1. What is the Circle of Safety Excellence™? The Circle of Safety Excellence™ (COSE) is an initiative offered by ISRI to help improve worker safety in the recycling industry. The Circle is comprised of like-minded companies who have voluntarily come forward to share safety data and best practices for the betterment of their own safety operations, and as a result they are recognized by ISRI for their commitment to safety. ISRI formed the Circle to help demonstrate the recycling industry’s commitment to the safety of all of our employees and the communities we serve.
2. Who is eligible to join the Circle of Safety Excellence™? All Active ISRI members located within the United States and Canada, who process or consume scrap material and are committed to operating safely, are invited to apply to be part of the Circle. The goal of the Circle is to help companies improve their operations so that eventually all ISRI members will be proud members of the Circle of Safety Excellence™.
3. Why should I join the Circle? By joining the Circle, companies will have the ability to benchmark their company’s progress against other industry leaders committed to safe operations, and become part of a network for the sharing of safety best practices.
4. How does one apply to enter the Circle of Safety Excellence™? Your company’s Safety/Risk Management Contact should Login to the ISRI website and apply through the annual online application process (refer to login guidance) by which companies attest that they are committed to operating safely, which means:
- Having a safety management program in place at all facilities
- Willingness to share injury data on an annual basis & participate in a group benchmarking program
- Willingness to attend at least one COSE meeting per year
- Provide safety outreach to others in the industry to promote safe practices
5. What injury data must be shared to participate in the Circle? Companies are asked to share the following company injury frequency rate data by March 15, 2019 (3 years of historical data is required with the first submission):
- LTI (Lost Time Injury Rate)
- DART (Days Away, Restricted work activity and/or Job Transfer)
- TCIR (Total Case Injury Rate)
- CSA data (if your company has a fleet)
6. If my company has more than one facility, does each facility have to apply separately? No, membership in the Circle is company based, so that all facilities within a company are combined in the one membership, (data for all facilities MUST be included in the application).
7. What is the obligation of circle members to outreach to other others in the industry regarding the promotion of safe practices? The Circle is meant to be a group of like-minded companies that are committed to not only improving safety at their operations, but also within the industry as a whole. To that end, it is expected that Circle members will:
- Openly share safety information with neighboring companies
- If asked, visit/invite other companies to see their operation and associated safety systems, as well as answer questions
- Be willing to share information on the Circle of Safety Excellence™ with other companies and assist and encourage enrollment
8. What are the benefits of becoming a member?
- Availability to network and share safety best practices e.g., near misses, safety initiatives, etc.
- Participate in setting safety benchmarks
- Reduce workman’s compensation claims
- Reduce your experience modification rate
- Opportunity to participate in the annual ISRI Circle of Safety Excellence™ Occupational Awards Program
- One FREE visit from ISRI Safety consisting of a Safety Blueprint or Transportation Outreach i.e., DOT assessment, defensive driving, vehicle inspection training, etc.
For more details or assistance contact ISRI EHS Manager 1, Elnaz Torabian or Transportation Safety Director, Commodor Hall.