Congratulations to Jan K. Wachter, Sc.D., M.B.A., CSP, CIH, and Bryan Seal for being published in the September 2023 issue of the ASSP’s Professional Safety. They co-authored the peer-reviewed article titled “Control Equipment Characteristics Affecting Worker Protection Decision-Making”. Link to the article in PSJ

Congratulations to the Western PA Chapter of ASSP for a great chapter year!
The Western Pennsylvania Chapter has achieved Platinum level recognition for the 2022-2023 year. This recognition is based on the information the chapter submitted for the Chapter year July 01, 2022, through June 30, 2023. 

The Chapter Executive Committee plans the Chapter’s annual activities, tracks performance throughout the year, and shares the successes and challenges with ASSP as the Chapter provides opportunities for ASSP members to become better safety professionals.

The Western PA chapter continued to provide an outstanding value and benefited our chapter members and the safety profession as a whole. Our chapter’s achievement at this level of success is impressive and greatly appreciated by ASSP by the recognition at the Platinum Level. 

ASSP’s chapter recognition program has four award levels based on points for activities weighted toward the activities that best support your chapter’s ability to meet chapter charter requirements as they serve members. The four levels are listed below starting with the highest-level award:

• Platinum
• Gold
• Silver
• Bronze

Congratulations to the Western PA Chapter of ASSP for a great chapter year!

The Alleghenies Regional Safety Conference Committee is hosting the 19th annual conference that promises a fantastic line-up of workshops that will be of interest to any audience.  Join us at the conference on Tuesday, October 03, 2023, from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center located at 301 Napoleon St., Johnstown PA 15901. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, September 20, 2023. *CEU certificates will be provided by Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. 
Click here for more information and Registration.
The event is coordinated by JARI.

The 10th Annual ASSP WPA 2023 Professional Development Conference (PDC) was conducted on April 27, 2023, as an in-person conference. Our last in-person PDC was in 2019.

The PDC featured Jason Malatak with the Opening Keynote, Chris Robinson, OSHA Area Director, providing the Closing Keynote, and Pam Walaski, Senior Vice President of ASSP and long-time Chapter member providing the Lunchtime presentation with an update about the ASSP. Attendees had a choice of 10 sessions in 4 timeslots throughout the day. The event had a total attendance of 149 people, of which there were 58 Professionals, 81 Students, and Vendors/Sponsors. The event offered 0.6 CEUs for those that participated in the entire event.

Thank you to our generous Sponsors – Komatsu, Range Resources, Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP), Click Safety/SPAN Exam Prep, and RJR Safety Inc. The PDC had 6 Vendors exhibiting during the event – Eaton Corp., German Bionic, RiP USA Inc, West Virginia University Safety & Health Extension, Indiana University of PA (IUP) Masters Program, and RJR Safety Inc.

Thank you to the 2023 PDC Planning Committee Members – Kelley Edmier was the Chairperson, Wayne Vanderhoof, Cody Bergad, Tracey Cekada, Daniel Finn, Carl Heinlein, Justin Koss, Jocelyn Milby, Jillian Tilko, Majed Zreiqat, Melissa Heike, Cindy Medford, Anna Reinsel, and students Annalyse Hoover (SRU), Madison Piatak (IUP, and Sophia Naugle (SRU).

The April Technical Tour was conducted on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the project area at PGH International Airport Terminal Modernization Program (TMP) project. The tour was hosted by Jason Timmerman CSP, VP of Environmental and Workplace Safety at Allegheny County Airport Authority and the onsite project Safety Professionals. It started with a safety briefing and a project overview in the Safety Training facility on the outer perimeter of the jobsite then transported to the jobsite by bus to disembark, separate into small groups with a project Safety Professional as the tour guide for each group. The groups were led through and around the jobsite explaining the project in its current phase, various safety issues, and how they are addressed explaining the expectations placed on the many contractors and subcontractors to provide a safe jobsite that exceeds just regulatory requirements. The total tour event lasted about two hours.

There was a total of 34 participants which included 16 Professionals and 18 students of which there were 3 students from IUP and 15 from SRU.

THANK YOU! To Jason Timmerman and the onsite project Safety Professionals for hosting this tour and providing an enjoyable opportunity to learn specifically about the PGH International Airport Terminal Modernization Program (TMP) project and the application of worker safety principles along with the establishing of a project culture that values worker safety.