Hazardous Materials Subject Matter Recognition Achieved Via Social Media Networking

Society recognizes licensed professional engineers, licensed professional geologists, certified public accountants, certified safety professionals and certified industrial hygienists as subject matter experts. Recognition as a subject matter expert (SME) translates into value, which has a direct correlation with compensation that society would be willing to pay for our services.

As hazardous materials professionals, we should work collectively to gain recognition and value for our credentials. Individual should also identify their own specific area(s) of subject matter expertise (personal branding) within our diverse field of hazardous materials management. Is your expertise, indoor air quality, hazardous materials transportation, or environmental remediation?

During the past decade, there has been a major tectonic shift in methods and technologies used in professional communication. The presentation authors believe that communication is essential with regard to achieving collective and individual recognition status. Without professional communication to create awareness of our subject matter expertise, our perceived value by society would be zero. As hazardous materials professionals, we must either learn these new concepts to create value or be collectively left behind as a discipline.

Excerpts from the Social Media “Hazardous Materials Events Calendar” web-log (blog) will also be presented. Theme of this ”365-Days-A-Year” (daily) blog has been adopted from the philosophy of George Santayana, Spanish-American Novelist who stated that “Those Who Do Not Remember the Past Are Condemned to Repeat It.” This type of daily communication regarding historical hazardous materials events has opened numerous doors for the lead presentation author. It has also increased public awareness of our hazardous materials profession.