QSE recently presented a full-day workshop on the practical aspects of BBS at Congreso de Seguridad in Bogotá, Colombia. Attendance was full-room capacity and the reviews were universally excellent. Two different attendees took the opportunity to express to the group that BBS is truly the most effective way to improve safety. One gentleman was from a very large open-pit mining facility in North Colombia, and the other from another South American country.
After coming to an agreement on publishing Dr. McSween's book in Spanish, and also working together to present BBS workshops in Colombia, the QSE team and Dr. Pinto, Director Comercial for the Consejo Colombiano de Seguridad stop for a photo-op. (L to R) Christopher Stubenberg, Dr. Armando Pinto, Dr. Francisco Ugalde, Jerry Pounds, Dr. Terry McSween.
Several of the Risk Management departments of large insurance companies (ARP) were in attendance, and are actively looking to improve safety by including BBS/Values-Based Safety (VBS) as part of their efforts to lower accidents in their affiliates.
While in Bogotá, Dr. Terry McSween, Jerry Pounds, Dr. Francisco Ugalde, and Christopher Stubenberg were invited to discuss safety with high-level executives of several of the largest companies in Colombia. The desire to promote safety and safe conditions for the worker in Colombia is a heartfelt effort on the part of safety professionals there, and is allowing for changes and improvements that we hope will grow exponentially.
The Consejo Colombiano de Seguridad is an active force behind this effort. Along with organizing the 43rd Congreso de Seguridad, Salud, y Ambiente, they have been behind a multinational effort to promote safety. Dr. Armando Pinto (Director Comercial), affirmed the probability of publishing Dr. McSween’s book (The Values-Based Safety Process) in Spanish, as well as partnering with QSE to present VBS workshops in Colombia. Quality Safety Edge is pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with El Consejo Colombiano de Seguridad to ensure that the workforce in Colombia has the benefits of well-implemented BBS processes.
Contributed by Christopher Stubenberg, SafetyColombia