Standards & Practices

New Human Resources Branch

ASSE's Council on Practices and Standards recently approved the formation of a Human Resources (HR) Branch, which will be sponsored by the Management Practice Specialty (MPS).

As more and more SH&E professionals undertake HR responsibilities, the number of HR professionals with safety responsibilities also continues to rise. This new Branch will allow both SH&E and HR professionals to network with each other and to take advantage of training and educational opportunities.

MPS invites you to participate as the HR Branch plans its mission, goals and activities. We seek not only Branch members, but those interested in Branch leadership positions. If you would like to be a part of this exciting new Branch, please e-mail me at cgates@rm.sbcounty.gov.

Those of you who had expressed interest in the HR Branch during Safety 2008 in Las Vegas should also respond to this message. We appreciate your support, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Chris Gates, MPS Administrator
Paul Riley, Past MPS Administrator

Best-of-the-Best Newsletter Posted

We are pleased to announce that the 2007-2008 Best-of-the-Best newsletter has been posted on the Council on Practices and Standards (CoPS) website.

Each year, CoPS selects one best newsletter article from each of the 13 practice specialties and compiles them into a special online issue.

CoPS congratulates this year's winners and looks forward to another year of outstanding articles!

Electronic Delivery of All Practice Specialty Technical Publications as of January 2009

As of January 2009, all practice specialty technical publications will be available in electronic format only and accessible through a secured website. All practice specialty members will receive directions for accessing these publications shortly before the transition takes place.

Please note that ASSE will need to have your valid e-mail address on file by November 30, 2008. If you change your e-mail address, visit ASSE's Address Change page to update your information or contact Customer Service at (847) 699-2929.

The Council on Practices and Standards is pleased to be able to offer you its publications in a more efficient and environmentally sound manner. We appreciate your continued support.

Call for Volunteers -- Your Help is Needed!

Safety 2008's outstanding success has led to an increased need for volunteers for our Practice Specialties, Branches and Common Interest Groups.

Members are strongly needed to serve on our Advisory Committees and in other leadership positions. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please contact any of the Administrators and/or Chairs below:

Special Issue of The Educator Takes an Inside Look at the Safety Professionals Handbook

ASSE's Academics Practice Specialty has published a special online issue of The Educator to give members an inside look at the Society's most expansive publishing endeavor, The Safety Professionals Handbook.

This special issue features interviews with Editor-in-Chief, Joel Haight, Ph.D., P.E. and four Handbook section coordinators. Tables of Content for each Handbook volume are also included.

Click here for this special issue of The Educator.

First International Resource Guide Posted on IPS Website

ASSE's International Practice Specialty has developed an online international resource guide to help SH&E professionals worldwide stay connected in their efforts to improve occupational safety and health. This is especially important as ASSE continues to increase its global outreach and international membership.

This first edition of the guide includes:

Click here for the International Resource Guide.

CoPS Publishes First Key Issues Document

ASSE's Council on Practices and Standards (CoPS) recently asked its practice specialties, branches and common interest groups to submit key issues they plan to address throughout the next year.

CoPS wanted to know:

• Why these issues are important
• Members’ views of these issues
• Suggested actions

These key issues have been compiled into an online document.

Members who would like to work with CoPS on these issues should contact the Administrators or Chairs listed in the document.

Environmental Practice Specialty Survey Results Available Online

In November 2007, ASSE's Environmental Practice Specialty (EPS) surveyed its membership to better understand how members balance their safety, health and environmental responsibilities and how this has affected their career.

Click here to read EPS members' responses.

Diversity Poster Available on Common Interest Group Websites

ASSE's Common Interest Group websites now feature the downloadable poster "Diversity in Safety: Throughout the Decades," which members can use as a recruitment or promotional tool.

Common Interest Groups include:

ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Protection Code Update

Many ASSE members have inquired about the status of the ANSI/ASSE Z359 Fall Arrest/Protection standards.

The United States has not seen a revised or new general industry national consensus standard on fall arrest/protection since the publication of ANSI/ASSE Z359.1-1992 (R1999), but on April 23, 2007, the Z359.2 standard for managed fall protection received final ANSI approval.

ASSE is now also pleased to announce that the Z359.0, Z359.1, Z359.3 and Z359.4 standards received final ANSI approval on May 31, 2007. These standards will be available soon and will have an effective date of October 15, 2007.

Read more... (doc)

CoPS Practice Specialty Articles Available

CoPS makes articles available from some of the Practice Specialty newsletters on a regular basis. Each of these are posted on the Region One website.

The latest one is: "Selecting and Training Employees for Driving Company Vehicles: The Keys to a 'Best in Class' Fleet Safety Program", by Jack Fearing, CPEA

If the article is not posted on the Region One website at http://region1.asse.org/prac.php, please contact Steve NyBlom for a copy.

ASSE Webinars

Learn. Fast, Easy and Convenient...

Join other Safety Professionals in ASSE’s "Virtual Classroom" during our Technical Webinar Series. This series successfully combines the benefits of instructor-led training with the advantages of highly convenient and accessible on-line delivery. Our expert instructors present material live to your desktop or laptop or for even more convenience recorded sessions that can be accessed any-time, any where as long as you have internet connection. ASSE Technical Webinars deliver cutting edge topics, reduced time in training, flexible scheduling and decreased training costs.