Determining values

For the volunteers who provided the 2011 Pacific Southwest Safety Conference, this year’s conference achieved many goals — higher attendance, solid cadres of speakers and vendors, great feedback — we even raised some money that our associations can use for student scholarships or other chapter goals. I know we had one major area that needed improvement — registration did not go as smoothly as we would have liked, due both to a software glitch and inexperienced volunteers.

Now that you’ve had several days to think about your experiences at the conference, we’d love to hear from you. We’ve collected information on each session, but not on comparing them, or the conference as a whole — I’d like to change that.

My next several posts will incorporate a single question poll; I’d appreciate your responses and comments.

Paula

“All Hazards” responders

When a crew rolls out of a San Diego Fire Station, how often will it face a fire? 75% of the time? Half? One third?

Annually, San Diego fire crews respond to medical emergencies 23 times more often than they respond to fires.

Not even close, said San Diego’s Fire Rescue Department Chief, Javier Mainar, in his October 6 presentation at the Pacific Southwest Safety Conference. In fact, the Chief told participants that just three-and-a-half percent of calls respond to fires, a number he said is fairly consistent among urban fire departments across the U.S.

With 115,000 incidents annually in the City of San Diego, 3.5 percent equates to more than 4000 fire responses each year. In raw dollars, taxpayers might find $50,000 per fire is an acceptable price for protecting them from catastrophic loss, and decide that the department’s $200 million annual budget is justified solely to fight fires, but today’s fire department provides much more for the taxpayers’ money.

The San Diego Fire Rescue Department responds to medical emergencies at 82 percent of its calls, and to disaster situations 15 percent of the time. This makes the public’s average investment  just over $1700 per response, and avoids taxpayer investments to create specialized stations, equipment, workforces and operating budgets for each type of emergency.

Cheif Mainar generously provided a copy of his presentation;  view it to learn about the department’s 40-year evolution to embrace an “All Hazards” approach to emergency response. Chief Mainar: Four decades of Fire Rescue.

Get “Remote Ergonomics”

Thank you, everyone, for an energizing and exciting time at the 2011 Pacific SW Safety Conference!

For a short while, I will post follow-up items from this year’s event. Subject to interest, I’d also be happy to continue this blog as a forum for participants and interested members of the EHS community. Are there topics you’d like to discuss? Presentations you want to see at next year’s conference? Discussions you’d like to continue with other participants or our speakers? Please post your thoughts, or send me an email.

Download "Remote Ergonomics" by Steve Thompson, Aspen Risk Management Group

Pac SW participants told me that Steve Thompson’s presentation about remote ergonomics really made them think about the future of workers compensation insurance. Will telecommuting ultimately make the case for universal healthcare?

Steve’s thought-provoking presentation is available online.

Limited copies of the Conference CD are available; contact me if you failed to obtain one at checkout.

Best wishes, Paula

Make Friends and Influence People

Almost 200 people are headed for this year’s Pacific Southwest Safety Conference, which is less than 36 hours away!

Make sure you take advantage of the chance to meet and influence new people at Pac Southwest. (Photo: AT&T)

We have people coming from as far away as Canada, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois and Alabama, as well as California communities, both in and outside of San Diego County. There will be safety and industrial hygiene professionals from Camp Pendleton, Naval Medical Center, the City and County of San Diego, Qualcomm, Scripps Hospitals, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego Union Tribune Company, San Diego Gas and Electric, Ventura County, Public and Private Utilities, Consulting Firms, Cal/OSHA, and several Universities.

PLUS, interesting speakers, exhibits, good food, raffle prizes . . .

Your conference awaits you. Bring a friend — you can still register online, or at the conference.

See you at the Handlery, bright and early Wednesday morning! (I’ll be the one with a giant coffee . . .)

Paula

In case of emergency, strike glass

Should a Pacific Southwest Safety Conference presenter become ill or otherwise unable to attend the conference as scheduled, participants will have the opportunity to attend one or both of the following sessions.

Hands Only CPR - Do you know what to do in an unexpected medical emergency? When is hands-only CPR acceptable? When you should use traditional CPR or an AED? Ed Langmaid will answer these questions, demonstrate Hands-Only CPR, and give participants an opportunity to practice and become certified. Every family should have at least one member prepared to act in an emergency. This course will provide the skills needed to respond to sudden collapse, possible cardiac arrest or unconsciousness.

Ed Langmaid

Ed Langmaid, CSP, MBCI, American Red Cross Instructor, serves as a Consultant in Business Continuity and Safety, Health and Environmental Issues for the Defense & Space Industry.

He previously spent 30 years as a BAE Systems employee, and is a Board Member and VP of Legislative Affairs for the Navy League of San Diego.  Ed holds a Master’s Degree from National University.

Earthquake Response- Don Dodson will share lessons learned from his experiences with government and emergency medical services (EMS), and his work helping local communities improve EMS response to mass casualty incidents using Incident Command System (ICS). He will present a straightforward approach that helps agencies identify next steps in improving their earthquake response plans.

Don Dodson

Don Dodson, ARM, CPDM, COSS, is immediate past president of the San Diego Chapter of ASSE and has more than 30 years of professional safety and risk management experience in the municipal, health care and insurance industries.

Don holds an MBA from National University, and is a San Diego State Alumnus. He founded Donald E. Dodson Consulting following his retirement from the City of La Mesa, where he served as the City’s Risk Manager.

Learning leadership

Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 11:30 a.m.- From boardwalks to barracks, Construction Safety Leadership reflects lessons learned in the practice of managing safety for a vast array of commercial construction projects. Register here.

Coney Island Boardwalk

Pete will tell stories experienced from California to New York, including projects at large jobsites such as repairing the Coney Island Boardwalk, constructing a 1,300 Unit US Marine Corps Enlisted Quarters, and building an Air Traffic Control Tower in Central California. Pete will discuss ways to influence and engineer the building process to control loss and improve safety. His course will touch upon aspects of leadership, programs, execution of programs, metrics, and safety as a lifestyle and passion.

About the Presenter:

Peter Lupo

Pete Lupo,  ARM, CHST is Director of Safety at T.B. Penick  & Sons.  He has safety experience on a vast array of commercial construction types including design build structures. He holds several certificates including OSHA Construction Outreach Trainer and many others. Peter’s main focus is to engineer risk out of the building process – his core focus includes loss control program management, job site safety management, OSHA compliance, safety training, and insurance claims management. His safety management background includes general construction, managing subcontractors, and managing self-performing heavy construction trades.

Peter has also been published in several construction periodicals, including several articles for the Engineering News-Record (ENR). He holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Long Beach.

And the winner is . . .

Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 11:30- Confined Space Interactive provides training in an enjoyable game show format.

Will game shows improve your training skills?

This highly effective, interactive training style promotes a teamwork approach to problem-solving, and provides an additional tool for the safety trainer. Participants will see a live demonstration during which members of the audience work as a team to answer questions and solve problems associated with confined space entry. Register here.

Peter Kuchinsky II, CSP, is a Sr. Risk Management Consultant and trainer for the ACWA JPIA who brings both construction field experience and educational knowledge to the classes he teaches.

Peter Kuchinsky, CSP

Peter started out in the construction trades and has worked as a “competent” person for trenching operations and traffic control. He earned his degree in Public Administration from San Diego State University. Among his certifications are Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Registered Environmental Assessor (REA I) and Safety Trained Supervisor (STS).

Wildfire!

Thursday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.- In this session, veteran fire fighter Hal Mortier will provide a succinct overview of  fire prevention, fire safety, fire suppression, fire behavior and defensible space in the wildland, incorporating lessons learned  with the U.S. Fire Service and Sempra Utilities.

Wildfires pose an increased risk to much of the population. Is your home or business at risk?

He will also discuss why the record-setting Southern California firestorms of 2003 and 2007 changed expectations for who may be impacted by wildland fires.

About the presenter:

Hal Mortier is currently the Fire Program Manager for San Diego Gas & Electric, a utility in Southern California that has great exposure to the risks and hazards associated with wildland fires.  He has been with SDG&E for just under 8 years, and has about 40 years’ experience in the wildland fire arena.

Hal is a retired Division Chief with the U.S. Forest Service and was a Type 1 National Incident Commander prior to retiring from the Forest Service.  He served as the Incident Commander on large scale hurricanes, the Columbia Shuttle Recovery, other “all risk” incidents, and some of the nation’s largest wildland fires.

No pain, more gain?

Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m.- Pac SW presents “Remote Ergonomics,” by Steve Thompson, COSS, ARM CHSM

Proper ergonomics reduce pain -- and also make economic sense.

The modern workforce relies heavily on telecommuters, remote workers, and alternative work environments.  In this context, preventing repetitive motion injuries, and improving safety and risk management in home and remote workplaces presents unique human resources, safety, and risk management challenges and opportunities.

Employers are faced with legal and moral obligations in providing safety in home and remote workforces.  Learn about an innovative program that puts the tools and implementation of sound ergonomic practice directly into the hands of the individuals who can benefit.  Learn how this approach has reduced and eliminated pain, improved productivity, and led to solid economic returns for employers.

Steve Thompson

Steve Thompson, COSS, ARM, CHSM, is President of Apen Risk Management and ERGOhealthy.  Along with other safety and ergonomic professionals at ERGOhealthy, he has helped hundreds of companies and people improve their safety and occupational health programs through an integrated, holistic approach to ergonomics.

For the past twenty years, Steve has been actively consulting and teaching courses in ergonomics, safety, and risk management.  He is the coauthor of Workplace Safety: A Guide for Small and Midsized Companies (Wiley) an Amazon.com bestseller in occupational safety, and coauthored both the safety and ergonomics chapters in Foundation for Optimal Productivity (DMEC), and Tools of the Trade (DMEC).

Earlier in his career, Steve served in the Air Force as a medic, and then later worked as an Emergency Room Nurse. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Southern Illinois University, and his certificate in Health and Safety Management at the University of Southern California.

Mapping your future

Thursday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.- Join us at Pac SW for our a panel presentation,  Movin’ on up: next steps in your safety career.

Get an insider's view of career options and opportunities

Presenters David Ferguson and Lynn Michels will share insights and advice about different tracks to safety success. Are you interested in certification programs for EHS, Risk Management, or Occcupational Safety? Should you pursue a master’s or doctoral degree? Get advice from real-world professionals who have their fingers on the pulse of employment trends, as well as a rich history of success in EHS  professions.

About the presenters:

David Ferguson

David Ferguson, M.S., is Director of Risk Management for the San Diego Union Tribune,  his employer for the past 17 years. David formerly held EHS positions at Chem-tronics and Signet Armorlite, and has won numerous nationwide and local awards for his successes in environmental health and safety.  He has been published in Occupational Safety and Health Magazine and is a sought- after conference speaker who has mentored and assisted many individuals in finding safety-related jobs. David is a San Diego State University Alumnus, and has chaired the ASSE San Diego jobline for the past 25 years.

Lynn Michels

Lynn Michels, National Health & Safety Project Manager for Kaiser Permanente, works with regional and local EH&S managers to plan and manage the implementation of national policies & procedures, and communicates compliance options to senior management. She provides expertise in specified program areas on proposed EH&S regulations; proposes alternatives for managing and minimizing risk, collaborates with managers to develop EH&S business plans and helps create local programs that effectively manage operating risks and provide a safe and healthy environment.

Lynn is a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente in 2000, she served as Safety Consultant for the City of Escondido and the Pacific Safety Council in San Diego.