American Society of Safety Engineers News |
Michael Nowak |
for immediate release |
DES PLAINES, IL (April 28, 2005) — Analyzing upper management decisions to learn the concerns and limitations facing occupational safety is the study by Ph.D. student Sarah DeArmond of Fort Collins, CO, selected for the 2005 American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Foundation / Liberty Mutual Safety Research Fellowship.
The ASSE Foundation/Liberty Mutual Safety Research Fellowship promotes research in occupational safety, expands upon current safety practices, and creates the groundwork for fellows to further pursue safety research. This summer DeArmond will spend four weeks at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, MA; where she will have access to current research projects, equipment, and research scientists onsite. Through the research fellowship DeArmond will receive a stipend from the ASSE Foundation to cover expenses, and she will write an article on the research results.
From this research project DeArmond will attempt to determine whether injury rates are lower in industries where companies' CFO's (or financial leaders) believe in a greater return on investment in safety, and if their workplace safety concerns match current injury trends. The project will tap into data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and the Liberty Mutual 2004 Risk Management Survey, which collected corporate decision makers' perceptions of workplace safety benefits and return on investment.
DeArmond said, "This type of knowledge is critical to help safety professionals in learning how to align their goals of improving safety programs and how to implement an organizational mission in reducing on-the-job injuries and illnesses."
Currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University, DeArmond received an M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University and a B.A. in Psychology from Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant. She is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychology Association.
Applicants for the ASSE Foundation/Liberty Mutual Safety Research Fellowship must be U.S. citizens and possess a Ph.D. degree or be working towards a Master's or Ph.D. degree. ASSE members and applicants enrolled or holding appointments in an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited safety program are given special consideration. Applications and guidelines for next year's fellowships will be available at www.asse.org/foundat.htm.
Recognized throughout the world, the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety conducts original investigations into job-related accidents, injuries, and disability and publishes the results in peer-reviewed, scientific journals. The institute is the only occupational safety research facility owned and operated by an insurance company.
Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a leading global insurer and sixth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. whose largest line is auto based on 2003 direct written premiums. Liberty Mutual Group employs nearly 38,000 people in nearly 900 offices throughout the world.
Chartered in 1990, the ASSE Foundation receives funding from corporations and voluntary donations from ASSE members - individual and through chapters countrywide for applied safety research, scholarships, fellowships, internships and professional development.
Formed in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. For more information check ASSE's website at www.asse.org.