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.

Greetings Safety Professionals,

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it has significant observances such as President’s Day, Groundhog Day, and Valentine’s Day. They all have something in common and are recognized to pay attention to a particular subject or theme. February is also American Heart Month. American Heart Month reminds us that when we take care of our hearts as part of our self-care, we set an example for those around us to do the same. Small acts of self-care include taking walks, getting quality sleep, cooking heart-healthy meals, and getting an annual physical exam and screening with your provider.

Valentine’s Day may seem like a greeting card driven holiday to boost sales, however over time, it’s become a widely celebrated day with hug revenue streams for flowers, candy, and f course greeting cards. It’s not only for the lovebirds, it’s also the perfect time to recognize friends, co-workers, and other special people in our lives to let them know we care about them.

As Covid continues to make it’s way across the country and keep a firm grip on us all, so has a wide array of at home test. Recently, the federal government launched its website to sign up for free COVID-19 tests, allowing people to order a maximum of four tests shipped directly to their house. This applies to U.S. territories and military diplomatic addresses. Visit covidtests.gov to sign up and learn more about this government initiative.

Please join us next Thursday with Dr. Alex Albert from NC State at noon virtually. Dr. Albert will be discussing Construction’s latest evolving technologies and you will not want to miss his presentation. Join Here.

We enjoy serving our membership and this month we put together a few reasons why we value our society’s members.

• Without our members we would not exist. Our purpose is to bolster safety programs and build partnerships.
• You enable us to complete our mission and goals within the Society’s by-laws.
• Several members of our Society provide routine feedback as well as guidance and suggestions.
• Our members make up our ASSP community and we serve as volunteers to make our Chapter stronger each year.

Thank you all and have a great month.

Robin

Greetings Safety Professionals,

Happy New Year!

We are off to great New Year and we appreciate everyone’s partnership with our NC ASSP Chapter. It has been a great rewarding privilege to lead our Chapter the last six months. This Executive Committee is one of the best that I have ever worked with and they continue to bring excellent ideas to the forefront to make our Chapter excel.

This week the winter season reared its head to remind us that the mild temperatures we enjoyed in late December were unprecedented. January has turned bitterly cold and it’s a reminder that we must always be prepared for winter storms, natural disasters, and the growing effect of the latest COVID-19 progression. Yesterday, North Carolina shattered history with a new record report with 20,770 positive cases. NC DHHS reports a 31.8% positivity rate from testing alone. One out of three test are positive. Medical experts have stated that this trend will continue through out the month and will hopefully subside in February.

Join us next Thursday, January 13^th 2022, at 12:00 noon for our next Technical presentation with Scott Mabry, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of NCDOL. We are delighted to have Scott speak to us about the challenges of compliance enforcement in this new normal. Click here to register.

Please know that I, among others, share your concerns and emphasize with you during this very difficult time. We are all in this together and as each wave passes we learn more about adaptive methods to battle this unusual virus. We need to continue to band together and share our experiences with one another so we can continue to move forward during this bright new year.

Stay positive, stay safe, and stay warm!

My thoughts and sincere appreciation are with you all!

Robin