“The Safety Professionals’ Duty to Maintain a Balanced Commitment to Both the Employee, and the Employer."

 As safety professionals we have obligations and commitments to both the employee and the employer.  Our obligation is to be objective, truthful, and to provide tools and training to our employees so that they can perform their tasks safely. 

Whenever there is an accident or an injury the duty of the safety professional is not to take sides or place blame, but first, to find out, “Who, What, When, Where, Why & How” through investigation.

Are employees following policies and procedures?  Do they need to be re-trained?  Are policies and procedures being enforced by management?  Is working safely expected and recognized? Is working unsafely not tolerated? Have employees been given Personal Protective Equipment to safely perform tasks, and have our employees recieved training on how to use it?  Are we correcting and counseling as problems arise?  Are employees being held accountable?  These thought provoking questions will be discussed.

Presenter:  George Joyner, CSMS - Park and Rec Department, City of Ontario