NEWS for October, 2001
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS
Los Angeles Chapter
www.assela.org
The Communicator
October
, 2001 | President’s Message |
As I drove my twelve-year-old daughter to school, I turned and looked at her face and I could see her fear. Not that my fear was any less that fateful day of September 11, 2001. My only soothing words to her was that everything would be OK, and not to worry. Maybe, I was saying this to reinforce my own confidence because who knew what to expect as that day grew older. The world of terrorism that always seemed so far off, had finally reached our shores. Only a day earlier, our younger generation had their minds on Britney Spears and Nsync. Now the violence they had seen on TV and experienced that day, has impacted their lives forever.
As a safety professional, I asked myself, “What are the lessons learned?” And how can I improve the safe working conditions of my fellow employees. What is foremost in my mind is that many thousands of people were saved that fateful day. How? Through a good Emergency Evacuation Plan. Their Plan worked. It brought to my mind how much I needed to conduct practice drills. It is now my priority.
Just a word about September’s meeting. The Board decided to have the meeting for two reasons. First, the meeting had been announced and canceling would have been difficult in such a short time. Secondly, we all agreed that as safety professionals, we could discuss how our various companies and agencies responded to this threat. Indeed, this is what we did, and it was a great support network for all.
This is what ASSE-LA is all about - SUPPORT. And we used this time to discuss the tragic events of the week. As Jay Preston said, “If we don’t meet, then they win.”
All the Best,
Bill A. Taylor, CSP
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“ ASSE President donates $10,000 to the victims of September 11 |
On September 13, ASSE National sent out a letter from M.E. Eddie Greer:
“As President of the American Society of Safety Engineers, I have extended the Society’s deepest sympathy and compassion for the families of the thousands of people injured or killed in Tuesday’s deplorable attacks. While we are not yet aware of their fate, over 50 members of ASSE were known to work in the New York City World Trade Center and several more in the Pentagon. We hope that all of you will join us in pulling together to mourn the loss of thousands of innocent victims, and the horrible impact on the American people overall.”
“…ASSE will be making a $10,000 contribution on behalf of all of you to the American Red Cross for disaster relief.”
Way to go Eddie!
| Joint Meeting! LA-ASSE and SCISS |
On October 11th it will be a joint meeting with the good people from SCISS.
Let’s give them a warm welcome.
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Last Meeting Recap |
To kick off our 1st meeting of the season we had an exciting presentation by Mr. Louis Therrien, CSP. He enlighten us on how safety risk and injury prevention works in and around the movie production, TV and film industry. He provided us with a “behind the scenes” view on how some of those fantastic shots are made and everyone goes home at the end of the set.
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Want a New Job? |
Our October meeting could be your first step in finding the perfect job. LA ASSE Treasurer and Placement Chair, Mike Marshall, MSS, CSP, publishes a monthly list of current job openings for the benefit of Society members who attend the monthly Chapter meeting.
Safety Professional of the Year Nominations
Do you know someone who you think should be nominated for Safety Professional of the Year? Nominations should be sent to Terrie Norris at 4653 E. 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814, or email: tsnorris@earthlink.net or fax: (562) 621-6226. All nominations should be submitted by November 1, 2001
Orange County ASSE Golf Fund Raising Event
Register now for the 4th Annual ASSE Orange County Chapter Golf Event. The shotgun start is at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, November 8, 2001, at the Anaheim Hills Country Club. This course is located at 6501 East Nohl Ranch Road, Anaheim, CA. On-site sign-in and cart assignment begins at 6:30 AM, so come early!
The $80.00 per person entry fee includes18 holes of golf, electric cart rental, prizes, lunch and a safety presentation. Proceeds will benefit the various Scholarship and Community Outreach activities supported by Chapter. Registration is limited. For more information, call Patrick McDonagh at
(714) 953-2347. |
SAFETY PROFESSIONALS ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION!!! |
Do you have good ideas for research that should be conducted to enhance occupational safety programs?
As part of a NIOSH grant to promote occupational safety research, the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation (ASSEF) is sponsoring a cash awards competition to tap the experience and expertise of safety professionals, academicians, researchers, students, employers, and employees to generate innovative ideas for occupational safety research. We are seeking your insight of ideas for research. The research will help in the prevention of workplace injuries and fatalities. A total of thirteen thousand dollars ($13,OOO) will be divided among the winners.
Through evaluation of national fatality and injury data, including the insight of the ASSEF (Society) membership overall, we have identified four areas for soliciting ideas for occupational safety research. Through your ideas and suggestions we will be able to identify new and promising areas for research. These future research initiatives could be of significant assistance in the prevention of workplace injuries and fatalities and could go a long way in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of quality occupational safety programs. Contact
www.asse.org |
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS URGE ADOPTION OF TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAMS |
DES PLAINES, IL (September 10, 2001) -- Roadway crashes continue to be the number one cause of on-the-job deaths in the U.S. and account for nearly a quarter of last year’s fatalities. With the increase in round-the-clock traffic congestion, ASSE officials urge employers to develop and adopt on-the-job traffic safety programs and guidelines in an effort to combat the negative affects of traffic crashes.
In support of the annual Drive Safely Work Week taking place September 10-14, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has developed a free brochure titled ‘Important Safety Tips’ that provides information on how to safely drive in work zones; tips on sharing the road safely with commercial vehicles; and, important vehicle passenger safety information.
About 115 people die each day from traffic crashes in the U.S. Nearly 42,000 people die every year from traffic crashes, sending four million more to emergency rooms and hospitalizing 400,000, half with permanent disabilities. On-the-job traffic crashes cause 3000 deaths, 332,000 injuries and cost employers over $43 billion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and can reduce employee productivity by 40 percent.
In addition to the emotional toll, on-the-job traffic crashes annually cost employers about $3.5 billion in property damage, $7.9 million in medical care and emergency service taxes, $17.5 billion for wage premiums, $4.9 billion for workplace disruption (to hire and train either new employees or temporary employees) and $8.5 billion in disability and life insurance costs.
ASSE also urges all drivers to pay attention to the road while driving and follow the guidelines included in the ASSE brochure which include heeding all directions on work zone warning signs; to be aware of a large truck’s blind spots; and to buckle up. Nearly two-thirds of those killed in traffic crashes were unrestrained.
Founded in 1911, the non-profit ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety organization. Its more than 30,000 members manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in industry, government, education and insurance. For a copy of the free brochure call ASSE’s customer service at 847-699-2929 or e-mail
Customerservice@asse.org or check ASSE’s web site at www.asse.org