Russell Duren, CSP

At a 165-employee Process Safety Management (PSM) facility, administer over 45 EHS programs related to the protection of employees, visitors, & contractors, the environment, and company facilities & property. Implement employee-partnered EHS improvements in 6 departments within the first 8 months of employment, assisting both production and administrative divisions. Manage 1 direct-report EHS Specialist in the execution of department objectives and provide mentorship for their professional growth and depth of practice. Support the facility’s ISO 14001 and 45001 certifications through the consensus-standards-driven introduction of best practices related to safety training, fall protection, confined spaces, manual and mechanical material handling, mobile elevating work platforms, fleet safety, and management systems. Lead a PSM committee that achieved a 60% year-over-year reduction in findings levied by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) inspectors within the annual inspection required under NDEP’s Chemical Accident Prevention Program (CAPP). Achieve 5-year cost savings of $35,000 by shifting the company’s AED management program from a lease model to a purchase model, simultaneously growing 36 employees’ involvement in Emergency Action Plan participation. Guide the company to achieve a 2025 Total Recordable Incident Rate 22% lower than NAICS industry average, with only 2 Recordable injuries coming from non-PSM job functions.

Provided safety services to self-insured group members and contracted non-member clients, as before. The new function in my Lead role was to identify opportunities and execute improvements within our internal operations and for our member/client services. I revised existing resources and create new resources as necessary, for implementation by my team. I also provided training guidance and field support to my colleagues, to ensure optimal execution of internal procedures and effective delivery of high-exposure programs. I applied a quality assurance focus to support our two regional Leads in improvement opportunities in their respective regions of the state. I serviced my own book of business while optimizing our resources and services on a company-wide scale for anywhere that we operate in Nevada.

I manage a portfolio of approximately 200 member businesses belonging to workers’ compensation self-insured groups administered through Pro Group Management. I assist our underwriter by conducting comprehensive initial hazard assessments. Once members are on board, I provide training, site evaluations, hazard abatement strategies, enforcement agency assistance, and safety program development. The broad exposure I receive to retail, construction, automotive, and transportation industries keeps every day fresh and challenging. Passionate about fall protection, I most enjoy working with framers, HVAC contractors, and steel erectors to enact solid programs and training to help fight the leading cause of construction accidents and fatalities. In 2019, I completely overhauled of our fall protection program up to ANSI Z359 standards. I created all new written program, field assessment, and inspection documents, accompanied by a training curriculum meeting the Z359 Authorized Person requirements. After receiving positive feedback from a national fall protection expert serving on the Z359 Committee, we launched the package among our insureds. Watching and assisting my teammates on implementation has been satisfying, and I’m even prouder of the light bulb moments when a worker understands and embraces the importance of their role within their company’s Managed Fall Protection Program. I am proud to pitch in to fight the national fall fatality trend and help find the next worker about to fall!

For Spring 2018, I served as Interim Safety Manager at The Gold Coast during a colleague's leave. Normally, I championed Safety culture at The Orleans, to help ensure employees finished their shift in the same condition they arrived in. I was proud of our consistently shrinking OSHA recordable injury and days-away rates, which have already been better than average for years. For 2017, we acheieved a 27% reduction in OSHA Recordable injuries over 2016. I championed our employees' well-being in front of anyone -- from leading shift safety talks with line workers to briefing company VPs on trends, statistical data, and special projects. I managed our 300 Log and organize copious amounts of raw tracking data and compliance paperwork. When things did go wrong, I enjoyed the challenge of investigating accidents, injuries, and near-misses to recommend corrective actions and areas requiring additional training. I also coordinated with our industrial hygiene monitoring contractors for periodic testing. I'm currently pursuing my Health & Safety Practitioner Certificate through NV SCATS, and I have my sights on attaining BCSP's ASP credential after a year in the field.

Dean's List Spring 2004 | Dean's List Spring 2005