Building a Safety Culture with a Safety Coordinator Curriculum
No matter what background Safety Coordinators (SCs) have — or how long they’ve been in the role — PDRMA’s Safety Coordinator Curriculum has a lot to offer.
For instance, Jim Patula, Superintendent of Projects, Planning & Loss Prevention at Bolingbrook Park District, was a seasoned parks and recreation employee with some 10 years under his belt as an SC earlier in his career. However, a recent reappointment to the role of Safety Coordinator at Bolingbrook led him to challenge his assumptions.
“Initially I thought, ‘I’ve been in the park and recreation field for 30 years, what more can I learn?’” Patula admits, but the world had changed and so had loss prevention. “So I decided one of my goals for 2015 would be to go through the PDRMA curriculum and achieve certification.”
As Safety Coordinator and Safety Chairperson, Patula’s plate is full — working with administrators on risk management policies and interacting with some 70 employees (almost 800 in summers) with the help of the Safety Committee. He is accountable for the agency’s loss control program and with the Safety Committee, carries out safety initiatives, all geared toward creating and nurturing an effective safety culture.
“My goal is to keep safety in the forefront of all employees’ minds, limit risks and provide an environment that focuses on safety,” Patula observes. “The Safety Coordinator curriculum helped me in so many ways. It focused my attention on loss prevention and touched on topics like the frequency of accidents, potential claims, insurance coverages, claims analysis, cost of work injuries, loss trends, conducting an effective safety meeting, establishing safety goals, and much more.”
It was enlightening to meet other SCs from diverse communities, as well. “It convinced me we were doing many things right but also gave insight to what others were doing,” he recalls. Equally important, Patula says the course energized him, especially on loss prevention. “I became a more effective Safety Coordinator with additional skills to lead the agency’s loss control program. The curriculum, training and presenters were fantastic. I even took notes and shared what I learned with others back at Bolingbrook.”
 Patula encourages SCs and would-be SCs to try the curriculum. “You will not be disappointed,” he promises. “Take it from an old Parkie who thought he knew it all — it’s great!”
Kevin Campbell, Risk Management Analyst, Northbrook Park District, agrees with Patula. Campbell oversees the agency’s risk management program, including safety and compliance training, as well as gathering data on incidents and accidents and identifying trends.
The former police sergeant with an 11-year background in law enforcement was familiar with writing policy and procedures and monitoring compliance. “But the environment and needs of a park district vary greatly from a police department and the communities they serve,” he comments. Campbell credits supportive management with encouraging him to take advantage of PDRMA's training programs. “I took the opportunity to learn as much as I could about park districts and PDRMA through the Safety Coordinator curriculum.”
Although Campbell’s background prepared him for analyzing and understanding risk, the curriculum helped lay the groundwork to create a viable and forward-thinking risk management program. ”It did a fine job of presenting relevant information for Safety Coordinators, explaining the process from incident to filing a claim to resolution in a clear manner…and then to go one step further — to understand that we do play a role in preventing needless accidents and injuries.”
Besides the networking opportunities, he applauds the interactive style of the curriculum, working in teams and sharing ideas with fellow SCs. “I would definitely recommend this course for anyone in the Safety Coordinator role. If you are new to risk management and the role, it’s an excellent introduction to PDRMA.”
Campbell notes that, as Patula pointed out, even seasoned staffers will benefit from the common-sense, straightforward presentation. “I think everyone will walk away from this program having gained some valuable insight into managing risk, preventing losses and maintaining a focus on safety.”
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