Certified in Making the Workplace Safe

Kathy Gonzalez has become Imperial's newest Certified Safety Professional® (CSP). This premier credential certifies they meet the highest national and international standards for health and safety in the workplace.

When it comes to ensuring worker safety, Kathy Gonzalez gets right to the point.

“If you boil it down, my role is to make sure that the way the people come into the plant is the way they leave,” says Gonzalez, environmental health and safety (EHS) manager at Imperial Sugar Company’s (ISC) refinery in Gramercy, La. There, she’s responsible for the welfare of co-workers on the job.

With her guardian mindset, she’s become the company’s newest Certified Safety Professional® (CSP). This premier credential for professionals like Gonzalez certifies they meet the highest national and international standards for health and safety in the workplace.

Meeting these exacting standards means working with managers, supervisors, machine operators, mechanics and others to make sure all equipment is running properly – without any safety concerns. Gonzalez also is an active participant in the Imperial Sugar EHS cross-site safety community, which works together to develop and implement safety policies, training and practices needed to make this happen.

“My biggest job is to identify potential hazards and mitigate the risks people take when interacting with machinery or other materials,” says Gonzalez, who’s worked for ISC for two years.

She likens her position as safety head to a conductor of an orchestra. In this case, “all they guys in the field are the ones who play the instruments. I provide and conduct the musical score.”

The CSP certification is recognized by safety and health organizations worldwide and is similar to an accountant having a CPA credential. Requirements for certification include an undergraduate degree, several years of professional safety experience and the passing of a two-part, nine-hour exam.

Gonzalez estimates she studied about 150 hours for both parts of the CSP exam. “It’s definitely put me on top of my game,” she says. “It’s provided a good refresher on processes and theories that can be applied to various aspects of my work.”

According to Gonzalez, safety awareness at the Gramercy refinery is strong. She credits success to everyone’s commitment and participation.

Gonzalez brings more than two decades of safety and health experience to Imperial Sugar, where she oversees the work of two staff members, a nurse, a professional firefighter, fire protection mechanics, security and dust mitigation cleaners.

Previously, she worked as an EHS manager for Remy International, a major manufacturer of hybrid motors, starters and alternators, as well as at a major printing company.

“One person does not make a safety department,” Gonzalez likes to say. “I have never worked at a place with employees as willing as Imperial’s to embrace safety. We’re a tight-knit team.”