Safety 2008 - ASSE - American Society of Safety Engineers

“Throughout the conference,I saw people connecting—inthe generaland plenary sessions, inthe expo hall, during concurrentsessions and atlunch. Our attendees areclearly engaged, committedpeople.” And the organization’sglobal outreachis only helping to expandthat network, he says. “Wehad attendees from morethan 36 countries.This diversity of professional andpersonal experience adds to our collectivebody of knowledge.”Most attendees also appreciate catchingup with their peers and old friends.“It’s an opportunity to reconnect on anannual basis with my global network ofSH&E colleagues,” says Kathy Seabrook,CSP, CMIOSH, president, Global SolutionsInc. “It’s also an opportunity to contributeto the safety profession throughinvolvement in ASSE committees andactivities.”Networking also appeals to KimberlieJohnson, CSP, CFPS, owner of SeriousAbout Safety. “Our conference is aboutnew ideas for helping to prevent futureillness, injury or death. It is about beingpart of the oldest profession—that of takingcare of each other.” AddsGarlapati, “The greatest thing isthe excellent professional contacts.This has opened commu-[Clockwise from top]: 2007-08ASSE President Mike Thompsoncongratulates 2008-09 PresidentWarren Brown.The latest products were on displayin the exposition.Darryl Hill, 2007-08 Vice Presidentof Finance, shares advice withstudent member Melissa Seayduring a roundtable discussion.nication channels to share the latest informationand updates, which is really helping to improvesafety in my workplace.”Educational OpportunitiesThis year, attendees had more than 200 sessionsto choose from, as well as an array of special eventssuch as technical tours, common interest groupmeetings and roundtables. “The technical sessionscover so many different topics and viewpoints,”explains Haight. “If you can’t find something toexplore or learn more about or that interests you,you probably haven’t looked hard enough.”OSHA/NIOSH at Safety 2008OSHA Adminstrator Edwin Foulke Jr. and NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., were onhand for several events during Safety 2008, including a plenary session panel discussion.During the session, the two exchanged views on their respective agencies’ accomplishmentsand challenges. Foulke noted that “making OSHA relevant” has been a welcome outcomeduring his tenure, while Howard pointed to his agency’s r2p (Research to Practice) initiativeas an important achievement. They agreed that each agency must continue to build thebusiness case for safety—whether it’s helping small businesses become “more comfortable”with OSHA, Foulke said, or showing companies that safety activities can help increase businessmargins, Howard explained.Asked what SH&E professionals can do to interact more with the federal government,Foulke said practitioners need a better understanding of the “complex rulemaking process”and called on attendees to be more involved. “The strength of the process is public involvement,”he said. That carries over to NIOSH as well, Howard said. “SH&E professionals canhelp NIOSH conduct and disseminate its research. Your participation validates the researchwe are doing.” He also believes that SH&E professionals can expand their roles by lookingbeyond compliance and building their skills with respect to work/life balance and relatedhuman resource issues.Looking to the future, Howard said there is a need to examine the way U.S. industrycounts injuries and illnesses, particularly since these statistics are often used to chart thecourse in SH&E. “Very often, they are used to assess performance despite the questionsabout their accuracy,” he concluded, adding that those questions need to be resolved.The two also met with the Society’s Safety Professionals and the Latino Workforce commoninterest group. They discussed safety and the Spanish-speaking workforce as well asthe two agency’s ideas, concerns and initiatives in this area. “They spoke about how thesafety profession is truly ‘good work’ and how safety professionals can be happy that thework they are doing is saving lives and bringing people home to their families,” says JayBrakensiek, M.S., M.A., CSP, Brakensiek & Associates. “This was such a good thing to hear.”Safety 2008 offeredmany networkingopportunities andguidance from businessexperts suchas general sessionspeaker RobertCialdini (above).OSHA’s Edwin Foulke (left) and NIOSH’s JohnHoward (right) answer questions from moderatorRick Pollock, ASSE’s Vice President, Councilon Professional Development, during the plenarysession at Safety 2008.Alliances RenewedFollowing the panel discussion, ASSErenewed its alliances with the agencies.The OSHA/ASSE alliance will focus onergonomic hazards, musculoskeletal disordersand motor vehicle safety. Thetwo groups will also address issuesaffecting non-English-speaking andyoung employees, and will continue topromote North American OccupationalSafety and Health Week each year. “Thealliance has resulted in a more openOSHA that has honed its ability to reachout to our members and their employers,”says 2007-08 ASSE PresidentMichael Thompson.With NIOSH, ASSE will work toadvance worker protection, promotebest practices, and encourage employersto implement safety and health management programs and effective preventionstrategies. Outreach, communication and professional development opportunities will continueto be key goals of the partnership. “This agreement signals a significantly increasedunderstanding of the valued relationship between the work our members do every dayand the research and educational opportunities that NIOSH offers,” Thompson says.www.asse.org AUGUST 2008 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY 39