By Katie Cerar
Co-Administrator, Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils

The Coronavirus has touched all of us in one way or another. It has called on us to stay home and socially distance ourselves from the ones we love the most. It has affected businesses both big and small and cost others their jobs. The members of the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils have also been affected. Eighteen of our members had to close their doors at one point during this pandemic, as of May 20^th, only seven remain closed. Others have had to alter their hours of operation and use extreme precaution when handling any task. All of the safety councils that are still offering courses are using the best practices to limit the spread of COVID-19. Not only are they utilizing the CDC’s recommendations of washing hands and avoiding close contact, they are also limiting their class sizes and avoiding contact with student’s personal possessions like IDs and paperwork.

By Trevonna Hayle
Administrator, Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils

It is important that you know we are here to answer all questions you may have at any time about ARSC programs. Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions.

Q. Is there a way to take Basic Orientation Plus online?
A. No. All ARSC training programs, including Basic Orientation Plus and Basic Orientation Plus Refresher, must be taken in person at a safety council. 

Q. Do you have an option to take Basic Orientation Plus in Spanish?
A. While ARSC does offer Basic Orientation Plus and Basic Orientation Plus Refresher to our members in Spanish, the course is not delivered at all locations. You should check your local safety council to learn if this program is available at their location.

By Trish Ennis CSP, ARM, CRIS
Executive Director, Colorado Safety Association

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Professionals are frequently on the front line of responding to emergencies and critical incidents in the workplace. Emergency response activities present unique risks to responders, due to the unknown nature of the hazards and the heightened sense of urgency to take quick action. Training is key in situations like this. Planning for and caring for workers in emergency response is a component of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Total Worker Heath initiative. According to NIOSH, “Total Worker Health® (TWH) is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.” The Surgeon General has determined work has a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of people, as many employed US adults spend over half of their waking lives at work, or engaging in work activities. The graphic below, from the NIOSH TWH page shows how assessing risk leads to understanding so that effective policies and programs can be developed.

By David Womack, Ph.D.
Safety and Health Manager, HSEQ & ARSC Owners Advisory Committee Chair

In 2015 the ARSC Owners Advisory Committee (OAC) requested that ARSC develop a new course to train Confined Space Attendants, Fire Watches and Supplied Air Attendants. The goal was to have a standardized course that the owners knew met their requirements. Owners would no longer need to audit their contractors’ or third-party providers’ training programs to ensure these critical positions are adequately trained. The ARSC Curriculum Committee took a course that was developed by an ARSC member and modified it for their use. It was implemented in August of 2017.  The course was not widely used because it did not meet the owners’ needs.

By R. Ronald Sokol, CSP
President and CEO of Safety Council of Texas City

As safety professionals, we are dedicated to the protection of people, property and the environment. Our success is often measured in the amount of human suffering we prevent as we chart OSHA rates for recordable injuries, lost workday cases or cases of restricted work activity. We attempt to quantify our success as we compare past results against current performance. If the needle trends downward, we pat ourselves on the back, notify management and tout the success of our safety efforts. We become singular in focus as if the success or failure of our organization is predicated on this sole outcome. This type of thinking causes us to be pigeon-holed in our world, many times, outside of the heartbeat of the organization and its leadership. We are brought into the Board room to report on a certain situation and promptly escorted out once our information and expertise are no longer needed. It is a sad reality that this is how a large majority of safety professionals operate. If this is how you operate, the question becomes, why should I change and, if I do, how do I change?

By Trevonna Hayle
Administrator, ARSC

It’s safe to say that the heart of ARSC is our program curriculum. The Curriculum Committee’s mission is to assure the integrity of ARSC’s Basic Orientation Plus® and Basic Orientation Plus – Refresher®, as well as any additional reciprocal programs developed by ARSC.

The Curriculum Committee meets quarterly to discuss the development of new programs and updates to existing programs. Throughout the year, they work to complete the action items that arise from the quarterly meetings. ARSC Members are encouraged throughout the year to notify the committee of any program edits they feel are necessary. Programs are updated no more than once per year unless there is a change in safety standards that requires an immediate update.

By David Womack, Ph.D.
Safety and Health Manager, HSEQ & ARSC Owners Advisory Committee Chair 

In 2010 the ARSC Owners Advisory Committee (OAC) requested that ARSC develop a new course on the Confined Space Construction standard that was recently published by OSHA (Subpart AA of 29 CFR 1926). ARSC members along with input from the OAC developed the course which was approved by the ARSC Board of Directors in August 2012. The course was revised in 2018.

The target audience for the course is contract employees that will act as confined space entrants and/or attendants. Many owner companies require all contract employees that will enter a confined space or act as an attendant to take this course to ensure they have the basic training to perform these tasks.

By Trevonna Hayle
Administrator, Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils

The Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils is pleased to announce new members, Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association (TRMA) and Alaska Safety Alliance (formerly known as Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium). Both members will begin offering ARSC’s reciprocal courses soon. ARSC now has a total of 26 members and a total of 57 locations offering reciprocal training courses across the United States. You can visit our website to view a full list of ARSC member locations.

According to the National Association of Manufacturers, there was an average of 587,930 manufacturing employees in Illinois in 2018 with an average annual compensation of $87,393.54 in 2017. Since 1933, Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association has served the needs of manufactures in Will and Grundy counties. TRMA is located in Joliet, Illinois and is now one of two Illinois ARSC member locations. TRMA offers instructor-led training courses, computer-based training courses, as well as hands-on fall protection and scaffold user training. TRMA is dedicated to the community and partners with Joliet Junior College to host an annual MFG Day to introduce students to careers in the manufacturing industry. TRMA will begin offering ARSC reciprocal courses in December.

By Trish Ennis, CSP, ARM, CRIS
Executive Director, Colorado Safety Association 

We live in a world of data and information. Sometimes things change so fast it can be hard to keep up. However, there is one thing that we know does not change with any frequency, and that thing is the frequency by which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updates workplace safety regulations. The mechanism to change regulations is burdensome, and can take many years. Fortunately, there is another source of information for the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) professional to access for best practices and guidance. Consensus standards such as those developed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are good sources of information for professionals who are looking to advance an organization’s safety and risk management programs.

By David Womack, Ph.D.
Safety and Health Manager, HSEQ & Owners Advisory Committee Chair

Early in the development of the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils (ARSC) it was understood that to be successful the organization needed input from their stakeholders including Owners. Owners are representatives from petrochemical or other manufacturing companies that make decisions about contractor training requirements. Input comes to ARSC through the member councils and though the Owners Advisory Committee (OAC). Each ARSC member council is required to name an OAC representative to be a member in good standing.

The OAC Chair and co-Chair are appointed by the ARSC Board of Director Chair. David Womack from Covestro LLC representing the Industrial Safety Training Council is the current Chair. Connie Fabre’ from the Greater Baton Rouge Industrial Alliance representing the Alliance Safety Training Council is the co-Chair.