Document ID: OSHA-2016-0015-0010
Agency: osha
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2016-11-10T05:00Z

1. Attendees (may not be complete listing).
      a. OSHA:  Mandy Edens, Michelle Walker.
      b. NACOSH:  Lisa Brosseau, Mark Carleson, Rick Ingram, Jim Johnson, Peg Seminario, Joe Van Houten.
      c. ABIH:  Tim Paz, Srinivas Durgam.
      d. ACOEM:  Beth Baker.
      e. ASSE:  Tom Cecich, Jim Thorton, Brenda Zylstra.
      f. OK NSC, UCO:  Robin Lacey.
2. Stakeholder Document Sharing.
      a. 
      ABIH believes there is need for more youth, diversity and global focus in the field.  They are partnering with environmental credentialing organizations and doing more outreach to employers to improve understanding of importance of credentialing.  They think there may be a need for a general environmental health and safety pathway to the CIH.
      They think that NIOSH and OSHA can also raise expectations in their own hiring of industrial hygienists and OHS professionals.
      b. 
      ACOEM is very concerned about the field of occupational medicine.  There are not enough OM physicians to replace those leaving due to retirement or for other reasons.  Less than 80 OM physicians graduating vs. 200-300 leaving each year.  In 1980 there were 45 residencies; today there are 25.  It isn't easy to quantify future demand but they think it will increase.
      There are many challenges: 1) structure of residency does not include PGY1 so nobody participates in matching to residencies; 2) lack of funding from Medicare  -  instead rely on HRSA and NIOSH for training funds; 3) limited awareness in medical schools.
      They have been working with other organizations  -  AOHN and Underwriters Laboratory  -  to increase awareness of career options and among employers.
      Need a coordinated, increased efforts on the part of OSHA and NIOSH to expand funding to be more comparable to other residencies and support fellowships in OM.
      c. 
         
      d.  \s
ASSE is concerned about not enough OHS professionals in the pipeline.  Many of those hired in the 70s have moved from compliance to risk management.  Many are starting to retire.  ASSE supports leadership development and education (foundation), scholarships, new young professionals (next generation board), research.
They have 3000+ student members at universities and colleges; 60+ student sections.
Future Safety Leaders Conference  -  150 top students; training and helping them find jobs
Young professionals networking  -  fireside chats with experienced professionals at ASSE conference
Retention of professionals  -  trying to understand reasons people leave the field.
In their mentoring activities they've learned that students want access to industry professionals to help them figure out what they want to do in their future.  They have started mentoring at the high school level to increase diversity  -  common interest groups (blacks and women).  They are building military partnerships to help those leaving the military to transition to the field.  They offer on-line learning, career page, and HR tool for help when hiring a safety professional.  Also working on worldwide frameworks for safety professionals.

Challenges and barriers:
      1) Identify  -  safety is still an unknown profession, lots of people fall into safety, need new ways to help pull people into the field
      2) Reframe the Goals  -  millennials are concerned about rewards and intrinsic value; human rights, equality, sustainability
      3) Communication  -  use the terms and modes that millennials understand
      4) Generational Differences  -  there is a big gap between young and mid-career professionals
      They work with lots of other organizations  -  federal agencies, corporate partners, etc.
      Promising needs/directions: 1) More coordination of efforts; 2) Apprenticeships (DOL)
      What should OSHA/NIOSH do:
         * Recognize the importance of professionals in guidelines and standards; offer summer jobs in safety
         * ERCs are great  -  but they are concerned about the lack of safety training; need to shift focus to more safety
         * DOL apprenticeship programs
         * More pre-college efforts, especially with under-represented groups; high school marketing via student sections
         * Need more investment at the undergraduate level for safety
      Average member is 54 years old  -  the pipeline is essential.  Need more people to decide on safety careers and we need to keep more professionals in the safety field.
      
      
3. Key points from stakeholder presentations and discussion.
      a. Consensus that there is a current and future challenge in adequate number of qualified professionals and practitioners to meet demand.
              i. Note that for occupational medicine the situation is desperate.
      b. Lack of funding, e.g. no Medicare funding and limited NIOSH/other funding for occupational medicine residencies.
      c. Concern with vacancies filled by candidates that may not have training, experience, credentials warranted by the job responsibilities.
      d. Importance of marketing and communications to build awareness of OHS profession and career opportunities.
      e. Importance of programs to reach high school students, their parents, and educators to expand awareness of OHS profession and career opportunities.
      f. Importance of capitalizing on multiple sources for individuals interested in pursuing OHS career; e.g. those leaving military service.
      g. Importance of OHS stakeholders working together forming partnerships that result in measurable positive change.
      h. Importance of centralized source of OHS degree programs and promotion of.
      i. Potential for expanding intern opportunities with Federal and State OSHA.
      j. Potential for greater diversity in the OHS profession.
              i. Note ASSE common interest groups Blacks in Safety Engineering and Women in Safety Engineering.
      k. Value of OHS student internships.
      l. Concern with level of retirement and loss of OHS professionals that change career paths.
4. Next call:  November 15, 2016, 1p-3p et.
5. Next NACOSH meeting:  December 13, 2016 OSH Pipeline Workgroup; December 14, 2016 Full NACOSH.