Joshua J. Franklin, CSP, SMS, CET joined BCSP staff in February and brings his commitment to safety to the position of Business Growth and Partnership Director.
Like many safety practitioners, Franklin did not initially enter the profession intentionally. He sustained a back injury in his sixth year of service to the Air Force and his doctor told him he would have to retrain to enter another career field. “The chief master sergeant in my squadron recommended going into safety and, at first, I thought he was joking. I had no idea it was a real job!” he recalls. “He had me visit a larger Air Force base with a safety office, and after 30 minutes with the safety professionals there I was hooked.”
Franklin learned how safety is “a lot more than ‘zero injuries’” and came to appreciate the profession’s dedication to people’s well-being. “Here was the opportunity to work in a profession that sought to improve the working environment and was dedicated to making sure that everyone went home safe!” he says. “This early introduction showed me the SH&E profession was a purposeful higher calling and it’s one I remain passionate about today.”
Safety is often thought of after an incident occurs, relegated to an afterthought. Franklin is a strong advocate for bringing safety into the foreground and shares Safety Science Innovation Lab founder Sidney Dekker’s view that safety is “not about the absence of negatives; it is about the presence of capacities.” He says that in this single line, “Dekker speaks to the value of safety as that of the possibility for a person and an organization to be more, have more, and to do more good in the world. That’s a life well-lived. That’s real value to me.”
World-class safety management systems, according to the National Safety Council, possess five qualities: leadership, an integrated systems approach, performance measurement, alignment to core organizational initiatives, and corporate citizenship/off-the-job safety. Franklin believes BCSP’s accredited safety certifications are fundamental to these world-class qualities and joined BCSP staff after several years on the Board of Directors so that he could continue to improve safety through certification.
“BCSP certifications are the highest mark of leadership and excellence in the profession,” says Franklin. “Credible safety professionals understand the integration of SH&E into every system and core organizational initiative, and how to also include indicators into performance measurement. Finally, by adherence to a code of ethics, all certificants advance the profession both on- and off-the-job.”
As Business Growth and Partnership Director, Franklin will be assisting businesses and other organizations in developing career paths for safety practitioners, from those on the frontline whose engagement is important in identifying hazards, to those ensuring safety is integrated with operations. “I’m honored to be a part of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and share in our mission of enhancing careers, advancing the profession, protecting the public.”