Integration of safety programs:Departmental safety advisorconcept

By Debbie M. Decker

Traditionally, larger Environ-mental Health and Safety(EH&S) departments were or-

ganized by discipline: health physics,environmental management, and in-dustrial hygiene. These work groupshad little interaction with one anotherand worked autonomously in theirnarrowly defined discipline. An indi-vidual research or teaching lab oncampus could have as many as four orfive different contacts with EH&S fora variety of reasons. These could in-clude radiation safety audits, biosafetyaudits, carcinogen audits, chemical in-ventory, and routine questions, andthere may be times when several folksfrom EH&S would visit a laboratoryto do similar things and even give dif-ferent solutions, depending on theirperspective.

We were perceived as regulators,hand slappers, and obstructions togetting the work done. Researchersdid not want to talk to EH&S before aproject got started because EH&Swould probably impose rules, requirepaperwork, and generally hinder theprocess. Folks would not ask for helpat the beginning of a project and thengrumble and grouse when they gotinto a safety mess. People would goshopping for answers. We were notclient (faculty, staff, students, parents,

administrators, and regulators) or ser-vice oriented: A customer could havemultiple contacts, often by beingtransferred from one expert to an-other, all with different answers. Thisresulted in a great deal of frustration,and often EH&S was labeled as aproblem group that added nothing tothe goal of the campus.

Because EH&S added no value, wefelt intense pressure at budget time.No one really supported an organiza-tion which only made life difficult,and so EH&S was challenged to dothe job more efficiently and effec-tively, and with an eye to cost-savings.

WHY CHANGE?

All of this made EH&S an unpleasantplace to work. Customers were diffi-cult, money was scarce, and therewas no job satisfaction. We had tofind a better way. At that point wedecided to come up with goals toimprove the way we do business. Theplan included:

● better and more personal service toclient. Our focus had to shift fromregulator to facilitator. We had tounderstand that we had a client toserve. By developing a single pointof contact for folks with EH&S,shopping for answers would be re-duced and the information to thecampus community would beconsistent.

● create a more efficient operation.By shifting to a client- rather thanregulation-based organization, wewould have the ability to developpersonal relationships and truly

partner with the campus commu-nity. Responsibility for health andsafety had to be moved to the super-visors and principal investigators inthe laboratories and workplaces oncampus. These were the people whohad real control over their opera-tions and had ultimate liability forthose who worked in the laborato-riess and workplaces. EH&S did nothave the time, personnel, or budgetto hold hands or scold people intocompliance. Nor did we have theauthority to direct resources in lab-oratories and workplaces to forcegroups into compliance.

● cost savings. In the early 1990s, wewere faced with significant budgetcuts and had to figure out how to doour job better and more efficiently.We also had to meet the needs ofour clients to help them meet therequirements for health and safety intheir departments. If EH&S did notdo something radical to improvecustomer service and customer rela-tions with the organization, EH&Sservices were in danger of beingcontracted off campus or budget-cutout of existence. If we failed to cometo grips with why we were part ofthe organization we would add novalue and our services would beeliminated.

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY

The program philosophy starts with asingle point of contact at EH&S fordepartments: the departmental safetyadvisor (DSA). EH&S safety pro-grams had to be integrated acrossfunctional divisions. Thus, all those

Debbie M. Decker is a health andsafety specialist the Office ofEnvironmental Health and Safety,University of California, Davis, CA(e-mail: dmdecker@ucdavis.edu).

10 © Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society 1074-9098/00/$20.00Published by Elsevier Science Inc. PII S1074-9098(00)00144-1

FEATURE

health physicists, industrial hygienists,and environmental engineers had tolearn each others’ jobs: a philosophi-cal shift toward generalists. This was aphilosophical change for those whotook pride in the silo mentality, but italso offered challenge. With challengecame a new excitement for the job.

Create a Staff of GeneralistsAssigned to Departments and Unitsto Be the Department SafetyAdvisor While Maintaining SubjectArea ExpertsThe program is designed such thatDSA duties are about 50% of a full-time job. Each safety advisor has ex-pertise in other areas as well, andshares that knowledge with the rest ofthe safety advisors. For example, theDSA to the Chemistry Department isalso the subject area expert for hazard-ous waste collection and disposal, andtransportation of hazardous wasteand hazardous materials.

Within EH&S, each subject area ex-pert supports the DSA in his areas ofexpertise by providing training, ad-vice, assistance, and moral support.Most staff members were enthusiasticand excited about making this shift.There were some, however, whofound this shift difficult: a sense of lossof control and prestige (knowledge ispower). Unfortunately, we did losesome talented folks to other opportu-nities. It is important to realize thatthis is part of the process and not asign of failure. Not everyone can adaptto such a fundamental change. Thegoal was to create a staff of generalistsassigned to departments and units tobe the DSA while maintaining subjectarea experts. We support the safetyadvisors with subject area expertsfrom within the staff. Health physi-cists train industrial hygienists in radi-ation safety, the chemist trains thestaff in laboratory safety, the hygien-ists train for monitoring techniques,and so on.

THE BIGGIE PROGRAMPHILOSOPHY

Improve Customer Service!The goal of the whole program was toimprove customer service. As a cam-

pus unit, we were not going to be suc-cessful unless we improved our cus-tomer service and how we deliveredour service to the campus community.This was not going to be easy, andcertainly could not be done quickly.For years, the campus labeled us astrouble. This was not going to changeovernight.

MAKING CHANGES

On-Call SystemWe started by creating the on-call sys-tem. Before, folks on campus who hada question or a concern would callwhomever they thought might be ableto help in EH&S; they might get theright person or they might not. By cre-ating a system in which each DSAserves as the on-call specialist for theday, those with questions get to talk toa real person and they are not giventhe option to shop for an answer. Thecall should be able to be dealt with inone day; if not, the problem is trans-ferred by the on-call person to theDSA.

In the beginning, people got smart.They simply called back the next day ifthey got an answer they did not like.As a result, a database was createdand e-mail distribution to documentthe calls for the day and distributethem to the staff. That way, whoever ison call the next day has an idea ofwhat might come up and DSAs have away to follow up with their depart-ments if concerns are coming up.

Program Re-engineering UsingExpertise From University ofCalifornia–San Francisco (UCSF)and the UC System Philosophy of“Sustaining Excellence in the 21stCentury”We did not develop the Safety Advisorprogram on our own. We stole theidea from UCSF. Their Director ofEH&S came to Davis to give a presen-tation about how the program workedat UCSF. We modified the program tofit our needs and created our own ver-sion. We also used the philosophy de-veloped in “Sustaining Excellence inthe 21st Century,” which was devel-oped by our Office of the President.This document outlined the universi-

ty’s approach to meeting the chal-lenges of the 21st century and set fortha framework of teamwork, generalists,and financial responsibility:

● information technology,● Web site: www.ehs.ucdavis.edu, and● e-mail.

During our evaluation of what servicewe provide, we learned that about80% of what we do is to provide in-formation. We looked for new ways todo this that would be less labor in-tense and also provide the best infor-mation to the greatest number of peo-ple. We did this in part by improvingour computer literacy, improving ourWeb site, and making use of e-mail. In1994, our Web site won the CampusSafety, Health and EnvironmentalManagement Association (CSHEMA)homepage award. E-mail has alsohelped with our communication tothe campus as a whole and with eachother. We developed on-line trainingprograms as well as tests for thosewho use radioactive material to meetregulatory requirements.

Workgroup Buy-in: Everyone HadInputWe did the entire change as a group.Our jobs and our assigned tasks wereevaluated and people had the oppor-tunity to brainstorm how to do thework more efficiently:

● training,● bimonthly on-call training, and● operations meeting.

Training was considered the corner-stone of our success. If we were to becredible, we needed to be knowledge-able. To support the conversion togeneralists, bimonthly on-call trainingsessions were established. We traineach other; this gives everyone the op-portunity to receive feedback and en-couragement on developing trainingand get used to making presentations.Occasionally, we will bring in folksfrom our fire or police departments,facilities services, and other groups togive specialized training for which wedo not have expertise. However, forthe most part our training is internal.Those who do take training courses

11Chemical Health & Safety, November/December 2000

away from the office are expected toshare what they learned when theyreturn. We also have bimonthly oper-ations meetings, at which we all meetwith the director to discuss upcomingevents, ongoing issues, policy, budget,complaints, opportunities for im-provement, and recognition of a jobwell done.

Marketing Through IndividualContacts, Our Newsletter, theDevelopment of Safety CoordinatorSeminars, and Other On-CampusEventsWhen we began to make thesechanges, we had to market the pro-gram and inform the campus commu-nity. We asked each department andunit to appoint a department safetycoordinator who has responsibility forhelping implement department-spe-cific safety programs. Quarterly safetycoordinator seminars are a way to getinformation out to the departments.Safety coordinators make presenta-tions at these seminars, as well. Wework with individuals in departmentson their safety programs and we mar-ket the program at on-campus events.After the quarterly seminars, ourEH&S newsletter is sent out to thecampus. It includes the informationpresented at the seminar, to reinforceand inform what the safety coordina-tors already heard. The newsletter isalso posted on our Web site.

PROGRAM BENEFITSThe benefits of the program are nowbeing realized. Our customers now seeus as an asset rather than a nuisance.We solve problems rather than fight-ing the fires later. This allows us toapproach things in a more thoughtful,creative way. Our response time is bet-ter. People no longer have to wait forhelp. The benefits are that we

● are customer service oriented,● are proactive versus reactive, and

● have improved response time andmore client interaction.

All departments have a contact atEH&S, someone who cares abouttheir department and understands theunique issues within the department,a person who can answer their ques-tions. Through the on-call system, per-sonal contact, and safety coordinatorseminars, we discover issues that needattention before they become prob-lems. People can expect a call backthat day and their problem solved thatday, as much as possible. We have

● sharing of information and im-proved internal communication,and

● a continuous learning environment.

Another advantage is that we now op-erate in an environment of continuouslearning. This means that everyone ischallenged to give their best effort,and because the requirements arebroader, there is opportunity for ad-vancement. All of this results in moti-vated staff that looks forward to com-ing to work.

This program strengthens the con-cept that responsibility for health andsafety rests with the Principal Investi-gator or supervisor. Shifting responsi-bility to a third party is no longer anoption. Because we share informa-tion, we know what is happening inthe department, who is working onwhat, and how we can help each otherbe successful. This is a continuouslearning environment where we pro-vide training to each other. We keepour presentation skills sharp andmaintain our expertise in our subjectarea(s). It also helps the group knowwho to go to for specific problemssuch as indoor air quality, radiationprotocols, labeling of waste, transpor-tation, and sanitation. We also en-courage PIs and supervisors to takeownership of their safety programs.

We help safety coordinators and sup-port their efforts getting people onboard with safety.

CONTINUOUS PROGRAMIMPROVEMENT

● communication,● regular workload distribution

review,● ongoing training for staff and cus-

tomers, and● benchmarking.

We work to evaluate and re-evaluatehow we are doing through the opsmeetings, workload evaluation, ongo-ing training and surveying the campuscommunity who use our services. Wealso aggressively benchmark our pro-gram against other similar universitiesusing the CSHEMA resources.

SUMMARYThrough development of a team ofDepartmental Safety Advisors trainedas generalists and supported by sub-ject area experts, the campus commu-nity receives efficient, accurate, andpersonalized help in implementing thesafety programs required of the uni-versity. The on-call program helps tosolve problems and answer questionsin a timely manner. The e-mail distri-bution of on-call information keepsthe staff at EH&S informed aboutwhat is happening on campus andgives us the opportunity to be proac-tive problem solvers.

Ongoing training of the DSAs,twice-monthly operations meetings,and e-mail keep the lines of commu-nication open between the directorand staff and among the staff. The stafffeels as though it knows what is goingon in the larger scheme of things andthat its concerns are respected.

The program is continuously im-proved by evaluating workload,benchmarking with other, similar uni-versities, and feedback from clients.

12 Chemical Health & Safety, November/December 2000