Checking off on our Goals

It is hard to believe that we are less than two months to the end of the year. How time flies! According to Luke Rowley, founder of Goal Engineering, this is a good time of the year for people to evaluate the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of the year. A safety professional told me a few days ago that he was able to achieve his major professional goal of the year, which is passing the CSP exams. 

To all our members who may have achieved their goals for the current year, be it completing an academic program, passing a board exam, learning a new skill, implementing an innovative workplace solution, or whatever, we want to congratulate you on your success! On the other hand, for those that are yet to achieve theirs, we encourage you to keep pushing. If you failed for some reason, do not be discouraged by failure. To FAIL, as they say, is First Attempt In Learning! Instead, convert the experience from such as learning opportunities to become better and stronger.

As your local Chapter, we are equally evaluating our strategic goals in ensuring we are meeting the needs of our members. It is one of our goals this year to ensure that the Chapter communications get to our members quickly and easily. The Chapter’s Website and Social Media platforms – Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn have been very helpful in making this possible. Be sure to check these out if you have not. Thanks to Bryce and Eric, our Social Media Chair and Website Coordinator respectively, for their continued support in this area.

Another goal that we are in the process of achieving this year, is the Chapter Member Survey. Thanks to all those that participated in the survey. Your inputs will be incorporated into the Chapter’s operations for the subsequent year. More updates to come on this in future communications.

On the other side of things, we have some upcoming events this month and next. Please take a moment to join us for this month’s Technical Meeting coming up on Thursday, November 10 at noon.  Our speaker is Dr. Diana Schwerha, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Liberty University. Dr. Schwerha will be speaking on “Integrating Safety with Process Improvement Strategies and Techniques.” See the Chapter’s website and social media platforms for more information including how to register.

We are also excited to inform you that there will be an End-of-Year social next month (December 2022). Venue, date, and time will be communicated to you soon! We hope you will consider joining us.

Finally, as we look forward to Thanksgiving this month, I want to use this opportunity to thank you all for all you do within your respective capacities in making sure that our employees return home safely to their families each day. You are all appreciated!

Ogaga Tebehaevu, MS, CIH, CSP

Promoting Mental Health

Welcome to October! October is National Depression and Mental Awareness month. I would, therefore, like to remind us briefly of the need to be a part of this awareness, as well as integrate mental health into the fabric of our programs.

As safety professionals, our influence in the workplace goes beyond the bounds of the technical programs we manage or whatever best practice we implement, but much more in the positive relationship we build with the people we work with in ensuring they feel happy and are mentally stable each workday.

As organizations continue to face labor shortages and adapt to the changing world of work, it is important that we continue to play a critical role in helping workers feel seen, heard and understood. We should make deliberate effort, if not already doing so, to introduce programs to help reduce employee stress, which can improve their health, morale and productivity.  

When we deeply understand how people feel by asking the right questions and listening to their concerns, we are able to build trust, which in turn promotes an inclusive safety culture within our organizations. Naturally, people are more connected to an organization’s goals and vision when they feel valued and are offered some level of flexibility that promotes job satisfaction, better health, increased work-life balance and less stress. Our roles are critical in bridging this gap in whatever environment we belong. I really can’t appreciate you all enough for all you do in advocating not only for workers’ physical health and safety, but also their mental health.

On the other side of October are the upcoming events that we have lined up for you – our most esteemed members! First, is this month’s Technical Meeting. This meeting, which is being held jointly with the Western Carolina Chapter, will feature Trish Ennis, who served as Society’s 100^th President (in 2015). Trish will discuss the Role of Safety in Reputation Risk Management. You definitely don’t want to miss this one – see the NC ASSP events page for more information or follow the link: https://nc.assp.org/events/october-technical-meeting-the-role-of-safety-in-reputation-risk-management/?. But in case you can’t make this, be sure to check out our YouTube page where we have most of our presentations archived.

Advisory Group – One of the highpoints of this month’s technical meeting is to formally take a vote to amend the Chapter’s bylaws to reflect the new Advisory Group. At last month’s meeting, the Executive Committee proposed an amendment to the bylaws to replace the House of Delegates with the new Advisory Group per Society’s new governance change initiative.

Last but not the least is the Virtual Leadership Conference which will be held next week Thursday and Friday (October 20-21, 2022). The conference is free and open to all chapters, common interest groups, practice specialty leaders and other ASSP leaders. 

As always, we would love to hear from you on ways we can make your experience better as a member of the NC Chapter. We are open to working together and finding new ways to collaborate with you, all in the interest of creating a safer future for our workers, and building a stronger future for our organization.

Ogaga Tebehaevu, MS, CIH, CSP

Working together for a safer, and stronger future.

As my term as president of the North Carolina ASSP Chapter progresses, I am excited at the opportunity to work with our members and other stakeholders within and outside our local geographical area. I, and the other members of the Executive Committee, are honored to represent you while continuing to make improvements to meet your professional needs.

I cannot think of a better phrase that describes our roles as safety professionals in the current climate than the very motto of ASSP – “Working together for a safer, and stronger future.”

From navigating through the pandemic to dealing with new challenges arising from an evolving work environment, our responsibilities are becoming increasingly demanding. But realizing that what we do contributes to building a safer and stronger future, we continue to do our best in making a difference each day.

As your local chapter, we want to make sure we are providing the needed resources to help you successfully navigate through these challenging times. One of our goals this year is to increase member engagement as much as we can. Consequently, the Executive Committee (EC) is administering a member survey this quarter to hear from you on ways to better serve you. A link to this short, four-minute survey, is included in this newsletter.

https://updates0698.survey.fm/member-engagement-survey-assp-nc

We also want to encourage you to take advantage of the chapter’s monthly technical meetings. We strive to make the meetings as interactive as possible, reflecting on contemporary OSH issues while also satisfying your technical needs. If you missed our August meeting on Office Ergonomics and the Hybrid Work Environments, be sure to check out the chapter’s website for an archived recording. For October’s technical meeting, Trish Ennis, ASSP past president, will talk on “The Role of Safety in Reputation Risk Management.”

Thank you for being an integral part of our community and for all you do in advancing the health and safety of workers.

The Executive Committee looks forward to working with you. When we come together, work together and support one another, we can achieve many great things, including making the world of work safer for all.

Ogaga Tebehaevu, MS, CIH, CSP

Greetings,

The end of last month marked a two-year anniversary that the United States has dealt with radical change throughout our country.  As we look forward to things to come, I wanted to recognize that our new normal has certainly presented opportunities for occupational safety to be at the forefront of many organizational leadership focus points. It is through your dedication and persistence that industry and government have prevented worker-related fatalities during this challenging time.

Later this month, April 28 is international worker safety day. Please take time to recognize that this date is an international event that the world utilizes to remember those that lost their lives in the workplace and that organizations need to continue to focus their efforts to preventing unnecessary loss of life. 

Upcoming next week, kicks off (April 11 – 15) work zone safety week. Please, use this time to reemphasize to all your staff that as we resume travel activities that they must be vigilant when driving through work zones.  You may see or have previously seen the national memorial for workers that were killed while working in work zones. The national memorial contains approximately 1,500 names and travels across the US annually. Here is an impactful one-minute work zone video from Washington State that is brief and concise:

The North Carolina ASSP elections are being held this month. Information related to ballets can be found on the NC ASSP website. Please take time to look at the ballot. The formal vote will take place April 14^th, 2022, at the April Technical meeting.  The Executive Committee is interested in your participation. Please consider volunteering to promote worker safety as well as technical education for our chapter membership.

Chapter surveys will be coming soon, and we are requesting your feedback. Please consider completing the survey and providing feedback so that our chapter continues to provide you and your organization value and opportunities for growth.

Thank you all for everything you do to support safety at work, at home, and with our busy lives. Your efforts are steadfast and make our world a much better place for today, tomorrow, and the next generations.

Robin

Greetings Safety Professionals,

March has arrived quickly and it’s another busy month. There’s a lot happening in the world right now, but given the improving state of the pandemic, we have made an important decision that I wanted to share as it impacts all of us. It’s been almost two years since we closed our offices, reduced travel, and I’m excited to announce that we’re ready to open businesses, travel, and start returning to some state of normalcy. Our culture is electric and palpable.

Our top priority since the beginning of the pandemic has been to keep you all safe and this will continue. Now we are returning to a stage where you’re living your lives, adjusting to local health guidelines, and deciding what works best for you. The decisions about where you work, whether you feel safe traveling for business, and what events you attend, should be well thought out and based upon your local communities or destination’s transmission levels.

For many of you that had to power through the first two years of the pandemic and worked every day, we thank you. Our first responders, medical professionals, and many other employees had no choice but to continue to come to work regardless of the potential consequences. We THANK You!

A couple of reminders from our President-Elect, Ogaga Tebehaevu:

1. “Repositioning ASSP for Success” proposal https://www.assp.org/about/assp-governance. The Chapter will vote on both issues by March 14, 2022. If you have any questions or inputs on these changes, please send those to us before the deadline.

2. Members who have interest to serve in the chapter leadership positions are encouraged to contact the Membership Chair at membership@nc.assp.org

3. Our 2022 Membership Survey is on the horizon, please consider participating to help grow the chapter.

In closing, please join us this Thursday with Dr. Alesia Ferguson, from NC A&T University.  Dr. Ferguson is the Chair and Associate Professor-Built Environment Department, North Carolina A&T. Dr. Ferguson leads the way in Geomatics, Construction Management and Environmental Health and Safety Programs.

We enjoy serving our membership and we thank our ASSP Team for their efforts to keep our employees, students, and co-workers safe.

Thank you all and have a great month.