“Innovation and Inspiration”: The 2014 NSC Rising Stars of Safety
The National Safety Council presents the Rising Stars of Safety, Class of 2014
 |
Chris Shieldsmith 32 Corporate Ergonomics Specialist Cummins Inc. Columbus, IN |
| “In 2008, Chris joined the company as a Safety Engineer at the Columbus Midrange Engine Plant (CMEP). Six months later, the HSE Manager left the site and the position was not filled for over two years due to economic conditions. During this two-year period, Chris questioned the status quo at the site and challenged the leadership to take ownership in correcting safety hazards. Chris made it a point to spend countless hours on the shop floor, listening to the employees and understanding their work and environment. Chris was promoted to the site Safety Leader position and continued in that role for another two years.” | |
 |
Matthew Stangle 39 Vice President, Risk Management Division Insurance Force Annapolis, MD |
| “Matt designed RiskForce and SafetyForce to help small-business owners manage their risk and provide tangible results. A score of 1-10 is given in five categories. SafetyForce is the executable plan that helps reduce losses through a consistent reinforcement of safety. One tactic to assist small business owners who don’t have a designed safety person is SafetyForce’s SafetyAlert Service. For example, this past winter our area had an ice storm. We wanted to remind our client’s employees to not park vehicles under a tree. Instead of having the owners try to communicate this, we sent a text to all employees. The results of a consistent safety message are seen by comparing their RiskForce score from the prior year. Typical results show an increase of about 2 points (20 percent).” | |
 |
Jason Townsell 34 Manager, SHE AECOM Los Angeles, CA |
| “As Program Safety Manager, Jason coordinates over 139 contractors working on over 375 projects. Daily, he oversees safety on over $3 million of construction work, 2,000 daily aircraft operations, and over 75,000 automobiles operations. This is a significant position for a young SH&E professional. Jason leads a team of seven safety professionals; has a strong leadership style; displays the ability to empower others to succeed; and balances recognition, training and leading metrics to achieve consistent improvements.” | |
 |
Jeff Ullian 37 Manager ESH Training Argonne National Laboratory Lemont, IL |
| “Jeff’s department in FY13 provided over 39,700 hours of required training to employees/contractors/users. In addition, he leads an ongoing safety leadership training effort that enhances the safety leadership skills of senior/middle managers and supervisors. In 2007, he led the development and implementation of Argonne’s first Safety Leadership Training for over 500 employees. The training included discussions of leadership, safety commitment and safety leadership principles. In 2011, Jeff led the development and implementation of Workplace Observation Conversation training to enhance supervisor skills that enable meaningful workplace conversations with employees about their safety concerns and possible solutions. The initial training included over 600 employees and is required for new supervisors.” | |
 |
Andrew Valentine 28 Business Unit Safety Manager Gilbane Building Co. Arlington, VA |
| “Andy’s easy-going personality and his passion for safety is so strong that he can talk to anyone about this subject. He volunteered to teach classes for new Gilbane employees to show the importance of safety, is actively involved in the ASSE in the Northern Virginia area, and volunteered to teach our sub-contracting community Incident and Injury Free (IIF) safety. Last year, he accomplished a feat to reach every job that required this training, set up and planned the events, and was so successful that each and every evaluation resulted in the highest marks and great comments, and at the end of the day, each contractor wanted to be part of the journey.” | |
 |
Adonay “Dave” Varela 33 Emergency and Continuity Planning Program Manager Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport, RI |
| “While serving as the Safety Management System Program Manager, Adonay implemented OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program at Division Newport. This effort included management, labor and OSHA working together to prevent fatalities, injuries and illnesses by focusing on hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training, and management commitment and worker involvement. These efforts extended to a Safety Slogan contest, a Kids Safety Poster contest and the communications program ‘Why I work safe.’ The goal of all three projects was to prioritize safety in the workplace. Adonay implemented a Job Hazard Analysis program, a fall protection program, a safety orientation training program and a self-inspection program. He also developed a comprehensive safety briefing that is part of first-day orientation for new employees at Division Newport.” | |
 |
Ryan Vieau 35 Vice President Lakehead Painting Co. Superior, WI |
| “With his employees, Ryan talks a lot about family and why it’s so important to not only earn a dollar for your family, but also to return safely to them at the end of each day. Over the last three years, Ryan attained his certification so he could train and certify employees in First Aid and CPR. Not only does he train Lakehead’s entire crew, but he also opened the doors to the employees’ family members to get trained and certified. Neither Ryan nor the company charge the family members for the costs associated with this training.” | |
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)