Times of Need

I’ve pretty much concluded there’s not much more one can say about how awful 2020 is that hasn’t been already been said/shouted/meme’d a billion times over.  Every idea I come up with about the new norm sounds clichéd at this point – including basic overuse of the term “new norm”, like I just did there.  Sorry about that.  This is the season for giving thanks, though, so there’s no better occasion than now to take inventory of those things we do still have going for us.  Our family and friends become ever more important to us in tough times.  And we to them.  However awful things have been, we still have those gifts for which to be thankful.  Consider, too, all the people we don’t really even know at all who could use more love and support in their times of need.  As safety advocates, our world is built around a professed mission of caring about the welfare of others.  In addition to our knowledge and skills, our values stand front and center.  It is the great gift we have to offer people at work, at home, within our sphere – and outside of it – and it’s never been more needed than now.  I hope that the fellowship of ASSP is part of your support system, as well.  Please join us for our November 20th Zoom Chapter meeting where we’ll feature a presentation on Human Performance by Stephanie Swindle (Southern Company).  We’re really looking forward to her message and we’ll have an invite coming your way soon.  Also, if you have shares for our meeting that I may add to the agenda for that day, please let me know.

Thank you for your gifts – to me and to so many others,

Matt Hollub, President

ASSP Alabama Chapter

Greetings ASSP Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you and yours doing well. I continue to look forward to the time when we may meet as an ASSP family, together as one, and in-person. Having said that, our online ASSP Chapter meetings got off to a very fine start last month. OSHA’s new Compliance Assistance Specialist, Francisco Garcia, visited with us during Safe & Sound Week to talk safety programs and give us an OSHA update. He’s a great guy and I think he’s going to be a welcome resource for Alabama companies. In these times, I think our businesses need all the help we can give them. For us, the ASSP family, we are challenged to be just that much better at what we do and how we serve the safety needs of others. We’re all stressed and strained to the max which, unfortunately, presents greater risks for serious injuries and illnesses.

This month, we will get back to holding our ASSP Chapter meetings on our normal meeting days – the third Friday of each month. On September 18th, please join us for an online (Zoom) ASSP Chapter meeting on the topic of fall protection, in observation of OSHA’s Fall Protection emphasis week. You should all be receiving an invitation to the meeting soon and I hope you’ll be able to attend.

Take care out there – of yourself and of others!

Warmest regards,

Matt Hollub
ASSP Alabama Chapter President