Top Stories

2006-07 Recruitment Challenge Winners Announced

ASSE has announced the winners of the 2006-07 Member-Get-A-Member recruitment campaign. The grand prize winner, chosen from a random drawing of all participants, won a trip for two to Hawaii, valued at $5,000. The top three recruiters won cash prizes.

Grand Prize

John E. Braun, CHST; Haztek Inc.
Penn Jersey Chapter

Top Recruiters

First Place: 28 members
Darryl Hill, CSP; ABB Inc.
Greater Detroit Chapter

Second place (tie): 22 members
Ashok Garlapati; Kuwait Oil Co.
Kuwait Chapter

David L. Bellmont, CSP, ARM, CPCU; SFC Arizona
Arizona Chapter

Third place: 14 members
Syednajeeb A. Jaffery, CSP; Descon Engineering Ltd.
International

The 2007-08 campaign, "Join the Fiesta and Earn a Siesta," has begun. Sponsor a new member and you could win a trip for two to Mexico!

ASSE Continues to Build on International Outreach

[From left]: Sami Fahad Al-Rushaid, Chair, Kuwait Naitonal Petroleum Co., major sponsor of the PDC; Mohammed Al-Sarawi, past director general, Kuwait EPA; Warren K. Brown; Abbas Al-Naqui, Under Secretary, Ministry of Oil, State of Kuwait; Shabib Al-Ajmi, Vice Chair, PDC Organizing Committee; Fadhel Al-Ali, Chair, PDC Organizing Committee.

Continuing to strengthen ASSE international outreach, Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM, ASSE’s 2006-07 Senior Vice President, recently attended the 4th International Health, Safety, Environment and Loss Prevention PDC and Exhibition in Kuwait as an international representative of ASSE and as a speaker for the PDC. His presentation, “Identifying Confined Spaces: The First Step,” was one of many opportunities for attendees to learn from internationally renowned industry experts. The PDC served to promote safety, health and environmental protection in the region, and to help attendees keep up with the latest trends and issues, learn about current best practices, and network with regional and international SH&E professionals.

Currently, ASSE has members in 64 countries, and has formed a Global Task Force, which acts as a temporary governance body to make recommendations on membership and related issues in order to provide better services to international members.

ASSE Seeks Candidates for 2008 National Offices

ASSE has begun the nominations and elections process for the 2008 Society elections. The Nominations & Elections Committee’s will nominate two candidates for each of these positions: senior vice president (1-year term); vice president, finance (2-year term) and vice president, practices and standards (2-year term). Details on the offices, election forms and related information are available online. Members interested in being a candidate or nominating a candidate should contact ASSE’s Terry Wilkinson. Complete candidate packets must be postmarked by Aug. 15, 2007.

ASSE Calls for OSH Coverage for All Public Sector Workers

On May 24, ASSE member Jon Turnipseed, CSP, safety supervisor for the city of San Bernardino, CA, municipal water department, testified before the House Education and Labor Committee’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee on the urgent need to provide public sector workers throughout the U.S. with the same occupational safety and health protections as those afforded private sector workers under the OSH Act. During the hearing on “Workplace Safety: Why Do Millions of Workers Remain Without OSHA Coverage,” Turnipseed noted that an estimated 8.1 million public sector workers are not protected from occupational safety and health risks. "We believe public sector workers deserve the same workplace safety protections private workers have,” Turnipseed said. "The surest way to achieve coverage of all uncovered workers is an amendment to the OSH Act. We fully support the provisions members of Congress are offering that would close the gap."

More News

ASSE Foundation Support Continues to Grow

Support for the ASSE Foundation (ASSEF) has continued to grow thanks to several recent individual and corporate contributions.

• Rixio Medina, CSP, and his wife, Alejandra, donated $20,000 to the ASSEF to support the Medina Scholarship for Hispanics in Safety. Medina is a professional member of the Gulf Coast Chapter and is vice president of health, safety, security, environmental protection and shared services at CITGO Petroleum Corp. In addition to the Medinas’ donation, CITGO has also donated $7,500 to the foundation. The Medinas have made many contributions to support the scholarship and the Medina Professional Development Grant.   
• Liberty Mutual Group donated $15,000 to the ASSEF to support the Liberty Mutual Scholarship program that helps students pursuing undergraduate degrees in occupational safety and health. In addition to the scholarship program, Liberty Mutual Group also collaborates with ASSEF on the Liberty Mutual Safety Research Fellowship Program and the ASSE Future Safety Leaders Conference.
• The CNA Foundation recently donated $10,000 to support a new scholarship program for students pursuing degrees in occupational safety, health and the environment.

ASSE Offers Free Course on Design for Construction Safety

ASSE is now offering a free 2 to 4 hour Design for Construction Safety (DfCS) training course that is accessible online. Designing for construction safety includes:

• valuing the safety of construction workers when performing design tasks;
• making design decisions based on how the project’s risk to construction workers may be affected;
• implementing worker safety thoughts in the constructability review process;
• considering the worker’s safety in the design of the project.

The course is one of many projects the Design for Safety Workgroup, part of ASSE’s alliance with OSHA, has been pursuing since February 2007. The workgroup aims to design out or minimize hazards and risks of occupational illnesses, injuries and fatalities early in the design process.

Safety 2007 Keynote Speakers to Sign Books

Jennifer James and Joseph Badaracco, keynote speakers at ASSE’s Safety 2007 professional development conference and exposition, will have book signings immediately following their presentations. James, who will speak at the Monday, June 25 general session about the cultural aspects of leadership, will be signing Thinking in the Future Tense. Badaracco, who will discuss how to lead quietly, will speak on Tuesday, June 26. He will be signing his latest book, Questions of Character. Both books will be available for purchase on site.

Chapter & Practice Specialty News

Southern Arizona Chapter Recognizes Motorcycle Rider Program for 30-Year Commitment to Safety

For its 30-year commitment to motorcycle safety, the Pima Community College Motorcycle Rider Program has received the annual Community Safety Leadership Award from ASSE’s Southern Arizona Chapter. Thousands of new and experienced riders have received formal training from instructors at the Tucson, AZ, facility. Course curriculum is based on research from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. “The number of motorcyclists in Arizona has nearly doubled over the past 6 years, so it’s critical for riders to get trained, gear up and ride straight,” says Sheila Robinson, motorcycle program coordinator for Pima Community College. To be eligible to receive the Community Safety Leadership Award, nominees must be professional leaders or businesses that demonstrate leadership in advancing safety and health in the workplace or community.

2007 Arkansas ASSE Safety Conference Planning Committee (from left): David Bridges, Angela Yates, Paul Melton, Billie King, Paul Hart, Forrest Adams, Michael Coleman, Dan Snyder, Lawna Bradley.

Arkansas Chapter Hosts Governor's Safety and Health Conference

The Arkansas Chapter recently wrapped up the Arkansas Governor’s Safety and Health Management Conference, which was held in Rogers, AR. The conference, “Reaching for the Pinnacle of Safety,” featured sessions covering safety, emergency response, management/training and health topics. Among the keynote speakers were Carl Potter, CSP, a motivational safety speaker; 2006-07 ASSE President-Elect Michael W. Thompson, CSP; and Joe Strateman, CEO of Nucor-Yamato Steel.  

Fort Worth Chapter Awards Scholarships

From left: Wayne Jones, SOSU Occupational Safety Department Chair and Southwest Chapter professional member; scholarship winners and SOSU students Kyler Heck and Carlos Owens; and Skipper Kendrick, ASSE past-president and Fort Worth Chapter professional member.

The Fort Worth Chapter recently awarded scholarships to two Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) students working toward degrees in occupational safety and health. Kyler Heck, of Coalgate, OK, and Carlos Owens, of Sherman, TX, each received $500 from the chapter to help support their education.

The chapter has been working with the SOSU Student Section and the Southwest Chapter to provide educational opportunities to students and to raise awareness about the profession. “Most student sections count themselves fortunate if they have one professional chapter interested in helping them succeed. At SOSU we have two,” says Wayne Jones, SOSU Occupational Safety Department Chair and Southwest Chapter professional member. “The Southwest Chapter has endowed a scholarship through the ASSE Foundation for our students, and the Fort Worth Chapter provides scholarships directly to the university. Both chapters provide additional financial assistance, guest speakers and equipment to our department. We are indeed fortunate and sincerely appreciate them both.”

From left: Greater Boston Chapter members Eric Stager, Walter Lockhart and Jim Rowlings.

Greater Boston Chapter Participates in Mass Science Fair

ASSE’s Greater Boston Chapter participated in the 58th Annual Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair, reviewing the more than 300 projects for SH&E aptitude and excellence. Past chapter presidents Eric Stager and Jim Rowlings, along with ASSE Foundation Liaison Walter Lockhart, talked with students about how they addressed safety issues within the scope of their projects. More than 40 certificates for achievement were distributed, and five participants were awarded $100.

International Practice Specialty Partners with Honeywell on Metrics Forum

Joe Schwed, CSP, FMA, discusses the Honeywell Global Event Tracking and Reporting System at the IPS Metrics Forum. Schwed is a member of the IPS Advisory Board and serves as its web coordinator.

On April 25, 2007, more than 40 SH&E professionals from 25 multinational companies in the New York metropolitan area gathered at the Honeywell Corporate Learning Center in Morristown, NJ, to share real-world experiences in developing and managing metrics. The presentations and roundtable discussions ranged from mature metrics that are currently being used successfully to lessons learned from processes that did not meet expectations.

Topics included global incident recordkeeping, balanced scorecard, keys to establishing global consistency, and monitoring and measuring tools. Speakers included Jim Johnston, Wyeth; Joe Schwed, Honeywell; Kurt Urquhart, ITT; Dan Johnson, BorgWarner; and Tom Terracino, Mars Inc. John Kanouse of Marsh Inc. moderated the forum.

The outcomes and recommendations from the forum will be presented during the International Practice Specialty (IPS) Roundtable, which will be held June 26, 2007, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. as part of Safety 2007 in Orlando, FL. For more information about the forum—including how to purchase a disk of the presentations and about becoming more active in the IPS—contact IPS Administrator Stuart Wood or Assistant Administrator Jack Fearing.

Member News

Stager Named ASSE New England Area Director

Eric M. Stager, CSP, OHST

Eric M. Stager, CSP, OHST, a professional member of the Greater Boston Chapter, will serve as the New England Area director through June 2008. Stager replaces Jim Charlton II, CSP. In addition to being responsible for six chapters—Greater Boston, Connecticut Valley, Granite State, Maine, Nutmeg and Worcester County—Stager will be in charge of the annual New England Area PDC. Stager works at OccuHealth Inc. in Mansfield, MA, and has 13 years’ experience in the SH&E field. Currently, he is Administrator of ASSE’s Industrial Hygiene Practice Specialty and is a former president, program chair and vice president of communications and chapter development and recognition for the Greater Boston Chapter.

Beth Muehlich, ASP

Great Plains Chapter Honors SPY

ASSE’s Great Plains Chapter has named Beth Muehlich, ASP, corporate safety manager for Omaha Steaks, the chapter’s Safety Professional of the Year (SPY). Muehlich is recognized for her commitment to the chapter and for her accomplishments at Omaha Steaks. She was instrumental in developing the company’s risk management department in 2001. Since then, the firm has attained OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs Star status for one of its production facilities. In addition, Muehlich has developed a world-class ergonomics program that has been an example for other meat producers in Nebraska.

You Might Want to Know . . .

• NAOSH Week 2007 was a huge success. Be sure to visit this year’s photo gallery.
• ASSE’s Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) common interest group will host a meet-and-greet event on Sunday, June 24, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, FL. The Safety Professionals and the Latino Workforce (SPALW) common interest group will meet on Monday, June 25, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, FL.
• Mark Kaszniak, a senior member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board team that investigated the BP Texas City refinery explosion, will discuss the agency’s findings during Session #600 at Safety 2007. The session is scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• The ASSE Foundation will hold its 13th Annual Silent Auction June 24-26 in conjunction with Safety 2007. Be sure to visit the Foundation booth in the expo hall to bid on some great items.

Top Recruiters: Honor Roll

The latest additions to ASSE's Honor Roll.

	ASSE's Business Edge Thinking in the Future Tense by Jennifer James American business, economics and society are changing rapidly. In Thinking in the Future Tense, Jennifer James explains how to master new business trends, products, and services by identifying, interpreting and exploiting change. James reveals who is falling apart and why, and describes the entrepreneurs and organizations of the future. What it all comes down to, she explains, is the ability to think on the edge of the culture. She then tells managers how to seize and maintain the competitive edge in time to help their companies—and keep their jobs. This book will be available at Safety 2007 and through ASSE after the conference.