EHS on Tap

For those performing tasks in high-risk industries, personal protective equipment, or PPE, is their last line of defense. It’s important to be as informed as possible about all of the PPE necessary to performing a job safely, but you may have some questions about the proper uses of flame resistant (or FR) garments within your PPE program. Fortunately, we have an expert on the podcast today that can provide you with the information you’re looking for. On today’s episode, we’re joined by Derek Sang, Technical Training Manager for Bulwark FR. Derek has been involved in the flame-resistant clothing industry for over 20 years, taking on a variety of roles in the garment business from service to manufacturing to training. Over the course of his career, Derek has developed and conducted over 250 educational and informational seminars on FR technologies and the hazards of arc flash and flash fire for a variety of organizations. In his current role, Derek has developed over 40 hours of training curriculum for The Bulwark Institute, which focuses on non-commercial training for individuals and companies on thermal hazards and how to properly design and implement an FR clothing program. Along with being a recognized Subject Matter Expert, Derek is also a Qualified Safety Sales Professional; Certified Environmental, Health, and Safety Professional; and a Certified Safety, Health, and Environmental Technician, making him the perfect expert to answer all of your burning FR questions.

There are many organizations out there that promote safety, and one of the most well-known organizations that is deeply committed to promoting safety both at work and at home is the National Safety Council, or NSC. On this very special episode of EHS on Tap, we’re going to talk with the new leader of the Council about her background, her vision for the organization, and what she sees as the biggest emerging trends in workplace safety. We’re very excited today to be joined by Lorraine M. Martin, the president and CEO of the National Safety Council. Lorraine has served in a variety of leadership roles including U.S. Air Force officer, executive vice president and deputy of Rotary and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, and co-founder and president of the nonprofit Pegasus Springs Foundation. As a champion for advancing women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), Lorraine was recently named among STEMConnector’s 100 Corporate Women Leaders, and she joined NSC as its new president and CEO this past June.

In our latest episode, we’re talking about a form of personal protective equipment that is almost synonymous with safety itself: Head protection! Head injuries are incredibly serious, so it makes sense that the hard hat has become the PPE that is particularly emblematic of safety. However, other than a few fit tests or maybe the color occasionally changing from yellow to white, blue, or orange, some may think that there’s little to be changed or improved upon with traditional hard hats—but they would be wrong! Head protection is evolving to be more effective, comfortable, and easy to use, and new solutions are helping to protect the workforce better than ever before. In today’s EHS on Tap episode, sponsored by Ergodyne®, we’re taking a special look at head protection with a couple of experts who are on the cutting edge of the evolution of this important form of PPE. Joining us today on the podcast are Chris Cota, Product Manager for Ergodyne, and Aaron Skemp, Ergodyne Product Specialist.

There are many initiatives demanding the attention of EHS managers these days, but two things are near the top of every safety professional’s priority list in today’s work environment: One, improving organizational safety culture; and two, leveraging appropriate metrics and data to improve safety performance. What some of these professionals may not fully realize, however, is that the two can overlap—and while you can take steps to measure your company’s safety culture, you have to strategize your approach in a different way than you would while analyzing your other workplace safety metrics. You may feel like you don’t know exactly where to begin, but we have an expert here today with some fantastic ideas to help get you started. Joining us for today’s episode is Chuck Pettinger, Ph.D., Process Improvement Leader at Predictive Solutions, a fully owned subsidiary of Industrial Scientific Corporation.

As an environment, health, and safety professional, there’s a good chance that you’ve gotten the feeling that you are perceived as a cost center by senior management—however, whenever you try to communicate the value of EHS in a meeting, are you met with blank stares, sideways looks, or just in general feel like you’re speaking a foreign language? It’s a perpetual challenge for professionals in this field, and knowing how to communicate is a must. But how can you learn the lingo you need to convey value across the company? Well, we’re getting some help in today’s episode, sponsored by Cority, as we’re talking to a dedicated EHS veteran who can help you learn the language you need to make an impact within your organization. Joining us today is Pamala Bobbitt, Vice President of Product Marketing at Cority.

Professional development is essential to advancing a career in any occupation, and, of course, the environment, health, and safety field is no exception. There are many opportunities for development out there for the 21st-century safety professional, ranging from traditional certifications to supplemental training to brand-new educational programs supported by digital delivery methods. With so many options (and, in many cases, so little time), EHS pros may wonder what’s the best course of action for continuous career development? While every individual’s path will vary, our guest today has some great ideas on how you can proactively learn and develop your professional knowledge, not just for the benefit of your own career, but also for the benefit of your organization as well. Joining us today for our EHS professional development discussion is Jill James, Chief Safety Officer with Vivid Learning Systems, an HSI company.

May is Electrical Safety Month, and the danger of electrical hazards remains a constant concern in workplaces nationwide. In fact, electrocution remains one of the four leading causes of workplace deaths in the construction industry, commonly called the “Fatal Four” by OSHA, with approximately 9% of deaths in the workplace being caused by electrocution. In this episode, sponsored by AVO Training Institute, we’re marking Electrical Safety Month with an expert who can give us some insight into the issues surrounding electrical safety, from common hazards to personal protective equipment to strategies for keeping employees safe around electricity. Joining us today on EHS on Tap is Ralph Parrett, AVO Senior Instructional Designer and Senior Training Instructor. Ralph is a U.S. Navy Veteran with over 11 years of professional experience relating to electrical safety and maintenance training.

More and more states are legalizing traditionally illegal substances such as marijuana, and legal substances such as alcohol or prescription medication still have a high potential for abuse. It’s a special concern for environment, health, and safety professionals, as on-the-job use or abuse of any drug can potentially have devastating, even life-threatening consequences. So how can we promote safety in this "stoned age"? Joining us for today’s episode of EHS on Tap is Nina M. French, Managing Partner for the Current Consulting Group. Nina has over 26 years of experience in employee screening and managing drug-free workplace operations in a wide variety of fields.

The Trump administration has pursued an overall deregulatory agenda at the federal level while emphasizing compliance assistance over enforcement; however, this is at the same time that more stringent regulations are being introduced by many individual states. It’s all resulted in a complex patchwork of regulations—in this episode, we discuss the issues with Ian Cohen, Product Marketing Manager for Cority’s Safety, Environmental, and Sustainability solutions, where he works to deliver products to the market that are designed to meet clients’ needs in an ever-changing regulatory environment.

We’re talking today with Regina McMichael, president of the Learning Factory and a world-renowned speaker with 28 years of experience as a safety expert. Regina will be delivering Safety Summit 2019’s opening keynote, "The Wife Left Behind: The Making of a Safety Professional," which will describe how her journey in safety began when her husband fell to his death while employed as a roofer. Regina’s work as a speaker and trainer today shows safety professionals how to transform safety from a dry, boring compliance issue, into a living, breathing, vitally important human issue that can save lives.