October 2023 President Letter

The next Alabama Chapter of ASSP will be Friday October 20, 2023 at the AGC Facility on Grantswood Road in Irondale, AL. Meeting starts at 11:30 so come and enjoy the presentation and lunch. There will be an executive committee meeting after our regular meeting. Anyone who is interested in volunteering for one of our committees is welcome to attend this meeting. We have committee chair and event chairs available for those who want to be more involved with the Alabama Chapter.

The 2024 ASSP Region IV conference will be held at the Wyndham Hotel Lake Buena Vista, Florida on May 1 and 2. The call for conference Presentations has been emailed to members. The closing date is October 5, 2023 but according to the committee it will be extended several weeks. If you would like to present on a topic at the conference submit your proposes presentation to RegionFourPdc.com.

With late summer and fall upon us remember to obey the school bus unloading rules where you live. While returning from the Region IV Operating Committee Meeting in Atlanta, I stopped for school bus on a two lane road with its red lights blinking and waited for several students groups of students to cross the road. Unfortunately, a driver behind me decided to pass me on the right (grass side of the road) and cut between two groups of students walking across the road. Luckily no students were hit but it could have been much worse as any student who would have been hit would have been severely injured or killed.

Be careful and safe out there in your daily travels.

Thomas Ten Eyck, CSP
Chapter President

The next Alabama Chapter of ASSP will be Friday September 15, 2023 at the AGC Facility on Grantswood Road in Irondale, AL. Meeting starts at 11:30 so come and enjoy the presentation and lunch. If you can’t make it in person, then zoom in to the meeting.

The Governor’s Safety and Health Conference has come and passed and was well attended by approximately 400 attendees. The vendor area was full with 80 vendors with safety products and information. There were very good presentations at the conference as well as very good opening and closing presentations. Again, this year there were a significant number of first-time attendees who got to partake in this Alabama conference for the very first time. The biggest complaint was some of the safety professionals who wanted to attend could not as the conference window to attend closed on August 1, 2023. If you plan to attend this conference next year, please get your conference attendance information in as early as possible to prevent being cut off from attending.

As the summer is closing it can still be hot out in the work environment and hydration is still important until the temperatures become cooler. You can assume that the OSHA initiative on Heat Stress will also be in effect next year as well so start planning for next year to prevent heat related illnesses in the workplace as this emphasis program will probably be on going for some time.

The JSU Student Section is now in full swing and the Alabama Chapter Executive Committee would like to congratulate its members and thank the students who stepped forward as executive officers of this section, Makenzie Johnson (Planning and Fundraising), Jordan Wise (Treasurer), Javian Harris (Vice President), Justin Sims (President), Houston Payne (Secretary), and Jayde Garretson (Social Media).

We are requesting that our members become more involved with our chapter by participating on one of our committees such as membership, and programs/presentations among others. Anyone interested in volunteering to Chair one of these committees please let an executive committee member know. We would also welcome anyone who wants to assist with the development of our April 2024 recognition banquet for all our members as well as a committee for a possible fall half day seminar.

If anyone plans to set for the ASP or CSP exams this fall or next spring let the executive committee members know. We would be interested helping you study for the exam which could include setting up a study group to help you prepare for these exams. If we have enough response, we will setup routine study sessions and discuss topics that are covered on the exams.

Be safe going to late summer/fall football games and hope to see you at the next Alabama Chapter meeting on September 15, 2023.

Thomas Ten Eyck, CSP
Chapter President

Summer is in full swing here with the hot temperatures and humidity outside. The month of August seems to be the hottest and driest month of the summer. Staying hydrated each day will help to get through this hot month. Make sure your employees understand the importance of staying hydrated both at work and on the weekend when doing work around the house.

The next Alabama Chapter of ASSP meeting will be Friday August 18, 2023 at the AGC Facility on Grantswood Road in Irondale, AL. Meeting starts at 11:30 so come and enjoy the presentation and lunch. If you can’t make it in person then zoom in to the meeting.

The Governor’s Safety and Health Conference will be here at the end of the month at the Perdido Resort in Orange Beach, AL. The attendance window has closed. The vendor area is full with over 80 vendors at the show. If you have never been to this conference, consider it for next year as it is a very good S&H conference here in the State of Alabama and well liked by the attendees who come from all over the country.

We are requesting that our members become more involved with our chapter by participating on one of our committees including Membership, Government Affairs, and Programs. Anyone interested in volunteering to Chair one of these committees please let an executive committee member know. We would also welcome anyone who wants to assist with the development of our April 2024 recognition banquet for all our members as well as a committee for a possible fall half day seminar.

If anyone plans to sit for the ASP or CSP exams this fall or next spring let the executive committee members know. We would be interested in setting up a study group to help you prepare for these exams. If we have enough response, we will setup routine study sessions and discuss topics that are covered on the exams.

Be safe this summer and hope to see you at the next Alabama Chapter meeting on August 18, 2023 as well as the Governor’s Safety & Health Conference.

Thomas Ten Eyck, CSP
Chapter President

   I would like to thank the membership for the opportunity to allow me to act as your President of the Alabama Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals for the next two years. I would like to thank our outgoing President Paul Thurber, now Past President, for his service the past 2 years and a special thank you to Ms. Allyn Holladay Wyman (Treasurer), Mr. Justin Shepherd (Vice President), and Vincent Scott (Secretary) for their continued leadership for the two years.

   The Chapter will offer a professional development conference (half or full day) hopefully this fall. One possible conference format would be to think out of the box and do a conference on company/personal identity theft issues. We would need to find one or several presenters who can offer an interesting perspective on this important issue facing employers and employees. If you know of anyone who could possibly conduct these presentations let the leadership know. The cost for this conference would be minimal and we would market vendors to help pay for breakfast/lunch for this conference. Continuing education points for your certifications would be provided.

   The Alabama Chapter would also like to recognize our long-standing and new members by holding an appreciation banquet, Plan on attending this event during our April 2024 meeting.

   Finally, I would like to bring back scholarships to the Universities that offer Safety and Health Programs in Alabama, Auburn University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Jacksonville State. We used to offer scholarships to a student in one of the programs at each university and think it would be important to start this tradition again. Hopefully we will be able to offer scholarships by the end of spring 2024.

   Have a great and safe June and hope to see you at the June 16, 2023 Alabama Chapter meeting.

Thomas Ten Eyck, CSP
President Elect

Greetings Friends!

   I hope and trust this letter finds you well. It’s been a rollercoaster lately with various illnesses in the news. I’ve been hearing of greater flu counts, more Covid, and a whole lot of sinus related issues throughout my travels of late. So, stay on-guard in an attempt to protect yourselves, your family, and your co-workers.

   I had the pleasure of seeing several of our Chapter members at the Region IV PDC in Tuscaloosa. As I understand, it was a huge success and I’ve heard quite a few bits of positive feedback already. Thanks to everyone that participated.

   For the construction members among us, we’ve been asked to help. Please click on the links below to help Lee with his dissertation.

Afternoon, Paul

I am a member of the Alabama Chapter of the ASSP.  Needing some advice and or help.  I am currently enrolled at Capital Technology University in the Ph.D. OHS.  For my dissertation, I have a simple three-question questionnaire focused on construction.  What would be the best way to get the survey to ASSP members in construction?

Thank you, Lee

For reference:

By clicking on the link below this will take you to the survey:
State-Legalized Marijuana the Effects on Construction Safety Survey

Or copy-paste the link below into your browser:
https://forms.office.com/r/5DB6GwUGg6

   It’s election time as well. By now, you should have received a ballot. Please complete it accordingly. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as your President; however, I’m also looking forward to attending as a member-at-large once my service is complete. We’ve built our attendance back up post-pandemic, so let’s continue to attend in person as our schedules permit.

   As for my safety minute/challenge this morning, please remember to guard against illness including heat. Our position in safety should include health as well. Let’s make it a point to teach about hydration and its importance in making our bodies operate correctly. Remember, our muscles, minds, and movement require water. (hydration)

  I will be traveling to my daughter’s graduation from Army basic training at Fort Jackson, SC on the 19^th, so I will unfortunately miss seeing you all then. Until our next, let’s all be safe on purpose!

– Paul

Paul Thurber
President – ASSP Alabama Chapter
paul@everguard.ai
334-247-5170