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VIA E-MAIL

January 4, 2002

The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman
SH-706 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0703
senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov

Dear Senator Lieberman:

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), with nearly 30,000 member safety, health and environmental professionals, is the oldest, largest and most diverse society dedicated to protecting the safety of the American workplace. We are pleased to tell you that, in Connecticut, ASSE represents 436 members in two chapters located in Springfield and New Haven.

ASSE is writing to express our appreciation for your leadership in making sure that the "ANSI Amendment" to the Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1438) was included in the final legislation approved by the House and Senate. Our members support and rely on the voluntary standards setting process that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees. ASSE is currently the secretariat of eight American National Standards Committees, making ASSE the largest holder of safety/health standards projects. Over forty safety professional ASSE members serve as representatives on various ANSI, NFPA, ASME, and ASTM standards development committees. In fact, ASSE is an ANSI charter secretariat, with our involvement in ANSI standards-setting activities going back to 1921.

Ensuring that federal government employees can continue to participate in the ANSI standards-setting process -- which is what the "ANSI Amendment" accomplishes -- is necessary to ensure that the process continues to play a vital role in helping our members maintain and improve workplace safety and health for American workers. Accompanying this letter is a copy of ASSE's position statement explaining more fully the Society's support of the voluntary standard setting process and, therefore, ANSI's leadership in this area. Our appreciation for your efforts is based in our strong belief in and support for this private-sector process.

If you or your staff have any questions, please be sure to contact me. ASSE and its members stand ready to work with you in efforts that promote the safety, health and environmental security of the American workplace.

Sincerely,

M.E. Greer, CSP
Society President 2001-2002

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