The ASSP is considering a change in the current governance model by transitioning from a House of Delegates to an at-large advisory group, empowering the Board of Directors to fully govern the Society. This change will be voted upon at the September 28. 2021 House of Delegates virtual meeting. More information is available on the ASSP Governance webpage (https://www.assp.org/about/assp-governance). A one-page summary is available on the same webpage titled “Repositioning ASSP Factsheet” and can also be accessed here. The ASSP Governance webpage has all of the information made available to members including a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. There is another Member Town Hall: Repositioning ASSP for Success meeting on Wednesday, August 4 at 12:00pm Eastern (11:00 a.m. CT). You are encouraged by this Chapters Executive Committee to try and listen and participate in the Member Town Hall!

The By-Laws of the Western PA Chapter of ASSP were approved by a membership vote that ended June 18, 2021. THANK YOU! you to the 37 members that cared enough to vote. With the Chapter having about 875 members, only 4.23% voted.

The updated By-laws will be posted to the Chapter website soon.

Congratulations to the 2020 Professional Safety Journal (PSJ) Article of the Year Award winners.

Specifically, two of the top three articles are authored by members of the Wester PA Chapter of ASSP!

Pam Walaski, CSP, Specialty Technical Consultants Inc. received 1st Place being recognized for the article “The Role of Leading and Lagging Indicators in OSH Performance Management,” published in the August 2020 issue of PSJ.

Rona A. Smeak, Ph.D., M.B.A., CSP, Safety Management Department, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania received 3rd Place for the article “Safety in the Multigenerational Workplace,” published in the May 2020 issue of PSJ.

Read the ASSP media release and for learn information here.

Carl Heinlein Honored as ASSP Fellow

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) is bestowing the honor of Fellow on three longtime members who have made significant contributions to the occupational safety and health profession. Timothy R. Fisher, Michael W. Hayslip and Carl W. Heinlein are the 2021 recipients of the Society’s highest honor.

Western PA Chapter of ASSP Member, Carl W. Heinlein, ARM, CIT, CPEA, CRIS, CSHM, CSP, OHST, STSC, FAIHA, FASSP, is senior safety consultant at American Contractors Insurance Group. He is a well-regarded advocate for the occupational safety and health profession, contributing to workplace safety in the federal government, academia and the private sector. Heinlein has taught and lectured at the university level, served on academic program advisory committees, and served as president of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and director-at-large with the Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals and ASSP. As a safety consultant, he develops training programs for major organizations, connecting professionals and influencing industry. Heinlein has been an ASSP member since 1993.

Congratulations to Carl Heinlein! and Thank You!

Slippery Rock University has been selected as the recipient of the 2020 –2021 Outstanding Student Section of the Year Award. The 2021 OSSA Evaluation Committee was extremely impressed with their application. The student section was strong in all three critical areas – Professional Development, Research, and Campus and Community Involvement. The quality and quantity of research conducted by the members was outstanding and the committee was impressed that the application was so well organized. The committee was also impressed with the student section sponsored research.

ASSP will present the SRU Student Section with a $5,000 award. The stipend can be used for scholarship, research and the advancement of the school’s student section (i.e. seed money to buy equipment to be used by students in a research project, scholarship for deserving students).

Congratulations to the SRU Student Section! Job well done! Thank you for representing the Western PA Chapter of ASSP.