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?