======================== JeffNEWS, August 1, 1995 ======================== Jefferson's Safety Program Earns Prestigious Award of Honor from National Safety Council ---------------------------------------------------------------- Jefferson's safety program has earned the University the prestigious Award of Honor from the National Safety Council. The award is the highest overall in the nationally recognized "Campus Safety Program" conducted by the Council. To achieve the Award of Honor, Jefferson scored 95 out of a possible 100 points. Jefferson's safety program earned perfect scores in these categories: administrative leadership (20 out of 20 points), safety department organization (20 out of 20), environmental health and safety (10 out of 10) and safety in emergency situations (5 out of 5). Jefferson earned near- perfect scores in several other categories, including information reporting, training and safe conditions. In announcing the award, Robert A. Peterson, senior vice president for administration and finance, praised the role played by the employees in the department of environmental health and safety, who are responsible for carrying out Jefferson's safety program, and the leadership of Martha A. Anderson, assistant vice president for safety and security. Said David L. Dobbins, associate vice president for physical resources: "Having evaluated the process and criteria for this award and the substance of this recognition by the National Safety Council, I could not be more proud of the employees who made it possible and Martha Anderson's abilities to lead us to this kind of recognition." Mr. Peterson also singled out the longstanding team effort of the Jefferson Safety Committee as a major reason for earning this national recognition. A major criterion for several categories of the National Safety Council award is the commitment by an organization to the resources of a fulltime director, Mr. Peterson pointed out. "Jefferson has had the ability to focus on safety with employees of all divisions fully dedicated to the safety program. All of us at Jefferson should be proud of what we have accomplished." In commenting on the significance of the award for Jefferson, Mr. Dobbins spoke to its benefits from both an employee and a community standpoint. "Having a nationally recognized safety program on campus is an important benefit for all our employees as well as for our presence in the community. It is important that we are recognized for our commitment to the safety of employees, medical staff, students, patients and visitors, as well as to our commitment to excellence in clinical and research areas." "Jefferson being recognized for this outstanding award shows that we are prepared as an institution not only for internal emergencies but that we lend our support to external emergencies that might occur in the community." Mr. Dobbins pointed out that Ms. Anderson is currently the chair of the Philadelphia Local Emergency Planning Commission (PLEPC), and is leading the Mayor's Task Force on Emergency Notification for South and Southwest Philadelphia. In summing up the impact of the safety award, Mr. Dobbins said: "The National Safety Council, like the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, has adopted a process whereby its evaluators rate, not just relative safety, but improvement in safety over time. This award to Jefferson recognizes a documented, progressive improvement in our safety program over the last several years." This is the second time in two years Jefferson has been nationally recognized for its safety and security programs. In 1994, Jefferson received the first annual Jeanne Clery Safe Campus Award in recognition of our outstanding campus security program. A cornerstone to the success of Jefferson's safety efforts through the years is the "Train the Trainer" program. See photo story below. TJU Thanks 200 `Train the Trainer' Employees -------------------------------------------- Proudly displaying their certificates of recognition are employees active in implementing the successful "Train the Trainer" program over the last several years. From left are Tom Phillips, environmental services, Rachel Kelly, emergency department, Mary Lou Snyder, pediatrics and Dawna Powell, blood bank. The recognition ceremony at Eakins Lounge was especially meaningful because the 200 "Train the Trainer" employees are the chief reason why Jefferson earned the prestigious Award of Honor from the National Safety Council said Martha A. Anderson, assistant vice president for safety and security. "Jefferson would not have received this high national honor recognizing our safety excellence were it not for the dedicated efforts of our employees, especially those responsible for implementing the `Train the Trainer' program," Ms. Anderson added. To carry out the successful program, begun about five years ago, staff from environmental health and safety, infection control, rehabilitation medicine, environmental services and human resources annually train more than 200 employees from hospital and University departments in such safety topics as biological hazards, microbial safety, HIV, the respiratory protection program, TB and AFB isolation, chemical hazards, laboratory safety programs, the Right-to-Know program and other topics and issues required by local and Federal laws for all employees. In turn, each trained employee is responsible for setting up and conducting annual training sessions for other employees in his or her department. "This is the best and proven way to realize our goal of training every Jefferson employee in safety precautions and techniques," explained Ms. Anderson. "Safety is truly everybody's business, and that's certainly coming true at Jefferson because of the continued growth of employee participation in this important program." Jefferson's `Train the Trainer' program is coordinated by two staff members from the department of environmental health and safety, Jolene Shaw, occupational safety and health officer, and Cherry M. Moragne, occupational safety specialist. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Information provided by: Editor, JeffNEWS (215) 955-6204 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------