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ASCE Texas Section Spring 2010 Meeting

The Austin Branch will be hosting the Texas Section Spring 2010 Meeting on April 11-13. This meeting will be unique in both its revised format and location. This will be a Texas Section meeting that will be talked about for years to come. There is no better opportunity to get involved in creating the future Texas Section meeting formats.

Conference Information and Online Registration is available at http://www.texasce.org.

ASSE Region III SH&E Student's Professional Development and Leadership Conference

April 9-10, 2010 - Texas A&M University - College Station, TX

Calling all Students! Are you ready to meet new people, have fun, and learn something that could help you with your career? How would you like to do all that for free*? Join us in College Station, Texas at Texas A&M on April 9 & 10, 2009 for the ASSE Region III SH&E Student’s Professional Development & Leadership Conference.

Here’s why you should join us:

The SH&E Student’s Professional Development & Leadership Conference will start Friday, April 9th at 1:00 pm. There will be a networking dinner/social on Friday night and we’ll continue on Saturday April 10th, from 8 am to 5 pm. Registration is initially limited to 100 students for this Conference. Additional information on directions to the campus, housing and a complete scheduled will be sent to each student after the completed registration form is received. Business casual attire will be expected for all attendees.

*The Region is working on obtaining sponsorships toward your registration, food and lodging for this Conference, but each student or student section will be responsible for their own transportation to the Conference. Registration for the Student Leadership Conference is due by Friday, April 10, 2009. Cancellations will be accepted in writing until April 10, 2009. If a cancellation is made after that date, you will be charged $75 to cover costs.

We look forward to seeing you in April!

ASSE's Search is On for 100 Women Who Have Made a Difference in Safety

DES PLAINES, IL (February 18, 2010) – The American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) common interest group will honor 100 women who have, or are currently, making a difference through their work and dedication to protecting people, property and the environment, as part of ASSE’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 2011. This week WISE issued a call for nominations.

WISE honored four women in its monthly newsletter to members in October 2009 and will continue to do so until October 2011 when the group will consolidate the profiles and nominations of 100 dedicated women into a single publication, 100 Women – Making a Difference in Safety. Those nominated do not have to be ASSE members.

WISE was established by ASSE and its members to foster the advancement of women in the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) profession. The officers of WISE are Chair Kelly Bernish; Vice Chair Jennifer Zipeto; Secretary Terrie Norris, who also serves as ASSE Senior Vice President; and, Treasurer Maureen Johnson.

The ASSE group plans to honor women who have dedicated their lives to making a difference in the lives of others through their work, dedication and innovation in SH&E work.

“Some paved the way long before ASSE was founded in 1911, like Rebecca Luken who made a difference in manufacturing safety protection devices in the 1800’s,” ASSE WISE Chair Bernish said. “Other possible nominees, such as ASSE Professional Development Vice President Patricia Ennis and Terry Wigfall, are ASSE members making a difference today. Our honorees will be diverse. They won’t all be public figures, well known, or famous; they will be everyday heroes making a difference in the lives of others.”

To nominate a woman for the WISE ‘100 Women Project’ complete the nomination form on the ASSE WISE web site at http://www.asse.org/practicespecialties/wise/100womenform.php.

For those who would like to participate in this project or find out more information, please contact: Bernish at Kelly.A.Bernish@disney.com, Jennifer Zipeto at jzipeto@gmail.com, Terrie Norris at tsnorris@earthlink.net, Deb McDaniel at mcdanied@kochind.com, and/or Maureen Johnson at maureenj@us.ibm.com.

Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety society and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members lead, manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor, health care and education. For more information please go to www.asse.org.

ASSE Saddened by Loss of Committed St. Louis Safety Professional Chris Walters in Plant Explosion

DES PLAINES, IL (February 10, 2010) – The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) President C. Christopher Patton, CSP, said today that ASSE is saddened by the sudden loss of Chris Walters, an ASSE member since 1981 who worked as a safety professional for more than 20 years. He was not only dedicated to protecting people, property and the environment, but to his wife, Fran, and their three children.

A resident of Florissant, MO, Walters died Sunday in a power plant explosion in Middletown, CT, where he was working as a contract safety manager.

“Chris was a very active member of ASSE, a fellow St Louis Chapter member, and respected safety professional,” Patton said. “He was a great volunteer in the chapter, well liked by everyone, and will be sorely missed.”

Walters had master degrees in Safety Management and Occupational Safety and Health. He had served as a volunteer in the ASSE St. Louis Chapter for several years, and, to continue his commitment to the profession he transferred his ASSE membership to the local Nutmeg chapter when he took the job in Connecticut, where he continued to be very active.

“As occupational safety and health professionals we work every day to make sure that workers, our co-workers, leave work injury and illness free,” Patton continued. “That’s what Chris has been doing for more than 20 years. It goes far beyond compliance, as safety professionals must inspire commitment from their leadership and integrate safety into business’ strategic and sustainability plans.”

A recent Central Missouri State University (CMSU) alumni magazine featured Walters in a story for his work in the construction of the new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis stating, ‘Hunt Construction credits CMSU graduates Chris Walters, safety manager, and his assistant Joe Enright, for helping establish one of the best safety programs in the industry. The company’s lost-time injury rate building Busch Stadium was 82 percent below the national average. Their dedication to safety helped the $344 million-plus project stay on schedule and on budget with barely any loss due to incidents.’

For that project Walters estimated that it took about 2.5 million hours of labor to build the stadium, which was built from October 2005 until April 10, 2006.

“We are all deeply saddened by Chris’ death,” Patton said. “Because of people like Chris millions of workers in the U.S. go to work and leave work injury and illness free every day. We salute Chris for all he has done the past 20 years as a dedicated safety and health professional and will honor his memory, especially in St. Louis where he touched so many lives.”

Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE has more than 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members who lead, manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor, health care and education. For more information please go to www.asse.org.

Ray Stephens accepts a scholarship check from Dr. Wayne Jones representing the ASSE Fort Worth Chapter. The funds will be used to send Ray to the ASSE National Student Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Webinar Meeting on OSHA Recordkeeping Available Online

Also, some of you were able to attend a new project for the Fort Worth Chapter – hosting the meeting via webinar. We had several folks that normally would not have made the meeting, able to attend the webinar. The session was free of charge…as will future sessions. We were able to record the presentation hosted by Skipper Kendrick providing an OSHA update on recordkeeping that went into effect on January 1, 2010. The link to session is below. I’ve tried it and it seems to work fine.

http://eventcenter.commpartners.com/se/Meetings/Playback.aspx?meeting.id=351913

If you have any topic you would like to hear of or present in this type of format, please let me know.

Oklahoma City Chapter ASP Review Class

The Early Registration deadline is fast approaching for the Oklahoma City Associate Safety Professional (ASP) Review Class. We have already surpassed the minimum number of attendees so we will be holding the class in Oklahoma City on February 23, 24 and 25. Register now at http://okc.asse.org/index.html and save. The $450 ASSE member price goes up to $550 and the non-member rate goes from $700 to $800 on January 16, 2010. Don't delay, register today.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Messner at mmessner@usic.com.

OSHA Update Workshop Presentations

Did you miss the annual North Texas OSHA/MSHA Regulatory Update Seminar on September 15th? Catch up by reviewing these Powerpoint presentations from the event.

OSHA Outreach Training Online with GCI

At GCI, we are constantly working to provide you with choices to support your training objectives. We have created a virtual training resource that is delivered online to make your life easier.

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Some courses available include:

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In today's economy travel budget restrictions no longer have to stop your training and development objectives. GCI wants to help you continue to achieve organizational excellence with hundreds of courses delivered online for your team.

Many courses even have demos so you make sure you get the proper course to fit your needs. We can even set up additional corporate discounts for your entire company!

Use the discount code GCI10 and save 10% on your next online training course!

Certification Preparation Workshops Cancelled

The ASP and CSP Certification Preparation Workshops scheduled for May 18-23, 2009 have been cancelled due to low interest.

25 Internships Sought for SOSU

Dr. Wayne Jones, Chair and Associate Professor of Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Dept. of Occupational Safety & Health, is seeking 25 internships over the next year to help 25 junior and senior students complete their practicum. The SOSU program is one of the largest in the U.S., with over 300 students in the BS and MS safety & health programs. Durant, OK, is only an hour north of the DFW Metroplex, which is a prime position to supply companies who can use extra support in their occupational safety departments. Click here to learn more and for Dr. Jones' contact information.

Safety 2009 - June 28th through July 1st

Registrations are coming in for SAFETY 2009 -- The #1 source in professional development and continuing education – June 29-July 1. Email Dolores Suarez, Marketing Services Manager, at dsuarez@asse.org with the appropriate address for additional Highlights brochure for your next chapter meeting. For more information visit www.safety2009.org.

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