Labor commissioner addresses student safety engineers

Toxic popcorn flavoring in manufacturing plants. Diseased hog brains in slaughterhouses.

These are a few of the challenges members of the IU Student Section of the American Society of Safety Engineers are likely to face in the workplace safety industry, said Indiana Department of Labor Commissioner Lori Torres, who addressed the group Friday.

As part of her duties as commissioner, Torres oversees the Indiana Occupational State Health Administration, which works to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

“I thought it’d be a great opportunity to have her come and talk because as commissioner, her decisions are going to affect all of us,” said Phillippe Seib, president of the IU Student Section of American Society of Safety Engineers.

Torres spoke about the challenges she has faced since her appointment in October 2006, including finding an appropriate balance between regulation – penalizing employers with citations – and education, showing them how to implement safety solutions in their facilities.

Torres said manufacturing is and will continue to be Indiana’s highest sector of employment. It also has one of the highest injury rates: 6.6 out of every 100 people working full-time for a year in manufacturing will sustain an injury in the workplace.
Farming, another large industry sector in the state, has an injury rate of 8.4, the highest of any other sector.

This means students entering the workplace safety industry in Indiana should play an important role, but Torres also said safety positions are getting downsized in response to the economic recession.

Still, Torres said the federal stimulus funds flowing through Indiana to create jobs will also create a need for safety professionals.

For example, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced March 31 that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources will hire 2,000 16- to 24-year-olds this summer to improve parks,
trails and natural habitats across the state.

By the end of this month, the first wave of young adults hired by the department will complete safety orientation from the Department of Labor, which will address safety concerns specific to young workers.

“It’s such an obscure field, but it’s a very necessary field because everyone has to follow the law,” Seib said.

Near the end of her speech, Torres told students about an Occupational State Health Administration compliance officer who investigated the death of Sarah Jones, a Monroe County deputy who was struck by a car while directing traffic this fall.

As a result of that fatality, the Indiana Occupational State Health Administration developed a policy requiring high-visibility reflective vests for public safety officers directing traffic.

Torres used this story to show how rewarding a career in the workplace safety field can be.

“(Compliance officers) have something that really make a difference to them,” Torres said. “The high-visibility vests make a difference in saving local officials when they are directing traffic. I think that’s why they are there.”