Todd Loushine is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater (UWW), specializing in everything from basic OSHA compliance to advanced data analysis techniques and research methods. He currently serves as the graduate coordinator for the M.S. in ESH degree program, and the faculty advisor for ASSP's UWW Student Section.
At the ASSP society level, Dr. Loushine is the Region V Vice President, and in 2021 completed a three-year term as vice president of the Council for Professional Development. Most recently, Loushine put his more than 29 years of experience “to the test” by working part-time as a safety manager for Research Products Corporation in Madison, WI.
Loushine's career began with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a fortuitous career initiation as a compliance officer with Minnesota-OSHA. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with special emphasis on psychology and sociology. Loushine has dedicated his life to educating and assisting others on how to systematically evaluate work, and manage organizations to improve safety, productivity, and job satisfaction. His approach to safety is systems-based and data-driven, which defines safety as an attribute of work and utilizes a quality management approach. He strives to learn from workers (and students) to understand it from their perspective to be a better instructor while optimizing the design and function of the work processes and relationship.
Safety professionals have a growing number of options to network with other professionals, attend virtual and in-person professional development, and access cutting-edge periodicals and high-quality technical papers. I regularly listen to or read about criticism of ASSP – that it’s elitist and doesn’t provide value to its members. I want the cynics to know that I hear you and I will make it my mission to increase accessibility and support for those that feel under-served or under-represented. I want ASSP to be a welcoming organization that provides assistance and resources to anyone who cares for workers’ safety and health. The effort may include re-thinking or adding additional options (a la carte) for membership so that the user can decide the balance of investment and returns. This is not purely a means to increase membership, it’s a commitment to serving people and the “greater good” by actively engaging with a more diverse and less experienced population of safety practitioners. As an academic, I know the need to develop recruitment, education, and collaboration with educators (beginning in high school). These efforts need to coalesce with our highly experienced members to build curricular materials for instructors, recruitment strategies, and provide opportunities for interested parties to learn more about this amazing and noble profession. I would also like to explore member-generated case study research and ASSP-sponsored consultation projects to provide state-of-the-art research and guidelines for successful initiatives to members. This research would include collaborative projects with industry suppliers and technology innovators. I think we’re at the precipice of revolutionary changes within the safety and health fields, and ASSP needs to be a respected and driving force of this positive change.