To kick off our conversations with Safety Summit 2020 speakers, we reached out to Lindsay K. Bell, Regional Health and Safety Manager at Solvay Novecare. Her presentation—on day 2 of the conference—will focus on training strategies for a diversifying EHS workforce. Read on to learn more about Bell’s path to a career in EHS!
How did you get your start in the environment, health, and safety (EHS) field?
Before working in safety, I worked in the field of public health research focusing on spatial epidemiology and medical geography. Through that work, I developed transferable skills in data visualization and evaluation, training and communication, and public speaking. I entered the EHS profession through graduate studies in public health. Initially studying environmental health, I changed my focus to health, safety, and environment after completing co-op assignments in EHS training and manufacturing operations. After graduation, I continued to work in manufacturing in a rotational development program for early-career professionals designed to provide diverse experiences in safety, supply chain, and lean manufacturing. The program empowered me to connect the dots between EHS and operations in the manufacturing environment.
Your upcoming presentation at Safety Summit 2020 is about safety training for a diverse workforce. Could you tell us a little bit about what you’ll be discussing?
My session will focus on strategies for development and delivery of training materials that reach a variety of cultural and educational backgrounds, cross language barriers, and effectively disseminate critical information to the entire workforce. Attendees will leave the session with actionable methods they can immediately incorporate into the training programs in their workplace.
What advice do you have for people just entering the profession?
Find a mentor! Mentorship is one of the best ways for new safety professionals to develop their skill set and solve complex problems quickly. Often, the solution to the issues they may face will be similar to those that came before them; it’s far more valuable to innovate than to reinvent.
| Lindsay K. Bell,MPH, CSP, entered the EHS profession through graduate studies in public health. Initially studying environmental health, she changed her focus to health, safety, and environment after completing co-op assignments in EHS training and manufacturing operations. Bell has continued to work in manufacturing for over 5 years, specializing in safety, supply chain, and lean manufacturing.
Bell is currently a Regional Health and Safety Manager at Solvay Novecare, an organization developing leading-edge technologies that affect the behavior of fluids to give them cleansing, softening, moisturizing, hydrating, gelling, texturizing, penetrating, or dispersing properties. Its products are found in shampoos, detergents, paints, lubricants, plant protection, mining, and oil extraction. Novecare relies on a global network of 3,000 employees, 28 production sites, and 10 R&I centers and labs that develop innovative solutions to sustainable development issues. Novecare’s biggest safety issue is chemical/thermal exposures resulting from line breaking and flex hose transfer activities. |
Would you like to be profiled in a future Faces of EHS and share your experiences, challenges, etc.? Or, do you know anyone else in EHS you think has an interesting story to tell? Write us at jscace@blr.com and cdouyard@blr.com and include your name and contact information; be sure to put “Faces of EHS” in the subject line.