SAFETY EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

Mr. Malcolm Roach, Construction Carpentry instructor at North Montco Technical Career Center in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, was awarded the “2020 Safety Educator of the Year” national award in November.

Mr. Roach has found a top notch curriculum that emphasizes safety in the classroom. Through his unique and detailed safety procedures, Mr. Roach directs an engaging and highly effective hands-on learning environment that naturally fosters a foundational of safety. “Safety is important in my classroom because at any given day I could have twelve to twenty students in this room,” Malcolm explains. “You can’t watch everyone at once. I don’t care if you’re the Superman of CTE. You have to be able to, just like in industry, train somebody and have a belief that they can operate that tool without you supervising them one foot away.”

Mr. Roach implements a number of innovate strategies to help keep him and his students OSHA safe. Before any student can use a tool, he or she must read the operator’s manual and pass the written safety assessment. Malcolm explains how he has over fifty tools and therefore over fifty assessments each student must take throughout the length of the program. Additionally, student’s are held accountable on a daily basis by “ethics points” which make up 30% of the students grade. As Mr. Roach rotates around the shop, he uses a clipboard to deduct points from student who are not working in a safe and professional manner.

It is CareerSafe’s honor to recognize Mr. Malcolm Roach as the 2020 Safety Educator of the Year for his innovative and inexhaustible commitment to an OSHA safe classroom. We look forward to seeing how this program continues to grow and become a leader in student and workplace safety long into the future.