TALLAHASSEE, Fla., February 24, 2020 — The Florida Chamber Safety Council today announced the addition of two new Advisory Board members. Dr. Joshua Chard, Director of Product and Corporate Safety for Altec® Industries, Inc. and Tom Baldwin, Vice President of Safety for Global Medical Response (GMR) join a growing team of top safety professionals who serve a powerful role for fostering safety, health and sustainability among Florida businesses.
An incubator for research, leadership and education, the Florida Chamber Safety Council is the first organization of its kind to serve as a one-stop resource for small to mid-sized businesses that often do not have full-time safety, health and sustainability expertise on staff.
“The Florida Chamber Safety Council aims to make Florida the safest, healthiest and most sustainable state in America,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Mark Wilson. “As we prepare for 4 million more people who will call Florida home by 2030, we need to create more good paying jobs, and not all these employers will have access to health, safety and sustainability professionals like large employers do. This is exactly what the Florida Chamber Safety Council is here for, to serve as a resource for those companies so Florida’s business community can approach safety from a united front.”
Altec® Industries is the leading manufacturer of aerial devices and digger derricks for the telecommunications, utility, and tree care industries. Dr. Chard serves as the Chair of ASC A92 Main Committee, and also the Chair of A92.2 Vehicle Mounted elevating and rotating work platforms Sub-Committee. He also serves on the ISO Technical Committee 214, Work Group 01, Mobile Elevating Work Platforms. As a member of TC 214 WG 01, Dr. Chard served as Project Editor for ISO/WD 16653-2 MEWPS – Special Features – Design, calculations, safety requirements and test methods – Part 2: MEWPS Insulating. He currently serves as the ISO Liaison to TC 78 WG12 IEC 61057 LIVE WORKING – INSULATING AERIAL DEVICES FOR MOUNTING ON A CHASSIS. Dr. Chard received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University. His Major specialty area was Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics, with Minors in Manufacturing and Engineering Management. Dr. Chard also completed his Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University. He received his B.S. from St. Lawrence University.
Tom Baldwin of GMR leads a 37-person professional safety team that supports 7,000 ground ambulances, 450 air medical aircraft and 150 fire apparatus. He has been a leader of GMR’s national COVID-19 response, responsible for the safety of the company’s 38,000 employees—including critical, frontline first responders and call-center personnel—as well as the development of augmented safety protocols in the wake of the virus. Baldwin became a paramedic in 1991, and has worked in the fire service, law enforcement and air and ground EMS communities. After serving in leadership roles in the air medical field, he transitioned to safety in 2004. He is active in the air medical safety community as the chair of the AAMS safety committee and as a faculty instructor at the AAMS Safety Management Training Academy. He speaks nationally on a variety of topics, including safety culture, safety management systems (SMS), and just culture. Baldwin received his paramedic education at Creighton University and holds a B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, an MBA in Healthcare, and a professional certificate in Aviation Safety and Security from the University of Southern California.
“The combined safety, health and sustainability experience Dr. Chard and Mr. Baldwin will bring to our Advisory Board is second to none,” said Mark Morgan, senior human resources manager for Corporate Safety & Workers’ Compensation at NextEra Energy Inc. “We look forward to working with both of them and seeing the value each will provide Florida businesses as we secure Florida’s future.”
Current Advisory Board members include Jody McClure, director of Team Member, Legal, Risk & Insurance at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits; Bob Roncsa, executive director for Patient Safety at AdventHealth; Scot Frazer, corporate safety director at Boldt; Erin Black, vice president of Sustainability and Risk Management at Coca-Cola Beverages Florida; Edwin Foulke, president of Safety Solutions at Fisher Phillips; John Trevathan, chief procurement officer and vice president of Corporate Services at GuideWell; Mark Morgan, senior human resources manager for Corporate Safety & Workers’ Compensation at NextEra Energy Inc.; Matt Fisher, senior vice president at Pike Electric; Sandy Hodes, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Ryder System, Inc.; Chief Carl Metzger, associate vice president for Public Safety and Chief of Police at the University of Central Florida; Mark Ligon, vice president of Safety & Risk Management at Vecellio Group; and Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
The Safety Council is part of the Florida Chamber’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and comes as the state is on target to add 1.5 million jobs by 2030.
The Florida Chamber Safety Council will be hosting its inaugural Southeastern Leadership Conference on Safety, Health and Sustainability May 10-12, 2021 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, FL. The event will attract business leaders from across Florida and the Southeast looking to learn and share the latest data/research, benchmarks and best practices for the safety, health and sustainability industry. To register, visit www.FLChamberSafety.com/Attend.
For more information about becoming involved in the Florida Chamber Safety Council, training opportunities or the annual conference, visit FLChamberSafety.com or call (850) 521-1245.
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