Canadian Occupational Safety

February/March 2016 9 Safety must seek true 'profession' status Big push needed to be legislatively on par with engineers I n Canada there are only a few true professions. Engineers, architects, physicians and a few others work within a defi ned and well-described space enjoying the protection and liberties reserved only for true professionals. Safety is merely recognized as a "quasi-profession." We need to work hard to change this and seek full "profession" status. The idea that safety professionals, even Canadian Registered Safety Pro- fessionals (CRSPs), only enjoy status as quasi-professionals surprises many, including most CRSPs. Contrast this with engineers. Their exclusive scope of practice is defi ned in provincial leg- islation. Only professional engineers may engage in work that fi ts with this exclusive scope of practice. Action is required sooner rather than later. Safety professionals need to work with educational institutions, certifi cation organizations and trade associations to articulate their body of knowledge, a minimum educational requirement and a strict competency framework for OHS professionals. This will entitle them to the recogni- tion of their scope of practice so it may be protected in legislation. According to university sociologist professors and authors Peter Blau and W. Richard Scott, there are six major characteristics of all professions: • Professional decisions are based on a distinct body of knowledge pos- sessed only by those representing that profession. Can anybody else do what a physician does? • Professionals possess a level of exper- tise in a specifi c, limited area. This expertise allows them to exert author- ity in only their specialized area. • Professionals' interaction with their clients is characterized by "affective neutrality." This entails adherence to a specifi c code of ethics that directs behaviour. • Professional stature is predicated on the individual's performance in rela- tion to standards determined by her colleague group. • Professional decisions are not based on self-interest or personal gain, but on the altruistic goal of helping others. • Professionals are members of an organization that requires self-con- trol of their professional behaviour, training and practice. We have parts of this. Safety practi- tioners holding the CRSP designation, the Canadian Society of Safety Engi- neers' (CSSE) Certifi ed Health and Safety Consultant (CHSC) designa- tion and the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Association's (CFCSA) National Construction Safety Offi cer (NCSO), Construction Safety Coordinator (CSC) and Construction Safety Offi cer (CSO) designations all share some of these six characteris- tics but none have taken up the case to become a full profession and seek protection as such in legislation. Each organization has a process to grant applicants a designation based on their individual self-defi ned process but these processes have not been accepted by society as the defi ning element. There remains two major pieces of this puzzle yet to be confi rmed. A distinct body of knowledge for safety professionals has not yet been defi ned and declared by any specifi c safety organization, such as the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Pro- fessionals (BCRSP), CSSE or CFCSA. The CFCSA has recently agreed upon a competency framework that could be used to defi ne its body of knowledge but it has stopped short of doing so. Someone will need to fully defi ne the requirements for self control of the professional behaviour, training and practice of safety professionals. Right now, anyone can call themselves a safety professional. Right now, any institution can offer a program of study in occupational health and safety and issue a certifi cate. But some progress is being made. The International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisa- tions (INSHPO) recently launched the Global Capability Framework for Occupational Health and Safety Profes- sionals. The framework describes the activities that an OHS professional can be expected to undertake and the required underpinning knowledge. It also details the personal, professional and technical skills required for effec- tive health and safety practice along with performance criteria for each skill. The framework is the result of three years of development and consultation across 11 countries with input from OHS professionals, educators and cer- tifying bodies. The framework brings clarity to the generalist OHS role. Adop- tion of this framework, or something similar and suitable for Canadians, would be a necessary next step. The BCRSP has been in discussions with CSSE to explore the opportuni- ties that may exist around elevating the profi le and the professionalism of the safety profession. The executive director of BCRSP, Nikki Wright, said the two boards are reviewing what is happening in other professions and organizations to see how they can learn from those examples in "defi ning a journey for the safety profession." The president of CSSE, Jim Hop- kins, said establishing safety as a fully recognized profession within the various provincial legislative bodies is not a quick or easy undertaking. It will require Canada's safety lead- ers to agree on the value of doing so. Once full agreement is reached, the next steps will include collaboratively defi ning the process and beginning the journey towards the recognition for safety as a full profession. If these two groups are to be suc- cessful and are then able to get the educators on board, it may create a pathway that could lead to seeing safety joining engineering, architec- ture, medicine and others as true professions. A big push is needed. Safety professionals need to send a message to their certifi cation issuing organizations that full professional status is required and desired. Glyn Jones is a partner at EHS Partnerships in Calgary and he provides program design and instructional support to the University of New Brunswick's OHS certifi cate and diploma programs. He is also the regional vice-president of Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut for the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering. He can be reached at gjones@ehsp.ca. PEOPLE&PLACES GLYN JONES TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT GLYN JONES DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE&PLACES The classic OH&S resource in the format you prefer Now you can access the go to OH&S resource for Ontario companies – the "Green Book" – as a smart eBook on your iPad, Android tablet or directly from your web browser. Powered by the Thomson Reuters ProView™ app, our eBook gives you the freedom and fl exibility to work wherever and whenever you want. 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