WWDPI Webinar Developing Occupational Health & Safety Professionals in British Columbia’s Manufacturing Sector
Graham Lowe (President, The Graham Lowe Group)Lisa McGuire (CEO, Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC). September 18, 2019
Our focus today…
Steps BC manufacturing employers have taken to create healthy and safe workplaces
Labour research findings supporting standardizing the OHS profession for manufacturing with effective core competencies and capabilities
The ‘value proposition’ for OHS professionals in manufacturing
Strategy developed by MSABC and industry partners to support sustainable education and training program for OHS professionals in manufacturing
Importance of creating a culture of health, safety and well-being
The Canadian perspective
Employees Perception
Workplace health, safety and mental well-being is important to 94% of Canadian workers polled.
Angus Reid SurveyFebruary 2019
Employees Perception
Yet only 77% said that decisions made in their workplace consider employee health, safety and well-being all or some of the time.
Angus Reid SurveyFebruary 2019
Our goal:
To achieve cultural change that ensures safe workplaces for all BC manufacturing workers
How we help manufacturers achieve excellence in health and safety
Manufacturers increase in OHS knowledge
Increase in demand for OHS position with effective skills and competencies to support manufacturing employers
Research-based solution to address impact to manufacturing
Inconsistent OHS curriculum across academic institutions regarding the OHS profession
Shortage of qualified OHS professionals with and without experience
Limited practicum component within program
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phases
BC Manufacturing Sector Labour Market Partnership
Purpose
Establish Steering Committee with governance
Define industry problem
Phase 1
Steering Committee Advisory Board
BCIT Dean, Sharmen Lee
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Dean, Wayne Tebb
WorkSafeBCDirector, Chris Back
BC Food Processors Association CEO, James Donaldson
Pinnacle Renewable Energy Sr. VP, Scott Bax
Andrew Peller Estates National OHS & Environmental Manager, Daneen Skilling
Elysian Projects Inc.President, Sandra Oldfield
Teamsters UnionPaul Barton
Manufacturing Safety Association of BC CEO, Lisa McGuire
Northern Development Initiative Trust Sr. Director, Renata King
Nestle Waters Supply Chain Manager, Kevin Thorburn
Canadian Center for Occupational Health & Safety COO, Gareth Jones
Canadian Manufacturing Exporters VP, Andrew Wynn-Williams
Labour research findings supporting the development of core competencies in the manufacturing OHS profession
Phase 2
OHS Labour Market Information Research Report Phase 2
Purpose
Conduct research to understand OHS challenge in manufacturing
Phase 2 background
Manufacturing industries play a vital role in British Columbia’s economy, contributing $17.7 billion in 2018
Employed 174,300 workers in 2018 (7% of provincial workforce)
Future success depends on effectively meeting significant economic, technological, workforce and regulatory challenges, all of which present significant OHS risks
Phase 2 background
Manufacturers must be able to acquire the expertise and resources needed to address these issues
Reducing the relatively high injury rates in BC’s manufacturing sector is essential for the sector’s continued success
Phase 2 project goals
Industry consultations identified the need to identify the types of OHS expertise that manufacturers will require over the next five to ten years to make workplaces safer
This research identified a wide range of OHS-related issues, including:
Increased competition for OHS professionals
Changing workforce demographics
Rising OHS standards
Limitations of OHS education and training
OHS competencies
Diverse OHS needs within the manufacturing sector
OHS implications of workforce demographics
Firm growth will increase demands on firms to orient and train new workers on safe work practices
Aging workforce: limited opportunities for delayed retirement of older workers; need to transfer of OHS expertise from experienced, older workers to new workers
Expect a more diverse workforce in future: women, immigrants and First-Nations. This may require new approaches to OHS training
OHS implications of workforce demographics
20% of survey respondents believe their employees could benefit from OHS training in a language other than English
Automation has the potential to improve safety
The presence of a union can contribute to improved OHS outcomes
OHS competencies, training & education
There is no consensus on the body of skills and knowledge, professional designations or credentials required to be an OHS professional in Canada, or in manufacturing
There is an international trend toward the standardization at a higher level of OHS credentials and requisite education, skills and knowledge
The Board of the Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) increased the educational requirements for CRSP applicants in 2018
Key competencies for OHS professionals include leadership and communications, teamwork, organizational skills, ethics, critical thinking, internship experience, scientific method, systems thinking, sustainable applications and strategic planning
OHS competencies, training & education
Most post-secondary OHS programs in Canada are certificates or diplomas, geared to adult learners
There are 1,323 individuals in BC with one of six recognized OHS certifications, which is adequate to meet manufacturing employers’ demands
In manufacturing, a common path into the OHS profession is through a mid-career move
Employers prefer OHS workers to have a blend of relevant work experience and OHS education
48
84
87
87
87
92
93
94
100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Psychological health and safety
Disaster/emergency preparednessincluding first aid
Analysis of organizational OHS metricssuch as injury rates
Accident/incidence investigation
Joint health and safety committeesupport and coordination
Safety culture and related programs
OHS policy development andimplementation
OHS training for workers and/ormanagers
OHS system/program development andimplementation including hazard
identification and control
Percent
* Based on survey of BC manufacturers. 59% of firms employ someone in an OHS role. 43% have no formal OHS qualifications.
Support provided by OHS personnel*
40
40
19
36
46
86
17
35
7
15
17
57
9
13
0
9
2
29
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Plan to recruit for 1 ormore OHS professionals in
next 5 years
Trained one or moreexisting employees to fillOHS positions in past 2…
Company currently hasunfilled OHS position(s)
One or more OHS workersleft the company in past 2
years
Recruited or attempted torecruit for OHS position in
past 2 years
Has a full-time/part-timeOHS position
Percent(all differences statistically significant p<.001)
< 20 20-99 100 + Recruitment, development and retention of OHS personnel by workforce size
OHS workers’ OHS certifications
1
2
6
11
15
18
51
0 20 40 60
Registered OccupationalHygienist/Certified Industrial Hygienist
(ROH/CIH)
Canadian Certified ProfessionalErgonomist (CCPE)
Certified Health and Safety Consultant(CHSC)
Don't know
Construction Safety Officer/NationalConstruction Safety Officer
(CSO/NCSO)
Canadian Registered SafetyProfessional (CRSP)
None
Percent*some have more than 1 certification
Supply & demand projections
The demand for OHS professionals is expected to grow in BC
Projections for OHS professionals in BC fit with the Phase 2 primary research findings
According to the BC 2025 Labour Market Outlook, OHS-relevant jobs are ‘top opportunity’ occupations, with 130 new openings annually
OHS programs at BC’s post-secondary institutions should provide an adequate supply of qualified candidates
Manufacturers could meet the increasing demand for OHS professionals either through external recruitment or the internal development of OHS expertise
2%
9%
7%
19%
31%
40%
63%
56%
10%
16%
27%
34%
64%
74%
85%
86%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
OHSAS 18001
ISO 14000
Occupational Safety Standardof Excellence (OSSE)
WorkSafeBC Certificate ofRecognition (COR)
Use an OHS managementsystem
Have full-time or part-timeOHS position
Important to acquireadditional skills/knowledge
Provided OHS training foremployees in 2016
*Differences between 'improved and 'no change/worsened' groups statistically significant (p<.05)
SafetyPerformanceImproved
SafetyPerformance DidNot Change orWorsened
Comparison of the safety practices in companies with improved safety performance over past 3 years with those with no change or worse safety performance over the past 3 years*
Company Safe Practices
“Value Proposition”for OHS professionals
in Manufacturing
OHS value proposition
Very little research in understanding OHS value proposition
Reduced injury rates and costs provide a strong business case
Assisting executive management understand the value of OHS professionals to their business is an on-going challenge
OHS professionals for BC manufacturers need to define core competencies and skills that include ‘soft skills’, mental health and business acumen
Require an accreditation process to standardize the OHS skills and competencies with a centralized body to regulate OHS certification for the manufacturing industry
Phase 2 Labour Market Research Outcome
“There are too many safety designations and no standards.”
(Focus group participant)
Strategy development to solve industry’s OHS challenge
Phase 3
“Develop a standard for an OHS professional in the manufacturing industry”
Phase 3
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phase 3
Goal of Initiative
Address the labor shortage of qualified health and safety professionals in the BC Manufacturing industry and nationwide
Solution
Develop an accreditation and certification program for the health and safety profession in the manufacturing sector
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phase 3 Strategic Plan
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phase 3 Strategic Process
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phase 3 Sustainability Plan
Strategic Plan Implementation Work Program Structure (Phase 4 Program Design)
Sector Labour Market Partnership Phase 4
Phase 4 Implementation
In discussions with government on next steps
Questions?