Credibility is hard to establish. It takes time, effort and follow-through to demonstrate to your trainees that you know your stuff and can be trusted. Unfortunately, credibility can also be lost in an instant. Here's some advice to help you hang onto the credibility you've earned.

The Indecisive Trainer: A Simulation

One of the best ways for a trainer to lose credibility in the blink of an eye is by displaying indecision and self-doubt. Let me use the following simulation to demonstrate such a loss of credibility moment. Picture a training session in which a construction supervisor is addressing a roomful of crane operators and other workers:

TRAINER: So, as you can see from our discussion, it is important to inspect each sling regularly.

TRAINEE IN THIRD ROW: Since they are holding all the weight of a load, shouldn't we have more inspections of our slings and shackles?

TRAINER [nodding]: Yes, that would probably be a good idea. You're right about slings holding all the weight. So yes, I would say we need more inspections.

TRAINEE IN SECOND ROW: Wait a minute. We already inspect them every time we take them out of the tool room. And doesn't somebody from the maintenance department inspect each sling at least once every six months. I think that's plenty.

TRAINER [sheepishly]: Yes, that's probably true. You're right about how many times they are inspected. I suppose it is enough.

TRAINEE IN THIRD ROW: Now, wait a second. Which is it? Are the slings inspected enough or are they not inspected enough?

TRAINER: Well, yes and no.

TRAINEE IN THIRD ROW: How can it be yes and no? Either the slings are inspected enough or they aren't. Which is it?

TRAINER [with a sputter]: Well, you see it all depends on who wants to know. . . Um. . . I see we're running late. . . Let's take a short break. I think I hear my mother calling me. . . Mama, help!!!

Avoiding Worm-Like Moments

All right, the last part of the last line is a bit of an exaggeration. But you get the point. Trainees want and expect the persons who train them to have firm convictions and to express them decisively. When trainers show hesitation and self-doubt in what they're saying - even for a moment - they come off sounding like a spineless worm. And no worker wants to entrust his or her personal safety to somebody like that.

What can you do to avoid such moments?

Understanding the Difference Between Opinion & Fact

First and foremost, be prepared to encounter opposing views. To do this, you need to have a strong sense of the difference between a statement of opinion and a statement of fact.

If a trainee voices an opinion that's contrary to yours, don't fret! Opinions aren't facts. They're judgments or estimations usually based on special knowledge. You can tolerate and, indeed, encourage such opinions as long as you're prepared to defend your own. The resulting dialog will be most instructive. And tolerating dissent doesn't make you any less credible.

And unlike facts, opinions can be changed. Although you should be prepared to make a firm case for your own opinions, you should also be open to adjusting your views if new information is presented to you. You can even do this in the course of a training session. Being firm does not mean being dogmatic. On the other hand, you should not adjust your views to try and accommodate everybody else. This is a demonstration of weakness that will compromise your credibility.

Facts are a completely different animal. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, a fact is a fact is a fact. For instance: it's a fact that Part 1904.12(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations contains a definition of recordable injuries. If somebody were to say otherwise, they'd be wrong. When you deliver your presentation, know your facts and don't let anybody gainsay them. Just make sure that you can prove that it's a fact. Confusing fact for opinion makes you come off looking narrow minded and also compromises your credibility.

Conclusion

One thing that a safety leader must have to be effective is the respect of the employees "in the field." Even when you know your point of view may be unpopular, people will respect you for sticking to it and not "flip-flopping" at the first sign of controversy.

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Would you like to spend a day or two with Richard? His next public seminar is in Costa Mesa, California at the Costa Mesa Marriott. Date: May 31 & June 1. (His last two sold out.) Here's the link to more details and registration information.

CANADIAN BLUE BIRD COACH LTD. AND

SafetyXChange Member Receive Award

By Catherine Jones

Canadian Blue Bird Coach Safety & Environmental Specialist Richard Kauk and General Manager Tony Kerwin accept the President's Award from IAPA President and CEO Maureen Shaw.

At last week's Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA) conference in Toronto, Ontario, six companies were awarded IAPA's distinguished President's Award. We're thrilled to report that one of our own was among the recipients and we congratulate Canadian Blue Bird Coach Ltd. (CBBC) and, in particular, Richard Kauk for an honor well-deserved.

In order to be eligible for consideration for the IAPA President's Award, companies must meet an extensive list of criteria that measures a company's health and safety performance, as well as commitment to workplace health and safety. These include:

• Record zero critical injuries or fatalities, as well as zero charges or convictions under the Occupational Health and Safety Act or Workplace Safety and Insurance Act for the two years prior to the date the award is issued.
• Record a lost-time injury/illness frequency rate less than 25% of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) rate group average attributed to businesses with similar operations for the two years prior to the application deadline (March 9, 2007).
• Record a total injury/illness frequency rate (lost-time and no lost-time) less than the equivalent WSIB rate group average for the two years prior to the application deadline (March 9, 2007).
• Demonstrate successful application of health and safety management system requirements, such as prevention methods, legislative compliance, and management practices.
• Complete an extensive self-assessment report and pass an on-site verification conducted by IAPA.
• Demonstrate significant efforts to use their health and safety excellence in ways that benefit the community, such as leadership contributions, donation of technical/professional resources for the development of standards/guidelines/best practices, outreach into the community on the subject of health and safety, or sponsorship of health and safety-related initiatives.

We have no doubt that Richard was a key reason behind CBBC's eligibility. Why? Because last year, Richard was a finalist for the Safety Hero of the Year Saxcie?. According to the nominator, it was Richard who spearheaded the implementation of controls that took CBBC from one of Ontario's 1,000 worst performers for RSI and WSIB rates to one of the top performers.

But, of course, safety is a team effort. And Richard is the first to share the credit.

"We have taken an extremely lackluster safety performance, and turned it around into a Safety Culture that we are all proud of," he says. "Every person from the plant assembly people, maintenance, supervisors, managers, to our General Manager, have put their total commitment into this effort. The results we have achieved have been spectacular, and our journey is not over yet. Not by a long shot."

We congratulate Richard and Canadian Blue Bird Coach Ltd. And we hope Richard will continue to share with SafetyXChange his secrets to success.

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MEMBER REPLY
Re Accreditations

Where Should I Go From Here?

I have been a Safety Officer for my Company for 3 years and I would like to achieve a Safety Certification of some kind particularly in the construction industry. Could you please advise the best path to take. I would like to complete as much as possible on-line.

Thank you.

John W Birkett
Safety Officer,
Urecon Insulation Ltd, Calmar, AB
j.birkett@urecon.com

They Serve a Purpose - But Are There Too Many?

A co-worker recently returned from a seminar sponsored by ASSE. His comment to me was most of the people he exchanged business cards with have "alphabet soup" after their name on the card. I agree there are way too many organizations offering credentials, not only for the safety profession, but almost anywhere you look. I did a quick web search after reading this Safety Exchange and was surprised to find several other safety credentials I had not heard of. It looks like we need a board to certify that our certifications are worth the paper they are printed on.

I retired early form Qwest, formerly U S WEST, formerly Northwestern Bell.When I "fell" into the safety field I found it very challenging and rewarding.I sought out the CSP designation as a way to make myself more marketable after I left the company. (it worked!)I took the first examination (ASP) and passed.At the time the CSP required eight years experience or a four-year degree which I did not have. I went back to school and finished my degree, then passed the second examination for my CSP. Back then it was a paper & pencil proctored examination and did not have the continuance of certification requirement they have today.

After I left the telecommunications industry I went to an insurance company as a loss control representative.My primary customer base was motor carrier accounts for commercial auto, along with their property, liability and worker's compensation coverage.I kept seeing the Certified Director of Safety (CDS) designation in the transportation industry, which is administered by the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI). I decided the CDS would be a good match for what I did as a loss control representative and would give me more credibility to my motor carrier customers, most of which had never heard of the CSP!The CDS consists of two workshops and a one hundred question multiple choice examination and submitting a portfolio of the applicant's work to be reviewed by NATMI. You can Google NATMI to find out about the CDS and several other certifications they offer.

I just think there are WAY too many certifications that in the end take away from those that are truly considered a benchmark. Not to mention all the money it takes to maintain the certifications.

Ron Sinnwell
CSP, CDS