newest information and best practices.  Access to a monthly email newsletter with up-to-date safety information, upcoming trainings and need-to-know safety regulations.  An account through Audible with leadership and safety related audiobooks.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP RATES – Regular Membership (45 years old and younger): $50 – Full-Time Undergraduate Student: $35

youngprofessionals

Contact WSC for more information: Stephanie Blumer | sblumer@wisafetycouncil.org | 608.661.6911

2019 SAFETY TRAINING Chapter of

The Wisconsin Safety Council, a division of WMC, is Wisconsin’s leading provider of safety training and programming. WSC offers training throughout the year at locations across the state or training at your facility.

WISAFETYCOUNCIL.ORG

10% OFF Thank You!

As a Wisconsin Safety Voice subscriber, please accept this 10% coupon good towards one public WSC training course.

When registering online, please use promo code: SV10 Must be used on a course scheduled before 1-1-20 For the most up-to-date course schedule, visit wisafetycouncil.org. Please contact WSC at 608.258.3400 or wsc@wisafetycouncil.org with any questions regarding training.

Join WMC for the 2019 State of Wisconsin Manufacturing Tour Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and M3 Insurance will host multiple stops around the State of Wisconsin during October to celebrate Manufacturing Month. The 2019 State of Wisconsin Manufacturing Tour will highlight the state’s number one industry, which employs more than 470,000 people and creates nearly $60 billion in economic output.

Each stop will highlight Wisconsin’s need for skilled workers, the economic impact of manufacturing in Wisconsin and a variety of other topics. To attend one of the stops, visit wmc.org/mfgtour.

October 4 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay October 8 State Fair Park Exposition Center West Allis October 16 Northcentral Technical College Wausau October 23 M3 Insurance Madison Register at wmc.org/mfgtour