Greetings to certificants and colleagues. This is my first communication as Chair of the Governing Board of BCRSP and I look forward to future communications with fellow certificants. Like many of you I have been overwhelmed by COVID19 since February and am only now getting respite.
First, many thanks to Monica Szabo and her steady perfect leadership over the past year. Despite the challenges and barriers posed by COVID 19 Monica continued to lead the BCRSP in achieving its goals and strategy. Monica has set the bar high and I hope to continue in her footsteps. Also, a big thank you to Fletcher Wright Associates in their continued support of BCRSP and making it one of the best not-for-profit boards in Canada.
I also wish to thank Kevin Dawson for his eleven years of service to the Board of Governors. Kevin has been the driving force behind much of what BCRSP has accomplished during the past 11 years as well as developing a sound and ambitious multi-faceted strategy to enhance the safety profession in the future. There isn’t enough space to describe all of Kevin’s work and contributions. Fortunately for the BCRSP, Kevin has offered to continue to be available and will be active in supporting the BCRSP in its future endeavours.
Congratulations to Robin Angel in being elected to the position of Vice-Chair and to David Larson on being elected to the position of Secretary-Treasurer. A very warm welcome is extended to new Board members Stephanie Benay, CRSP and Will Rowan, CRST. Will is the first CRST to be elected to the board.
The annual general meeting was held on June 29. For the first time this event was held virtually, and we had a record number of attendees from across Canada. In total we had 180 certificants registered on-line during the meeting and 40 proxies. During the meeting the engagement with certificants was the best with over 100 questions and comments received during the meeting. Thank all of you for taking time from your day and participating.
Albert Einstein said “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. The difficult changes to our lives and work caused by COVID 19 has made us search out new opportunities and in particular those offered by technology. Conducting the AGM virtually has opened our eyes to the potential to engage certificants from coast to coast to coast. Moving forward, the Board of Governors will be examining the continued use of virtual meetings in a post COVID 19 world. This is a huge country and we can use technology to be more inclusive.
COVID 19 has also highlighted the importance of the safety profession in keeping people safe during a pandemic. Suddenly, it seems like everybody knows what PPE stands for, what N95 means, and what the hierarchy of controls are. The safety profession has developed safety management systems, hazard risk assessments, controls, training, procedures, that are being employed across the country. These are areas in which the profession is competent and excels in leading their organizations. This has provided an opportunity to further pursue official recognition as a distinct profession with specialized knowledge and competencies unique to the profession. It is interesting to note that in a survey conducted by the National Association for EH&S Management (NAEM), those organizations with the most mature EHS (environment health and safety) programs, overwhelmingly looked to and relied on EHS managers to lead the response to COVID19.
One of the actions taken by the Board has been to approve a modified approach to determining CPD points during the pandemic. Greater flexibility in earning points will reflect the realities imposed by COVID19.
Looking to the future my intent is to continue to focus on the strategy established by the Board and the four pillars upon which this strategy is based. To facilitate achieving this strategy I am committed to the goal of all safety professionals in Canada being aligned and speaking with one voice. We are currently fractured and, quite frankly, not taken as seriously as we need to be. As an example of this, not too long ago I had a meeting with a provincial Minister of Labour who was unaware of the existence of the BCRSP or that there is a university that offers a degree in occupational health and safety. I was appalled but this is our reality that we have to change. Linked to this issue is a Catch-22 that we face from some regulators as we seek legal recognition of the profession. Regulators indicate they would like to recognize safety professionals in legislation but there are not enough certificants to fill the gap that would be created. The solution is clear, we need more certified health and safety professionals and safety technicians. To that end we need to increase the number of certificants while increasing the standards of certification at the same time - sounds like a challenge.
Since taking on the position of Chair I have participated in the following activities:
- Represented the BCRSP on a webinar panel (Helping Health and Safety Professionals Lead the Return to Work) hosted by Canadian Occupational Safety magazine on July 7.
- On July 10, we had our third meeting with the CRBOH (Canadian Registration Board of Occupational Hygienists) discussing how we can better work together towards common goals. Good progress was made and further discussions are planned.
- Participated in the Conference Board of Canada’s Health and Safety Leadership Centre discussion on “Personal Restoration: Supporting Wellbeing and Safety While Operating During COVID 19” on July 15. Proud that Liz Horvath, CRSP was a key speaker at this session.
This completes my inaugural message as Chair and summarizes what I have been doing for the first few weeks on the job. These are exciting times that present great opportunities to advance the profession. Looking forward to being part of this.
David Johnston, CRSP
Chair, BCRSP Governing Board