Young Safety Professionals: Part II

Dustin Hardin, 30, a graduate of Murray State University, with a bachelor and master’s degree in occupational safety and health, is a technical consultant for Liberty Mutual in Houston, Texas.

Lessons Learned

Professional challenges. One of the challenges faced by safety professionals at all stages of their careers is becoming an integral part of a business, not an add-on function. Hardin encourages safety professionals to "better understand the financial aspects of the business, learn to integrate their work into the company, and show the positive things that they’ve achieved." One of the ways to do this is to gain access to top leaders. In Hardin’s experience, a successful strategy is to favorably impress an individual known to have the ear, and the confidence, of a leader you want to reach.

Mentoring. Hardin has been mentored and has been a mentor and considers both great experiences. Unfortunately, however, he adds that many companies are cutting down on mentoring, especially with leaner workforces. What tends to happen is that young professionals are mentored early in their careers. They gain experience and are soon considered ready to mentor others. But, in fact, Hardin believes it can take quite a bit of time to gain the skills to lead others.

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Regulation. "Nobody’s worried about OSHA or EPA," says Hardin. "What I mean by that is that many businesses are going beyond what OSHA says." They understand the impact of losses on their business and are going beyond compliance.

Wellness. Despite the popularity of employee health and wellness programs, Hardin is less bullish on the concept than others. He’s concerned that the promises, including the financial ones, associated with wellness programs may never be realized. Too many health problems are hereditary and difficult to address through lifestyle changes. Hardin anticipates advances in nanotechnology and gene therapy that can help "undo" many of the genetic roadblocks to health.

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Meet the Challenge of Training

One of the biggest challenges for all safety professionals is maintaining a strong training program that instills safe behaviors and attitudes and teaches the skills and information workers need to work safely and prevent accidents.

As its name implies, OSHA Training System is a complete system to meet your full training needs. All the materials are prepared in advance, so no prep time is required. All you do is reproduce what you need and put it to use. Materials include:

• 32 complete safety units, meeting every key OSHA standard. Each includes full background for trainers, a ready-to-use safety meeting, and follow-up handouts. View a Table of Contents.
• Quizzes, handouts, and copies of employee booklets, coordinated to the safety meetings. (Additional booklets can be bought in any quantity at a discount.)
• A complete training recordkeeping and tracking system that tells you which employees need what training, and then tracks your program to ensure they get it.
• Quarterly updates, included with the program. You receive at least 4 new safety units every 90 days, covering new OSHA standards and training needs.

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