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2012 ASSE Northwest Chapter Professional Development Conference

February 14, 2012 - UM-St. Paul Continuing Education & Conference Center

Registration is now open

Don't miss this annual conference which features current issues in occupational health and safety, exhibitors with the latest product and services information, the opportunity to network with your colleagues, and acquire BCSP and AIHA continuing education credits.

Highlights include an opportunity to hear the latest developments on improving safety performance within your organization – including information on a process developed in the Navy to reduce aviation accidents by improving human performance by reducing human error –HFACS – Human Factors Analysis and Classification Systems.

Get the 2012 PDC conference flyer (pdf)

November Meeting Explores Distracted Driving

A crowd of almost 60 people attended the Northwest Chapter Meeting on November 8th and listened to a presentation from Nancy Bendickson from Aon Global Risk Consulting about the hazards of distracted driving. This is certainly a topic that is getting a lot of notoriety these days, and Nancy did a great job framing the nature of the problem. The presentation was especially helpful in that it provided a variety of research data, reference materials, and links to useful resources. Thanks, Nancy!

The meeting and presentation will soon be available for viewing on the Northwest Chapter video section of the website. The November meeting is part of the October, November, and December Chapter Meeting series that can provide CEU’s for those who attend the meetings and/or view the videos.

Special thanks to Truth Hardware of Owatonna for serving as November Meeting Sponsor. Your support of Northwest Chapter is valuable and appreciated!

November guest speaker, Nancy Bendickson talks about distracted driving..
Attendees to the November Chapter Meeting listen to the presentation.

October Meeting is Available to View!

If anyone missed the terrific presentation by Bob Browkaw from SuperValu, it is now up on the Chapter Meeting Videos page. And if you need CEU credits, you can get them without ever driving to Roseville for a meeting! Just watch the video, complete the study guide and the CEU application form. You need to watch the meeting presentations for October, November and December to get .3 credits. Send all of the documentation to Katie Schofield in January and you are all set! Remember the super-secret login for the video library - (U: asse/P: northwest). Contact Rick Johnson with any questions rjohnson@clmi-training.com.

UW Stout Students Host Northwest Chapter

On Wednesday, October 12 the Student Section at the University of Wisconsin – Stout held a regular Section meeting and Scott Huberty, President of the Northwest Chapter, was able to attend and give a special presentation. The session brought together students in both the ASSE and AIHA organizations.

The evening event took place at the Risk Control Center at UW Stout in Menomonie, WI and was coordinated by the Northwest Chapter Student Section Liaison, Garry Kroft and Student Section AIHA President, Nichole Carpenter-Speller. Approximately fifteen students attended.

During the program Scott talked about the ASSE organization and how it is a good source for professional development, networking, and camaraderie. He also shared a few “real world” stories from his background as a workers compensation loss control consultant, and how safety professionals play a big part in promoting workplace safety.

At the close of the meeting a check from the Northwest Chapter was presented to Dr. Elbert Sorrell representing the Northwest Chapter’s part in supporting the Section’s participation in the ASSE Future Safety Leaders Conference in November in Rosemount, IL.

UW Stout Student Section members listen to Scott Huberty's presentation.
Members of the UW Stout Student Section gather with Professor Elbert Sorrell and Northwest Chapter President, Scott Huberty

ASSE Northwest Chapter Offers CEU Opportunity

Once again, the ASSE Northwest Chapter is pleased to offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for attending the Fall Education Series. By attending ALL the presentations at the October, November and December Chapter Meetings, ASSE will grant each participant 0.3 CEU credits. For those of you who are maintaining professional certifications (CSP, CIH, etc.) this is an easy way to get up to date on a great selection of topics, network with your peers and get credit for doing it!

October 11: Building a Safety Culture During Acquisitions
November 8: Controlling Distracted Driving for the Lone Driver
December 13: Safety Training and the Remote Worker

We will be video recording each of the presentations and posting it to the ASSE Northwest Chapter Website. If you are not able to attend the meeting in person, you can still get the benefits of the information and the credits. The video will have a study guide that needs to be completed to receive credit for that session. You can mix and match live and video presentations to best meet your schedule. Any questions can be directed to Katie Schofield kschofield@tbgmn.com.

Northwest Chapter Launches Meeting Season

Almost 60 people attended the latest Northwest Chapter lunch meeting on Tuesday, September 13 at Grumpy’s in Roseville, MN. This meeting launches the Chapter into the 2011 – 2012 meeting season. Prior to the start of the meeting there was a regular meeting of the Chapter’s Board, Officers, and Committee Chairs.

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Northwest Chapter Supports Minnesota Safe Kids Coalition

The Northwest Chapter of the ASSE is proud to support the work of the Minnesota Safe Kids Coalition http://www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org/safekids. With our annual financial commitment, we contribute to this organization?s efforts to promote the prevention of unintentional injuries to children - the leading cause of death from ages 14 and under.

The coalition activities include: child car seat clinics; educational events in the community; distribution of high-quality, low cost bike helmets; life jacket loaner programs; water safety and pool drain entrapment awareness; online childhood injury prevention resources; pedestrian safety outreach; distribution of smoke and CO detectors; vehicle safety for tweens; poison prevention; seasonal safety campaigns; home safety and childproofing; concussion prevention in youth sports; and support for improved child safety legislation.

For more information or to participate, contact Erin Petersen, the Safe Kids Minnesota State Coordinator at the Minnesota Safety Council: (651) 228-7314 or petersen@mnsafetycouncil.org.

Summer Boat Cruise Sets Attendance Record!

Once again the Northwest Chapter of ASSE joined up with the local groups from the AIHA and AHMP for the annual summer cruise. This year the theme for the event was “It’s 5:00 O’clock Somewhere” and the boat was a sellout with over 100 people registered! This excursion was held Wednesday August 10th and cruised on Lake Minnetonka for three hours. We sailed out of the Port of Excelsior on board the Paradise Destiny II, chartered through Paradise Destiny Cruises.

We want to thank the twenty organizations that supported the event as sponsors. New to the sponsor manifest this year was Aurora Pictures, Capital Safety / DBI Sala, Hilmerson Services, KHA Online MSDS, Minnesota Occupational Health, Scantron / Safety Capture™ on Demand, and Tailored Injury Prevention Solutions (TIPS). If you missed it this year, be sure to participate in next year’s cruise! If you would like to see more photos from this year’s event, click here!

Northwest Chapter Announces Fall Professional Certification Study Group for ASP, CSP, CHST, OH ST

ASSE Northwest Chapter is pleased to announce our fall BCSP Certification Examination Prep class schedule! This is a great opportunity to engage with local speakers, gain information and cover study questions related to topics covered on the ASP, CSP, CHST, and OHST exams. Check out the schedule on the Professional Development and Study Group page . For more information and to be put on a mailing list for this group, contact Katie Schofield at The Builders Group, kschofield@tbgmn.com, 612-205-5621.

Northwest Chapter Receives Chapter Of The Year Award

DES PLAINES, IL (May 4th, 2011) - The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is proud to announce that the Northwest Chapter has been awarded the Large Chapter of the Year Award. The Northwest Chapter was honored at the annual ASSE Professional Development Conference (PDC) in Chicago, IL, June 12 - June 15, 2011.

Chapter Of the Year Award Press Release (pdf)

Click here to view more photos of Nothwest Chapter at Safety 2011.

Scott Huberty, Northwest Chapter President, 2009 - 2010, accepts the Large Chapter of the Year award from Darryl Hill at Safety 2011

ASSE's 100th Anniversary

The American Society of Safety Engineers will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2011. Founded in 1911 as the United Association of Casualty Inspectors, the Society was formed in the wake of tragic events such as the March 1911, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City where 146 young girls and women lost their lives in a workplace tragedy that drew the attention to the need for workplace safeguards and regulations. As its 100th anniversary nears the 30,000 plus members of ASSE, the world's oldest and largest professional safety organization, look forward to commemorating 100 years of dedicated service to workplace safety and health.

To commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Society, we look forward to:

Celebrating the accomplishments and professionalism of its members
Building on its leadership in protecting people property and the environment and
Launching its vision for the future of the safety profession

Looking for a Record of Your CEU Activities?

For those of you who need to submit your Continuance of Certification for CSP or other similar certification, here is an easy way to find out what CEU classes/seminars that you have attended in the past. Contact the ASSE Customer Service Center by email at customerservice@asse.org with your full name and ASSE member number. Within 48 hours, ASSE will email you back with a pdf copy of your transcript, showing all your ASSE-sponsored CEUs.