Vol. 10, No.1

Top Stories

Candidates for 2006-07 Board of Directors

The 2006 election slate, as it will appear on members’ ballots, has been announced by the Nominating and Elections Committee. All candidates are professional members of ASSE. The Election Preview, which ran in the February 2006 issue of Professional Safety, featured bios and photos of the candidates. Cast your vote online beginning March 1.

Two Technical Audioconferences On Tap

Feb. 7: Transportation Safety & Security

On Feb. 7 from 11 am to 12:30 pm CST, ASSE will host a technical audioconference called Transportation Safety & Security Related Issues in Today’s Challenging Environment. The audioconference will address the challenges, concerns, best practices, member insights and applicable standards regarding transportation safety. The speakers will discuss regulatory and enforcement activities in coordination with the increased need for security.

Feb. 22: Business of Safety

ASSE will host an audioconference on Business of Safety for the SH&E Professional. Scheduled for Feb. 22 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm CST, the broadcast will explore a key question often asked of SH&E professionals: Do safety and health management programs improve a company’s bottom line? In addition to savings on workers’ compensation benefit claims, civil liability damages and litigation expenses, having a solid safety and health management program with senior management commitment will improve productivity and employee morale. It can also make the difference between winning and losing bids and even government contracts.

Don’t Miss the Application Deadline for Liberty Mutual Research Fellowship

Applications for the Liberty Mutual Safety Research Fellowship Program for summer 2006 are due March 1, 2006. Fellows will spend four to six weeks at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, MA. The program serves to encourage research activity in safety; and to familiarize graduate students, faculty members and other researchers with current research projects and up-to-date research models and applications to expand the body of knowledge.

ASSE Working to Implement New AMS

ASSE is implementing a new association management system (AMS) that will give the Society leading-edge computing capability. According to Dick Nugent, ASSE’s Vice President, Finance, the system will enhance the member experience and improve the Society’s efficiency. In addition to handling common member functions such as membership rosters, dues payments and address changes in real-time, the new system will allow information on publications, conferences and seminars to be updated in real-time and to flow freely from internal ASSE departments to the website. “This integration will improve efficiency and provide our members and customers with vital, up-to-date information,” Nugent explains, adding that the new system will likely go live in multiple phases after the 2006 annual conference.

More News

Safety 2006: Things to See & Do Around Seattle

Planning to attend Safety 2006 in Seattle, June 11-14? With the many things to see and do around Seattle, you may want to plan to stay a few extra days to take it all in. Here are just a few places you might want to visit during your stay. For a quick list of things to do in Seattle, check out the Safety 2006 web page, or visit Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau website for several suggested itineraries.

ASSE Leadership Symposium: March 30-31 in Baltimore

What does it take to achieve excellence in leadership? How can today’s SH&E professionals best contribute to their organizations’ core business objectives? To help answer these important questions, ASSE will host the Excellence in Safety Leadership Symposium March 30-31 in Baltimore. Topics will include business ethics, organizational politics, return on investment, program alignment and successful leadership models. Early registration discounts are available through Feb. 24.

Still Time to Enter Kids’ Poster Contest

ASSE members’ children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews between the ages of 5 and 14 still have time to enter ASSE’s fourth annual “Safety-on-the-Job” poster contest. Entries in five age groups are being accepted until Feb. 14. Each age group winner will receive a $1,000 savings bond, and the winning poster in each group will be featured on the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week poster that will be distributed during NAOSH Week, April 30-May 6. In addition, contest winners and their families will be recognized at the NAOSH 2006 national kick-off in Washington, DC. Winners will be announced in March.

CoPS Technical Resources Online

To provide a technical resource for members, ASSE’s Council on Practices and Standards recently conducted a series of interviews with business, industry and government leaders, as well as high-profile SH&E professionals. Available on the ASSE website in the “Practice Specialties” section, interviews with 16 individuals are currently available, with the site being updated periodically. Highlights of the interviews include:

• David Gelpke explains how Canberra Industries Inc. maintains consistent SH&E practices among employees and customers, and addresses the SH&E challenges the firm faces as a supplier to the nuclear industry.
• An interview with Shirley Hickman discusses the work and mission of Threads of Life, a Canadian organization that assists those affected by workplace tragedy.
• An interview with James “Skipper” Kendrick, CSP, describes how safety practices and training methods are implemented at Bell Helicopter. Kendrick also offers suggestions for improving safety performance and training in the workplace and shares his perspective on the future of safety professionals.
• John Quackenbush provides his views on ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2004 and on the impact of this standard.
• In this interview, S. Shyam Sunder explains the methodologies NIST used in its analysis of the WTC disaster and offers recommendations for improving building performance, occupant evacuation and emergency response.
• Since its beginning nearly 25 years ago, the Construction Section of ASSE’s San Francisco Chapter has flourished in scope and membership. In an interview with the section’s Chair of Special Projects, William Van Cleve reflects on the section’s history, accomplishments and plans for the future.

Member News

Bresnahan to Serve on NFPA Committee

Thomas F. Bresnahan, CSP, principal associate of Bresnahan Consulting Associates and a professional member of ASSE’s Three Rivers Chapter, has been appointed ASSE’s representative on the National Fire Protection Assn.’s (NFPA) Technical Committee on Fire Safety Symbols. The committee develops documents on fire safety symbols pertaining to public safety, building design plans and investigation diagrams.
     An ASSE Fellow and current president of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, Bresnahan is coauthor of the ASSE publication, The Sign Maze: Approaches to the Development of Signs, Labels, Markings and Instruction Manuals. Throughout his career, Bresnahan has been actively involved in standards development initiatives with the American National Standards Institute, from which he received the Finegan Standards Medal in 1994. He is also a site visit evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, a professional member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and a member of ASTM International.

Ulmer Appointed to Alaska WC Appeals Commission

ASSE professional member and past president Philip Ulmer, P.E., CWCP, was recently appointed to the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission. Ulmer will serve a four-year term.
    Ulmer is manager of safety and workers’ compensation for General Communication Inc., an Alaska telecommunications company. He also is principal consultant for Northwest Safety Management Inc. Ulmer earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Alaska’s Governor previously appointed Ulmer to serve on the Workers’ Compensation Board (1996-2004) and the Alaska Safety Advisory Council (1985-92). He also served on the board of directors of the Workers’ Compensation Committee of Alaska and as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Assn.’s Safety/Fire Protection and Health/Safety committees.
    An ASSE member for 31 years, Ulmer has served offices at the national and chapter level, including Society president (1992-93) and Board of Directors member. He received the Safety Professional of the Year Award from ASSE’s Alaska Chapter and, in 1986, received the Charles V. Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award.

ASSE Member Elected to BCSP Board of Directors

Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) has elected Emory E. Knowles III, CSP, CIH, to its board of directors. BCSP directors, who serve up to two three-year terms, volunteer their time in various BCSP activities, such as evaluation of applicant qualifications, governance and liaison with other organizations.
   Knowles has been manager, industrial hygiene and safety for Northrop Grumman Corp. since 1994. He is also an instructor of principles of occupational safety at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and an instructor of occupational safety and health at Catonsville Community College. He holds an M.S. in Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in Microbiology from West Virginia University and a B.A. in Biology from the College of Steubenville. Knowles is a professional member of ASSE’s Chesapeake Chapter. He served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee, and in 2003 was honored with the President’s Award for that work. He received the Charles V. Culbertson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award in both 2001 and 2005. In addition to his ASSE membership, Knowles is a member of AIHA, Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Assn., American Academy of Industrial Hygiene, American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Semiconductor Safety Assn., Safety Council of Maryland and National Fire Protection Assn.

CCHEST Elects ASSE Members to Board of Directors

The Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists (CCHEST) board of directors has elected the following officers for 2006: Adrian A. Hertog, CSP, OHST, as President; and Rick P. Callor, CSP, STS, as Secretary-Treasurer. CCHEST also elected new directors to its 2006 board of directors, including Gustavo J. Garcia, CSP, OHST, CHST, and Linda M. Tapp, CSP, ALCM. Eight safety and health specialists and one public member serve as volunteers to govern CCHEST, which operates certification programs for safety and health practitioners at the technologist/technician level.
   Adrian Hertog recently retired after 44 years with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, where he was the safety manager for the Kansas Division. He holds an A.A. from the University of Minnesota. He has served on the CCHEST board as a BCSP Elected Director since 2000. Hertog is a professional member of ASSE’s Heart of America Chapter, and a member of the Society’s Management and Transportation practice specialties.
   Rick Callor is ES&H manager infrastructure for Washington Group International in Boise, ID. Prior to this, Callor spent 23 years in the mining industry. He holds an A.A.S. in Occupational Safety and Health from Trinidad State Junior College. Callor is a member of the ASSE’s Snake River Chapter and Construction Practice Specialty.
   Gustavo Garcia works for Regional Reporting Inc. on behalf of AIG Construction Risk Management as a construction loss control senior consultant covering the state of Florida. Prior to this, he was a safety project officer at the New York City School Construction Authority for seven years. Garcia also served as risk consultant site safety manager for Total Safety Consulting Midatlantic, and worked on several NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection projects. Garcia earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena in the Dominican Replublic. A professional member of the ASSE’s Metropolitan Chapter, Garcia is also a member of the Consultants, Construction, Engineering and International practice specialties.

Linda Tapp has served on the BCSP board of directors since 2004. Tapp’s safety experience spans 20 years. She has been principal consultant and owner of Crown Safety LLC since 1999. She holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Drexel University and an M.S. in Environmental Health from Temple University. Tapp is a professional member of the Penn-Jersey Chapter, and a member of the Mining, Consultants, Management and Risk Management/Insurance practice specialties.

Top Recruiters: Honor Roll

The latest additions to ASSE’s Honor Roll.

Long-Service Recognition

Members recognized for 25, 40 and 50 years of service to ASSE.

In Memoriam

The Society remembers those members who passed away in recent months.
    Sidney M. Carter, Sunnyvale, CA; 35 years of service
    Stephen A. Herczeg, Elverson, PA; 23 years of service
    Walter H. Mehard, Norfolk, VA; 37 years of service
    Sidney A. Miller, Orange Park, FL; 9 years of service
    Jim Perry, Greer, SC; 10 years of service
    Roger M. Sherman, Kailua Kona, HI; 27 years of service