Safety & Health Effects of Shift Work - ASSE Members

OPPORTUNITIES
BY GEORGE PEARSON, CSP, ARM
The Next 100Years
Volunteer members
and temporary
workers are assisting
with the BOK
project this summer.
With the
growth in membership,
it is possible
to accelerate the
project schedule
and quantity of
available content.
As we now begin our second century,
ASSE still faces future challenges in
improving the safety community.
However, coming out of our 100thanniversary
Professional Development Conference, I see
many positive signs that indicate we have a very bright
future. As the world’s oldest professional society dedicated
to protecting people, property and the environment,
there are many heartening indicators, many of which
come from our council. In fact, I am optimistic, as we
are poised for the next hundred years, that our ability to
support our growing membership is strong.
We are fortunate our Society is vital and growth continues
as we come out of the economic
recession. Even more encouraging is
that membership retention has increased
5 basis points from 87% last
year to 92% this year. This proves
safety professionals realize the value
in ASSE membership, and we are
primed for greater progress. As economic
times improve, our nation’s
industry base expands and the global
economy gains momentum. Being in
a Society leadership role, I look forward
to the introduction of additional
opportunities in the areas of global
growth, value of the profession and
fruition of our Body of Knowledge
(BOK) project.
Membership in the practice specialties
and branches has grown in
parallel to the Society, and we have
every reason to believe that we will
continue to grow through additional
membership and participation opportunities. As of May
2011, we had 21,111 practice specialty members and
2,180 branch members. The Health and Wellness Branch
was approved at the Council on Practices and Standards
(COPS) meeting held at Safety 2011 and should contribute
to our growth. The Branch will create awareness
and will educate its members to help shape attitudes and
beliefs, thinking and behavior through a proactive, holistic
approach to employee well-being, not just freedom
from disease. This refers to an active process that aims to
build and enhance an organization’s employee population,
promoting habits and behaviors that optimize
health, social and emotional well-being. Two things will
contribute to the branch’s success: we are thinking outside
the box by going beyond traditional ASSE boundaries,
and we can draw new members not just from
practice specialties and branches, but also from the
Society at large.
There is also a
value proposition
here in that
employers with
effective health
and wellness
programs have
lower healthcare
and workers’
compensation
costs.
Growth in the
common interest
groups (CIGs)
has been exceptional
and
beyond expectations. With 5,085 members belonging to
one or more of our four common interest groups, our
CIGs are among the most active groups
in the Society. Safety Professionals and the Latino
Workforce continues its outreach into Latin America
with activity in Mexico and Ecuador, and plans to
expand that into Panama, Columbia, Brazil and
Argentina. Women in Safety Engineering is completing
its publication honoring 100 women in safety. Young
Professionals in SH&E has enjoyed additional memberships
as graduating student members become regular
members. Blacks in Safety Engineering has continued
to grow and was able to award a scholarship at this
year’s conference.
The BOK project is on schedule. Keywords have been
finalized. More than 1,000 keywords have been submitted
for inclusion and more are to come. Volunteer members
and temporary workers are assisting with the BOK
project this summer. With the growth in membership, it
is possible to accelerate the project schedule and quantity
of available content.
Looking forward to the next 100 years, I am positive
about COPS’s and the Society’s future. Dr. Darryl Hill,
our departing Society president, reported in a farewell
message to the board, “Keep your goals very high, have
a balance and enjoy your family. The future is bright.”
George W. Pearson, CSP, ARM
Vice President, ASSE Council
on Practices & Standards
4
Safely Made www.asse.org 2011