SOCO ASSE Summer Fun
This summer, the SOCO ASSE is hosting its 4th annual Safety-Tee-Off Golf Tournament as well a half day professional development conference. Check out the website for details and registration. http://www.southerncolorado.asse.org
Fall Protection Best Practices
At the SOCO ASSE meeting, on March 20th (the group met at Champs at Briargate for a dinner meeting), the topic of fall protection best practices was discussed. Many great ideas and policies were brought to the table and members shared their methodology for communicating and training staff in fall protection requirements and applications. Some of the items that stood out were:
Honeywell has their employees, who will be working on their radio/communications towers, go through a specific physical requirement to ensure that they have the capability to perform the work. Climbing communication towers is a physically demanding job and takes a specific kind of individual to perform that word. Ensuring that the employees are capable of accomplishing their tasks prior to being released into the that there will fewer chances of accident or injury.
Colorado Springs Utilities trains their employees using some interesting hands-on demonstrations and knowledge tests. During the training the give groups of employees scenarios that the employees then need to identify what equipment they will need, how to install the equipment, and demonstrate they know how to use and implement the system they chose.
If you have any other best practices you would like to share, please comment.
Ethics in the Safety Profession
Ethics in the Safety Profession
Many of us are consumed with our daily routine, whatever that may entail, and fail to take a step back to see if we, as safety professionals, are adhering to an ethical standard. What is that standard? Who dictates the standard? How do I know if I am complying with the ethical standards of the safety profession? Check out this short presentation by Trish Ennis (CO ASSE) on ethics and safety professionals.
Ethics for the Safety Professional
Additional information:
ASSE: Code of Professional Conduct
Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP): Code of Ethics
Professional Safety Journal: Promoting Integrity
ART Presentation
On February 2nd, SOCO ASSE member, Tulio Pena gave a presentation on Active Release Techniques (ART).
What is ART? According to their website; “ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART.”
Some highlights of Tulio’s presentation included:
- Fellow SOCO ASSE member Mary Betsch helped pioneer the use of ART in the workplace
- ART is recognized through OSHA (direct from Washington D.C.) as massage/first-aid for recordkeeping purposes
- Many companies that utilize ART as part of their health and wellness program have seen a significant decrease in the frequency and severity of work comp claims
SOCO ASSE Donates Safety Cones to School
Check out the chapter updates and happenings at: http://southerncolorado.asse.org/2011/11/soco-asse-donates-traffic-cones-to-school/
ASSE Seminar Fest 2012
Looking to boost your professional knowledge and credentials? Need some CEU’s or Re-certification Points? Check out the ASSE SeminarFest 2012 in Las Vegas January 29-Feb 4. Choose from numerous topics such as; Critical Issues in Construction Safety, Analytics for Safety: A New Approach to Performance Measurement, Industrial Hygiene for the Safety Professional, and many more.
This is a great event for those safety professionals looking to expand their subject knowledge, network with other safety professionals, or work towards a professional certification.
For registration fees and schedule click here: SeminarFest registration
ASSE Leadership Conference Update
Terrie Norris, ASSE President, giving an opening conference speech. She spoke about the history of the ASSE, this year is the organizations 100th year anniversary. Terrie also applauded the passion of our members for their commitment to promote safety within our organizations. Safety is an integral part of how we conduct business and if it were not for our membership and their passion for the job, our workplaces would be a very different environment.
Also speaking is Fred Fortman, Executive Director and Corporate Secretary. He spoke about continuing your professional development and continuing to develop complimentary skills to improve your net worth.
Bill Bonham and Joe Feest presented on “The Adaptable Leader”. The presentation expressed communication styles, listening skills, and leadership styles.
ASSE Leadership Conference Update
Took a tour of the ASSE Global Headquarters. These photos are of what the building looks like. They have over 60 people working in the building. It was a nice opportunity to finally meet some of the people I have talked to via email or phone. All of the ASSE employees I met were extremely nice and knowledgeable. If you ever get the opportunity, this conference is well worth the time. Today we have a full agenda of networking, learning leadership skills and all about ASSE. This conference is free and open to all members (not just officers).
Southern Colorado Construction Career Days Update
This event was a huge success. We had 619 students attend from all over Southern Colorado. There were groups of high school students, junior college/trade schools kids, special needs kids, hearing and visually impaired kids; all seeking knowledge about the various construction trades. The Southern Colorado ASSE Chapter discussed hazard recognition and the importance of safety when working on a jobsite. The response from the kids was good and they asked a lot of great questions.
SOCO ASSE is proud to have participated in this even and looks forward to doing this every year from here on out.
Southern Colorado Construction Career Days
Just setting up the booth for this years Southern Colorado Construction Career Days. This event is expected to draw over 600 high school students from southern Colorado school districts and introduce them to the construction trade. SOCO ASSE is honored to participate in this event and teach the kids a little bit about the safety profession and safe work practices.
3 R’s of Effective Safety Training
Troy Bridges, Vice-President for the SOCO ASSE Chapter, gave a presentation to the chapter members regarding how to make safety training more effective. This presentation was conducted at the membership meeting on September 16th, 2011. The following is a brief summary of his presentation.
- Adults have different learning styles. Some people are visual learners, some are auditory, and some are kinesthetic (hands-on). Taking advantage of these various learning styles can lead to more effective training.
- The 3 R’s stand for Recognize, Relate, and Retain.
- Recognize: If you utilize photos, videos, prints, logos, etc. in your training materials, that your employees can easily recognize, they will be able to make more sense of the information being given. Make it personal and easy for them to understand. Something as simple as including your company logo on a “generic” OSHA Fact Sheet can make the material more engaging for the employees.
- Relate: If the employees can relate to the information, they will be able to comprehend more of what is being said. Put yourself in their shoes and make it so they can relate to the information being provided.
- Retain: If the employees can recognize and relate to the information then they will better retain the information. Example; if you have a staff of field service personnel, utilizing photos of people in the corporate uniform in lieu of clip art will make your message stand out more. The employees can see themselves doing the same thing so they can understand and relate to the information being given.
- Have fun with it. Keep it simple, and get the employees involved. Getting employees involved gives them a sense of ownership and accountability in the process. It gets them excited about the endeavor.
OSHA Celebrates 40
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is celebrating 40 years with some great information and videos posted on their website. Check out the interactive timeline and the special message from Assistant Secretary David Michaels.
Although we as safety professionals sometimes think of OSHA as a four letter word (if you get my drift) they were established with worker safety in mind and continue that agenda to this day. When we come down to the real issue at hand, we as a society could not self-govern ourselves enough to care about the safety and wellbeing of our workforce, therefore we needed a governmental agency to help us accomplish this goal. Without OSHA and their regulatory compliance standards, our workplace would be a very different environment. Instead of trying to ‘fight the system’ educate yourself as to what is required and how can you, as a safety and health professional, make a difference in the lives of your employees.
Terminology Misconceptions
The following article in EHS Today is a fantastic article relating to the common misuse of terms and expectations in our industry. There is a lot of confusion and lack-of-knowledge regarding what type of training is necessary for a particular topic or hazard. This article helps to dispel some of those myths and gossip. Here is just an excerpt of what the article says:
So “OSHA-approved training” that will “keep your company compliant” sounds very attractive. The problem is that OSHA and other regulatory agencies never formally approve, certify or endorse commercial products…To claim that third-party training will “keep your company compliant” also is inaccurate. Why? First, regulatory agencies put responsibility for compliance on the employer, not third-party training providers. Based on regulatory standards, an employer must choose and provide appropriate training to affected employees and document proof of successful completion.
Click on the following link to read the entire article.
What Do You Mean By That? Use and Misuse of EHS Training Terms
Asbestos Resource
We are often inundated with spam and other nonsense in our emails and inbox, however sometimes there are actually good tidbits that come as result of technology today and the information highway. The following is an email that was received and seems to be creditable and worth looking into.
asbestos.com
With more than 3,000 pages of content, our site features information on asbestos, mesothelioma, and other cancers that are caused by asbestos exposure. Unlike other sites, Asbestos.com has achieved HON code approval (Health On the Net (HON) Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation that works to preserve the accuracy and trustworthiness of Web-based medical information). Our site has employed a full staff of writers dedicated to research and writing about asbestos exposure and the diseases that result from exposure to the toxic mineral. In addition, our medical adviser and editor, Dr. Mauricio Salazar,M.D., who has worked in the field of cancer treatment for years, has personally reviewed, edited, and approved all medical information on our site.
If you are interested or if you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me back at cwoodland(@)asbestos.com or call me at 407-434-0730. Thanks again, I appreciate your time.
Kind Regards,
CJ Woodland
Mesothelioma Center
ASSE Member Benefits
This post is a reminder to all members and prospective members about the American Society of Safety Engineers and what the benefits are of being a member. Check out the chapter home page for a letter from the SOCO ASSE Chapter President; Garret Wilkie.
Do you remember why you joined the ASSE in the first place? Are you getting what you expected from your ASSE membership? Do you think being a member of ASSE is worth the annual dues paid? What are you getting for your money?
The American Society of Safety Engineers is a “a global association of safety, health and environmental professionals dedicated to the advancement of its members and the profession through education and advocacy. The association values the protection of people, property, the environment, and the profession. It maintains the highest level of professional ethics, mutual trust, and treats all with dignity and respect. The association provides the highest quality service for members and customers while making responsible use of resources.”
Some resources and benefits include:
- Networking opportunities
- Access to professional trade magazine and other publications
- Representation and Governance
- Professional development and certification
- Discounts on insurance, rental cars, and credit cards
Check out the ASSE member benefits page for more information.
ASSE Spanish Services
Did you know that the ASSE offered Spanish services and newsletters? Check out the Safety Professionals and the Latino Workforce page for more information.
Membership in Safety Professionals and the Latino Workforce (SPALW) is open to all ASSE members.
The following is an excerpt on what the SPALW is all about:
- To provide an arena for safety directors, managers, supervisors, consultants and others who have a common interest in this subject to discuss, research, develop and implement new suggestions, ideas and recommendations for issues related to the Latino workforce
- To offer important and valuable networking experience whereby individuals interested in safety efforts for the Latino workforce can support each other through existing and new strategies
- To create an avenue and welcomed environment for individuals who have just entered the safety profession or who have existing safety responsibilities
- To share and learn from one another using ASSE safety, health and environmental (SH&E) resources
- To provide an environment and opportunity for one-on-one support through the development of a mentoring program in both English and Spanish
- To lead by example in acknowledging our nation’s richness and ethnic diversity and to address issues of safety and cultural diversity, language, customs and traditions among different ethnic groups
- To minimize and control accidents and fatalities
Petzl Product Recall/Self-Inspection
Petzl has released a REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE SELF-INSPECTION for all ABSORBICA energy absorbers:
Following a via ferrata accident on Thursday the 5th of May 2011 we launched – by reason of precaution – a voluntary product safety alert to inspect our SCORPIO via ferrata lanyards (L60 and L60CK) manufactured prior to March 2005. This alert was launched on 13th May.
Our internal investigation and analysis of our manufacturing procedures specific to the production of tear webbing energy absorbers has identified a weakness which could explain the defect leading to the cause of this accident.
As a consequence and even though the probability of this defect recurring remains very low, we have decided to take the following actions:
- Temporary stoppage of all Petzl tear webbing lanyard production.
- Temporary stoppage of the sale of all stock of SCORPIO and ABSORBICA tear webbing lanyards for inspection before resuming sales.
- Issue a request for immediate self-inspection for all ABSORBICA energy absorbers, used by professional workers at height, using the special inspection procedure.
See the Petzl website for more details on this matter.
New Blog/Website Posting
Check out the new OSHA Training Services blog by fellow ASSE member Curtis Chambers. You can also check out his website OSHA Training Services.com
New SOCO ASSE Officers
July 1st represents the induction and the start of new terms for officers to the Southern Colorado ASSE Chapter. Please join us in welcoming our new officers for the 2011-2013 term.
President
Garrett Wilkie, CSP-Honeywell
Vice-President
Troy Bridges-Pinnacol Assurance
Secretary
Gary Barsness, CSP-Colorado Springs Utilities
Treasurer
Bill Tuten-Berwick Electric
Membership Chairperson (not officially an elected position, but this position had a personnel change)
Ted Hawkins-Retired
Chapter Delegate
Cathy Benecke, CSP-Colorado Springs Utilities
West Electric Group Wins IEC Summit Safety Award
Congratulations to West Electric Group for receiving the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Summit Safety Excellence Award for 2011.
According to John Crawmer; “West Electric Group truly desires safety as a component of our business strategy. Through the last three years our emphasis on safety culture has empowered employees and allowed us to reap benefits beyond normal, quantitative results.”
This is a testament to the hard work and dedication to safety that this company has achieved. congratulations to John Crawmer and West Electric Group.
For more information, visit the IEC Summit Awards page.
Membership Recruitment
ASSE Global has had a recruitment campaign going for some time now. The association has been looking for creative ways to expand our membership. The member-get-a-member campaign offers great benefits to not only the new members, but to the sponsor as well. Our own chapter president Garrett Wilkie received a $50 gift card for recruiting a fellow co-worker into the ASSE. See below for more details.
Member-Get-A-Member Drawing Winners
They told their friends and hit the jackpot. Congratulations to the winners of our monthly drawing for January and February, Richard Dorman, OHST, Manager, Safety Programs at Thermal Ceramics Inc. and Garrett Wilkie, CSP, Manager HSE at Honeywell-TSI. They each received a $50 AMEX Gift Card! The next winner could be you- refer a friend today.
Don’t forget to encourage your members to refer friends to help grow your chapter! Not only do new members receive a $25 ASSE Gift Certificate & Free Practice Specialty when they join using code 1101RAF, but there are great rewards for referring friends to ASSE! Earn great prizes to commemorate ASSE’s 100th Anniversary, a free webinar, membership or seminar and enter to win the Grand Prize trip to SAFETY 2012 in Denver. Visit the membership referal today for details.
SOCO March Safety Meeting
Time: 12:00-3:00pm
Presenter: Garrett Wilkie
Place: Honeywell Bayfield Facility1110 Bayfield Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Directions:
Driving Directions from Interstate 25
1. Take the CIRCLE DRIVE exit, EXIT 138.
2. Go west on LAKE AVE
3. Turn LEFT onto VENETUCCI BLVD
4. Turn RIGHT onto E CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN BLVD.
5. Turn LEFT onto QUAIL LAKE RD.
6. Turn LEFT onto BAYFIELD DR.
7. 1110 BAYFIELD DR is on the LEFT.
Don’t forget to check out our other social networks: FaceBook, LinkedIn, YouTube and our website www.southerncolorado.asse.org
SOCO 2011 Golf Tournament
It’s Official…2nd Annual
SOCO ASSE Golf Tournament
June 3rd, 9:00
Kings Deer Golf Course
Monument, CO
$95 per person (includes: greens fees, cart, hat, goodie bag, lunch)
Mulligans $5.00/2 or $10.00/5
Putting Strings $2.00/foot
Play is limited to the first 72 players to send in their registration, so get yours in quick.
Sponsorship positions available for:
1. Hole sponsor
2. Longest putt
3. Closest to the hole
4. Longest drive
5. Straightest drive
6. Beverages
7. Door prizes
8. Food
9. Hats
All sponsorships starting at $100. Please leave a comment or contact me for more details or registration forms.
YouTube Channel Now Open
The SOCO ASSE now has a YouTube Channel.
This channel is still under construction, and no videos are posted yet, but soon there will be content that you can view. If you have anything you would like to share or have posted, let me know and we will get the information on the page.
SOCO ASSE 