News and Articles

ASSE is bestowing the honor of Fellow on two longtime members who have made significant contributions to the occupational safety and health profession. Fay Feeney and C. Gary Lopez are the 2017 recipients of the Society’s highest honor. "Fay and Gary are highly deserving of this special designation," said President Tom Cecich.

A new behavior-based safety guidebook published by ASSE is now available on the Society’s website. "Actively Caring for People's Safety: How to Cultivate a Brother's/Sister's Keeper Work Culture" features lessons on the fundamental principles for cultivating an actively caring culture in any organization.

ASSE has crafted an “OSHA Reform Blueprint” that details its priorities and vision for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a time of political change. The eight-page proposal calls for reforms to emphasize the management of risk, sharpen the agency’s focus on productive policies, and fill legislative and regulatory gaps.

ASSE is busy preparing for its biggest event of the year, and it may turn out to be the Society’s most-attended event in its 106-year history. Registration is on a record-setting pace for the Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Denver. Attendance has topped 4,200 and will continue to rise.

Georgi Popov and Sathy Rajendran, highly regarded educators within the OSH profession, have each been selected to receive ASSE's 2017 William E. Tarrants Outstanding Safety Educator Award. The two educators will be honored during ASSE’s Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Denver.

Legislation directed at OSHA seldom makes it through Congress, so when an OSHA bill is signed into law, it gets attention and generates questions. And so it has been with H.J. Res. 83, the “resolution of disapproval” of OSHA’s Volks rule that passed both houses of Congress last month and was signed by President Trump.

Jeremy Bethancourt, government affairs chair of ASSE's Arizona Chapter, has been selected as ASSE's 2017 Edgar Monsanto Queeny Safety Professional of the Year. He plays a lead role in getting billboards posted throughout Arizona to bring attention to the dangers of distracted driving and the hazards of heat stress.

There is one overlooked question that people across North America should ask themselves: “Is my loved one safe at work today?” This spring, ASSE is building on that critical question and encouraging people to get involved in one or more of several workplace safety campaigns that can make a difference in reducing risks.

ASSE is considering a new name and logo after more than 100 years of being at the forefront of the occupational safety and health field. If approved by members, the new name would be the American Society of Safety Professionals. "Our name should reflect the diverse makeup of our membership," said ASSE President Tom Cecich.

As a global organization, ASSE works with its members from more than 80 countries to elevate the safety profession and help protect workers through education, advocacy and standards development. Its latest success was the 2017 Nigeria Safety Summit held March 21-25 that included sessions led by ASSE President Tom Cecich.

ASSE encourages workers across the country to pause on Saturday, March 25, and join the society in paying tribute to the workers who lost their lives in the historic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire 106 years ago that day. The safety of the American worker has increased progressively since that tragedy.​

Keith Vidal, M.S., P.E., CXLT, is chair of the A1264 Accredited Standards Committee. He shares insight on the A1264.1-2017 standard, which addresses walking and working surfaces.

Safe Work Australia, a national policy body in Australia, has published a report that explores the processes for gathering and communication workplace safety and health performance information to guide organizational decision making. This work ties in well with the work being conducted by Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS), which advocates for integrating occupational safety metrics and performance into an organization’s business model and thinking.

Wayne Jones, Ed.D., gives new meaning to the title "top recruiter." A professional member of ASSE's Southwest Chapter, Jones recently became the first-ever ASSE member to recruit more than 1,000 colleagues to join the Society.

This statement is attributable to ASSE President Tom Cecich, CSP, CIH: “The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) applauds the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for recognizing, in its white paper, “Sustainability in the Workplace: A New Approach for Advancing Worker Safety and Health,” the great opportunity the corporate sustainability movement provides to encourage better commitment to worker safety and health."

During International Labor Organization's 16th Asia Pacific regional meeting held this week in Bali, Indonesia, Vincent Ho, vice president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), spoke about the key role OSH professionals play in building sustainable organizations and highlighted the work being done by the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS).

The ANSI/ASSP Z117.1-2016 Confined Space Standard contains significant changes in three critical areas: identification and evaluation of a confined space, non-permit confined spaces and training.​

NIOSH has a web page for young retail workers that includes safety tips for recognizing hazards and understanding the injuries they can cause.

ASSP member Leo DeBobes shared his reflections on the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York City, which took the lives of several of his colleagues.