IHMM Today March 2, 2021

IHMM UPDATES

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Debra Fisher, CSHM, CSMP, Honored With The
IHMM Excellence in EHS Management Award

[Rockville, MD] Each year the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management holds an open competition to select one person of outstanding character, ability, and achievement to receive recognition with its Excellence in EHS Management Award.

For 2020, IHMM is very pleased to announce its winner of the Excellence in EHS Management Award is Debra Fisher of Trotwood, Ohio, Health and Safety Coordinator at IUE-CWA, the Industrial Division of the Communication Workers of America, representing over 50,000 manufacturing and industrial workers across the United States. Debra is credentialed as a Certified Safety and Health Manager [CSHM®] and a Certified Safety Management Practitioner [CSMP®] with IHMM.

Debra as a Special Emergency Response Team member has deployed to multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, spills, and industrial accidents. Debra has developed and implemented new safety training to help workers recognize hazards. She has demonstrated new approaches by her national training curriculum and written guide for in-coming workers to work on safety committees and investigate incidents.

Debra collaborated with the local university to provide a 40-foot climbing tower where both students and workers now learn safe climbing techniques. This is a perfect example of how Debra engages diverse groups to maximize their learning experience and is part of her legacy. Debra also serves as the Chapter President for the Kitty Hawk Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). She has worked tirelessly as chapter leadership in various positions since 2015 while promoting EHS initiatives in the Mimi Valley region. She hosted subject matter experts and facility tours to increase awareness on EHS topics. Her efforts were rewarded as she helped the chapter earn the ASSP Platinum Award (first).

IHMM is honored to have Debra Fisher as a CSHM and CSMP and congratulates her on winning the IHMM Excellence in EHS Management Award for 2020. “She has proven that engaged workers can provide the greatest value to safety solutions because they are the most familiar with the work being performed.”

IHMM & AHMP Launch 45 in 5 – National Credential Recognition – 21 States Targeted

On January 25th, we began outlining the strategy to go after the 21 states in yellow, above.

This is just the beginning. Here is the present composition of the 45 In 5 Task Force and the states we are focusing on. More people may volunteer anytime!  https://ihmm.org/45-in-5-task-force/

• The State of Nebraska under 178 NAC Chapter 24 of the Department of Health and Human Services regulations recognizes the CHMM as eligible for remediation services. Thank you, Mary Duda.

In 2019 Mark Bruce from AHMP and Gene Guilford from IHMM worked on a project to get the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to recognize the CHMM and CDGT credentials. With Mark’s work on the ground in  Pennsylvania, we succeeded.

Since the launch, we have added Delaware, Florida, Texas, California, Washington, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and New Mexico as the next states for us to work on with 42 volunteers.

Now Mark at AHMP and Gene at IHMM has launched 45 in 5, getting the other 45 states to recognize our credentials in 5 years. If we can find a volunteer like Mark in 45 other states we can work with those volunteers on crafting the right message to the right agencies in state governments across the country. If we find enough volunteers we can get this done in less than 5 years.

The Task Force meets again on March 2nd and here are some near-term objectives…

• New Jersey LSRP program and CHMM credit toward prerequisites
• California state agencies require a CHMM as a prerequisite
• Colorado DOT requires a CHMM for some projects
• Florida state legislature
• 40 CFR § 312.10 – Definitions, initiating a federal rulemaking
• Washington State Dept of Ecology
• Iowa Groundwater Professional

IHMM NEWS RECENT UPDATES

Building Climate Change Resilience Virtual Training

EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities initiative is providing free virtual training sessions on its Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT) for the Northeast climate region of the country. This training assists drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities in planning for and adapting to climate change threats with a focus on resilience building and infrastructure financing. The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Water Companies, and NEIWPCC are helping to coordinate and co-sponsoring these events.

Training Objectives

• Conduct a risk assessment using CREAT;
• Identify and share information on adaptation strategies to build utility long-term resilience; and
• Share information on available resources for financing resilience and adaptation.

Upcoming Sessions

• Session 2: March 4, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. E.T.
• CREAT Modules 3 (Consequences and Assets) and 4 (Adaptation Planning)
• Session 3: March 9, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. E.T.
• CREAT Module 5 (Risk Assessment) and an overview of local financial resources utilities can apply for to fund adaptation measures
• Session 4: March 23, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. E.T
• A brief overview of previous information, then open agenda for attendees to ask questions about using CREAT, how to apply it to their circumstances, and how to seek funding for adaptation strategies. (Optional)

**Earn Continuing education units (CEUs) from select states **

REGISTER HERE

HMS and Earning Certification Maintenance Points [CMPs]

IHMM created HMS, in large measure, so that IHMM certificants could have one, central place within which to find professional development courses in which to earn certification maintenance points. HMS courses cover all of IHMM’s 8 credentials, not only one.

We’ve made it easy to find CMPs.

• Go to https://hazmatsociety.org/
• Go to the Education and Training tab
• Scroll down until you see these buttons…and click on the CMPs button

• The system will produce a listing of the programs on the platform that have already been reviewed and given CMP ratings. You can find the programs suitable for you.

For example, one of the programs is from Columbia Southern University, offered online, has 36 CMPs attached, and is FREE. This is only one example. There are hundreds of programs on HMS.

HMS UPDATES

HMS Donations

One of the most important projects of the Hazardous Materials Society is our Scholarship program.

HMS wants to make it as easy as possible for those who cannot always afford to participate in pursuing certification, or keeping up with professional development, or attending great conferences and receiving outstanding training. HMS does not solicit contributions from the general public. HMS does ask IHMM’s certificants and their companies and our education and training vendors to consider a contribution.

Here, through your generosity, you can make a difference in promoting the ability of those who can afford it least to become participants in our communities of practice.

It’s never too late to make a difference, so don’t let this opportunity to make a difference pass you by. Please consider a tax-deductible donation of $250, $500 or what you can to help build HMS’s effort to help others in our communities of practice.

HMS Education and Training

Hazardous Materials Society now has 14,918 education and training programs on its website https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/ with more coming every week. Certificants will note that most of these programs carry a CMP value, making it easier to know in advance what to expect. The HMS Education and Training platform also provides a wide variety of courses for professional development across all of IHMM’s credentials – and more are being developed by the HMS Education and Training Committee.

This is the center of education and training for IHMM certificants and prospective certificants. Among these more than 15.000 programs are webinars delivered online and virtually all carry IHMM CMPs values with them for your annual / 5-year CMP planning. SEE: https://hazmatsociety.org/education-training/

HMS Affinity Programs –  RCM&D Professional Liability Insurance

With more than 27,000 people – here is where HMS leverages our numbers for member’s benefit. There is strength and value in numbers and that translates into lower costs for you.

HMS is proud to have partnered with RCM&D to be able to offer an outstanding comprehensive professional liability insurance program to IHMM certificants. Here, you will find information about this important program offering Environmental Consultants and Engineers Professional Liability coverage. This coverage is intended to add protection for loss stemming from actual or alleged negligent acts, errors and omissions in performing professional services.