Participation in the SGE program is considered an investment in the future of
the company’s safety performance and as a professional growth opportunity for
their employees. Where else can you get three days of OSHA training on what an
effective safety and health system should look like, then participate annually
as a member of an OSHA team evaluating another company’s system? SGEs return to
their facilities with a steady flow of new ideas, practical solutions, and best
practices to take their site to the next level of safety excellence.
In the words of several of Georgia-Pacific SGEs:
- "GP benefits from benchmarking with other companies and the knowledge that
is gained from the various federal and state OSHA representatives. All this
information is then shared with the various GP sites that the SGE serves." –
Kerry Fischman, Corporate VPP Manager
- "SGEs pride themselves on their professionalism and their commitment to
safety and health. They are extremely well respected by GP supervisors and
safety coordinators as folks who have proven themselves because the SGEs have
actually worked with OSHA. This lends a high degree of value to our
inspections and our proposed solutions to safety concerns." – Mike Maurer,
Wood Products South Business Unit Safety Manager
- "The positive relationships formed with the OSHA personnel have proven to
be invaluable. I can call on the OSHA staff for assistance on any problem and
know that they will help. By the same token OSHA personnel can expect the same
from me. There is a mutual respect that was simply not possible before the VPP
and SGE programs." – Ken Moseley, Plywood Business Unit Safety Manager
- "The benefits to the company of participating as an SGE on a VPP on-site
team include observing how another company meets similar challenges that our
facilities face, developing a relationship with OSHA personnel—including those
who normally work in compliance, networking with another company’s safety
managers, and creating greater appreciation and respect for our company by
another company and OSHA." – Steve Hays, Corporate Safety Manager
- "I began serving in the SGE capacity in 2000. Since that time I have
had numerous opportunities to work with OSHA on audits, network with the field
coordinators, and mentor several sites. These experiences have expanded my
knowledge of safety practices and of what it takes to manage a business in
America. This has been an eye opener and has provided me with invaluable
opportunities that have changed my perspective on how one can safely work in
any job capacity." - Belinda Ralston, Chevron Phillips Chemical, LP, Cedar
Bayou Plant, Baytown, Texas
- "I consider my SGE service as one of the highlights of my career as a
Safety Facilitator. My experiences working with OSHA on field audits and
having the opportunity to work at the World Trade Center Disaster have
provided me the opportunity to network with other facilities and share safety
"Best Practices". Working as an SGE has enabled me to mentor prospective new
sites helping them improve their safety programs and this gives me
satisfaction knowing that workers return home to their families at the end of
their work day as healthy as they came to work." - Jerry Hale, Chevron
Phillips Chemical, LP, Cedar Bayou Plant, Baytown, Texas
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