Dear ASSP Colleagues,
I hope this message finds you doing well. And while we’re on the subject of doing well, I guess this would be a good time to talk about staying well and preparing for an outward spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. As safety and health professionals, people will understandably be looking to us for guidance on how to reduce risks and deal with local communicable infections. Linked here are two very fine articles released by ASSP on how to prepare for what may come next. We are seeing respiratory protection products, particularly N-95 and 100 filtering facepiece units in critically short supply. Clearly, the direct and ripple effects of COVID-19 will continue to teach us lessons on how to better prepare for these situations in the future. For now, however, I’d suggest you get a look at both of these articles for some good guidance on creating contingency plans and training your people on how to respond to what’s happening now.
The Safety Professional’s Role in Planning for Pandemic
Our next ASSP Chapter lunch meeting is planned for Friday, March 20 at AGC in Irondale. Our presenter is Frank Wampol, Vice President and chief of safety and health at B.L. Harbert International. His topic will focus on a different kind of epidemic – that of Death by Suicide in the Construction Industry. You may not realize this, but, according to the CDC, the construction industry is currently experiencing the highest rate of suicide, as well as the highest number of suicides across all industries. Multiple data sources indicate that suicide in construction is 4 times the national average and 5 times greater than that of all other construction fatalities combined. The underlying causes are universal – they affect all of us. I believe Frank’s research, intellect, and personal experiences with this issue will make his presentation one we should definitely not miss.
See you on March 20! Be sure to RSVP through our Events page on alabama.assp.org .
Finally, not trying to sound like mom, but wash your hands! Probably a good bit more than you usually do. And best wishes for continued good health to all.
Matt