​Very little rain this winter and early snow melts on Mount McLaughlin herald a potentially disastrous summer for Southern Oregon. I put together some tips to help you start now, so that when things do get bad this summer, you will be more prepared to stay safe.
 
Things to do:

• Continuously monitor emergency service conversations on scanners so you know about problems early.
• Inventory your valuables. An easy way to do this is to walk through your home and scan your belongings. When you turn in damages to your insurance company, you can specify makes and models of valuable items and be compensated at an appropriate level.
• Stock your vehicles with water, inexpensive tools, bed rolls, tents, phone chargers, shoes and N95 dust masks.
• Have 72-hour kits ready to go. Include rain gear, clothing, easy to prepare food and extra cash. Consider a roll of coins so you can access goods in vending machines in areas that have been evacuated.
• Look for flammables on your property and clean them up and keep them away from your home.
• Maintain your landscaping around your home and keep vegetation short.
• Consider landscaping materials that are less flammable such as rock or concrete.
• Back-up your digital documents onto a USB drive or two and keep these in your 72-hour kit.
• Coordinate evacuation points with family so that if you are separated you have a couple places you can meet.
• Never let your gas tanks go below ¾ of a tank. Fill your tank.

 
 
Things to get:

• Consider having a trailer or truck bed outfitted with gear for when you need to evacuate the area.
• Radio scanner so that you can monitor emergency disaster services effectively and know about problem areas to avoid.
• Have radios or satellite communication options for when cell service collapses.
• Get fire resistant document carriers and keep them in an area where you can access them quickly, preferably near your 72-hour kits.
• N95’s or R95’s particulate masks
• Work gloves
• Bed rolls and tents
• Fire extinguishers
• Water
• First aid kits and emergency blankets
• Hand sanitizer

 
This is not a complete list, but hopefully it gets you thinking about ways you can prepare for disaster in 2022.
 
David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation

The history of the safety profession is no stranger to innovators. From the Heinrich’s pyramid to the Five Principles of Human Performance, we are constantly looking for newer and better ways to think about the daunting task of keeping people safe at work. I’ve never been one to dismiss a new safety philosophy because it helps me to think about the topic in a different way. There is a tendency to re-imagine the older approaches as being archaic and the newer approaches as being more innovative. C.S. Lewis used to call this sort of approach, “chronological snobbery.” We should remember that when each approach is placed in its proper perspective, there is always something we can learn. 
 
This brings me to the ideas proposed by American engineer, W. Edwards Deming. When I first learned about his approaches to statistical process control, I was more interested in using the techniques to measure and maintain quality products. His landmark book Quality, Productivity, and Competitive Position was the most important under-noticed book of the early eighties. As my career began to steer toward safety, Deming’s messages resonated in my attempt to manage safety as well. As it turns out, Deming’s approaches could easily be applied to the management of any measurable attribute, especially safety.
 
Dan Peterson, in his famous ASSP book on Techniques of Safety Management, a Systems Approach, draws a parallel between Deming’s “Obligations of Management” and translates these into some familiar safety concepts:

• concentrating on long-range, permanent solutions rather than short-term reductions in incident rates
• all injuries are unacceptable
• injuries are a function of the system at work; reduce fear in an organization by encouraging employees to point out problems that need solving
• design safety into our projects to prevent injuries long term
• eliminate incentives that inhibit actual injury reduction and examine work for accident traps

 
Closer investigation reveals that recent safety management innovations resonantly echo Deming’s Total Quality Management principles. What can he still teach us about keeping people safe on the job? I think it’s time for another fresh look at the management concepts that Deming taught us years ago.
​

​David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation

​By David Hanson, CSP
 
Some call it a JHA; others call it a JSA. It is a Job Hazard Analysis or Job Safety Analysis, respectively. Often maligned and dismissed by some, this simple tool can be integral to your success at keeping employees safe on the job.
 
What is it?
In its basic format, JHA/JSA lists the attributes of a task: 1) What the task is; 2) Hazard: what can hurt us; 3) Controls: what we do to prevent injury or exposure to the hazard. This is a tool that is used to train new operators and remind experienced operators of the best practices that have been learned over time.
 
It is simple and it is easy. It is also never fully complete. But that is okay. In some ways the fact that a JHA is never really finished is actually a strength in itself.
 
Important OSHA rules that a JHA can help you comply with:
 
1)hazard communication standard
2)PPE hazard assessment
3)periodic safety inspections where behaviors and conditions are observed
4)incident investigations
5)fulfilling the general duty requirement of taking the necessary steps to furnish employment that is safe.
 
If you are not using JHAs, you may need to implement other techniques to assure safety compliance. In my opinion, the JHA helps you cover so many different elements, it has always seemed like a natural first choice for achieving compliance and excellence.
 
Advantages of the JHA
 
1)Workers, supervisors and managers alike can help update JHAs when they review them periodically.
2)SOPs must always be up-to date. JHAs seldom are. For this reason, a JHA can be updated more often without the need to be comprehensive.
3)A JHA can help identify different approaches and help your organization identify the best practices and standardize as a team.
4)The JHA can easily reference current standard operating procedures.
5)The JHA can be an integral part of continuous improvement at your company.
6)The JHA can be a great tool for training new employees and a great way to maintain concepts learned by experience.
 
I remember one time during an OSHA inspection when one of the inspectors asked a machine operator about the safety rules for his machine. The operator instantly pulled out a Job Hazard Analysis and began walking him through the basic safety elements. I was so proud of all our efforts to keep using the simple but mighty JHA!
 
David Hanson
 

Please welcome our newest Executive Team members: Nilda Martinez and Jeffery Mook. Nilda Martinez is our new Government Affairs chair. Nilda works for Oregon OSHA and recently passed her ASP exam. Jeff is our new Membership Coordinator chair and works for Boise Cascade. If you get a chance, please thank them for taking on these new responsibilities. We are fortunate to have them on our chapter executive committee!
 
On February 1st, we have Bruce Hollcroft joining us for our chapter meeting to discuss Risk Management. Mark your calendars because the first day of the month often sneaks up on us. This program will be a good one.
 
We are moving the starting time of our ASP-CSP & SMS study group to 4:30 PM on third Tuesdays for about an hour. Our next study group event will be on February 15th. Please let me know if you would like to join our study group. It is free, and most of the topics we cover also apply to elements of the SMS certification (Safety Management Specialist). If you are working on your SMS certification, let me know and we can focus some of our study on topics that overlap. Our chapter is always looking for ways to help support your work in the safety profession.
 
It probably goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has not made anyone’s job easier, which is just one more reason I am so grateful for the outstanding service that your executive committee members provide. If you get a chance, could you please thank them for all they do to help our chapter? Because of their efforts, our chapter achieved the Platinum Chapter status for the 2020-2021, and we were recently recognized by Society for this achievement.
 
With the completion of our first virtual conference well behind us now, the planning for the 2022 conference has begun. Mike Hill will be our conference chair again this year, and he will need a team to help him put together a great conference. It takes a lot of input and work from representatives in our community to help put together these world-class conferences. We can really use your help. Please consider joining our winning conference planning team!
 
I look forward to 2022 being a good year for our chapter, and I want to thank all of you that participated in the survey we sent out last month. Your input helps your executive committee provide the best programs and events possible.
 
Happy 2022!
 
Sincerely,
David Hanson

Here is some good news as we enter a new year. We are moving the starting time of our ASP-CSP& SMS study group to 4:30 PM. We will meet on third Tuesdays for about an hour. Our next study group event will be on January 18th. Please let me know if you would like to join our study group. It is free, and most of the topics we cover also apply to elements of the SMS certification (Safety Management Specialist). If you are working on your SMS certification, let me know, and we can focus some of our study on topics that overlap. Our chapter is always looking for ways to help support your work in the safety profession.
 
Our next chapter meeting program on January 4th will feature Bryon Snapp from Oregon OSHA discussing regulatory updates. This is an important topic as we see new changes developing that have an impact on workplace safety and health.
 
With the completion of our first virtual conference well behind us now, January will mean that planning for the 2022 conference will begin. Mike Hill will be our conference chair again this year, but he will need a team to help him put together a great conference. It takes a lot of input and work from representatives in our community to help put together these world-class conferences. We can really use your help. Please consider joining our winning conference planning team!
 
Reflecting on the year that is drawing to a close reminds me of all the hard work that our conference planning committee and chapter executive committee members have done to provide our chapter with excellent programs, workshops, one big conference, and other programs for our safety community here in Southern Oregon.
 
As we move from one year to the next, I wish you and all yours a very Happy 2022!
 
David Hanson

​David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation

Thank you!
Thanks to everyone who helped organize, present, sponsor, facilitate and support our safety conference this year. Our first fully online safety conference, this event brought in presenters from around the US and Canada and 154 attendees from across the Northwest. We could not be more proud of how it turned out!
 
The Content Was Amazing!
Corrie Pitzer led a half-day Deepsafe Leadership Workshop and it was stunning to hear about the serious hazards in the mining industry and the Risk Management strategy that he developed. Corrie, Anil Mathur and Dr. Amy Harper delivered dynamic keynote presentations. Because we were fully online, we had the pleasure of bringing in high-level presenters without the high-level expense and what a treat it was. We also enjoyed 10 breakout sessions from extremely skilled professional trainers in everything from safety culture, to ergonomics, and incident analysis. And everything had a different twist on it. It was so fun to learn some of the typical safety training topics in a totally new and fresh way.
 
Congratulations Award Winners!
My favorite was the award ceremony. We gave away 7 awards and this year did something a little different. Because we had fewer awards, we let them all speak. It was so encouraging to hear what these safety teams and leaders had to share about their journey!
 
Congratulations to these well-deserving award winners:

1. Best of the Best Safety Committee – Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products in White City
2. Outstanding Safety and Health Program Award Winner – Medford Water Commission
3. Outstanding Safety and Health Program Award Winner – Boise Cascade EWP
4. Safety Committee Champion Award – Ashton Case – Timber Products Spectrum Division
5. Safety Professional of the Year (SPY) Award Winner – Pamela Ahr – SAIF Corporation
6. Business Leader Who Gets It Award – Jared Hill – Asante Physician Partners
7. Commitment to Excellence Award – Dave Spence – Boise Cascade – White City Veneer

 
Video Recorded Sessions
The icing on the cake was the final video recordings. The entire event was recorded and shared with all registrants. And we have great news for those who missed it. We are currently putting together a post-conference registration to allow anyone who would like to take advantage of these great presentations after the fact. Stay tuned for that, but for now, my sincerest appreciation to everyone who helped make it a great event.
 
Next Year…
And now we start thinking and planning for next year. We certainly hope it can be in person, maybe a hybrid event. If you’d like to help us on our conference planning team, please let me know, our planning meetings will start in January. We’d love to have you join us!
 
Michael Hill
Conference Planning Chair

​By the time this newsletter is published, our Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference will be near. I can’t adequately explain to you my dismay as we made the tough decision to not hold an in-person event. At the time I type this article, I realize that it was the correct decision. Our virtual event that we have planned is shaping up to be stellar. Take a look at our line-up and you will see many familiar speakers that will be sharing with us and topics that are very relevant to workplace safety, no matter the industry.
 
A successful conference like this cannot happen without an engaged committee. Our conference planning committee has been hard at work on this since January, and we hope you will agree that our hard work provided you with a great conference. Please consider joining the effort next year as we work on the next Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference. Participating on the conference planning committee means that you will have a seat at the table in determining how subsequent conferences are conducted. More importantly, you can continue to influence safety in Southern Oregon in a positive way.
 
We also have three vacancies on our executive committee. What does this mean? It means that there are new opportunities for you to participate in the chapter and help accomplish the important safety role that our chapter has here in Southern Oregon. Let me know if you would like an opportunity to serve on our committee with a great group of people that do great things to make our Southern Oregon chapter the best it can be. We look forward to welcoming you as our newest executive team member.
 
 
 
David Hanson, CSP
President, ASSP – Southern Oregon Chapter
Senior Safety Management Consultant, SAIF Corporation

​
 
Registration is Open
Registration is open for the 2021 Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference to be held online on October 19-21 with some of the most exciting and dynamic presenters we’ve ever had.
 
Professional Development
We have an impressive Professional Development Workshop in store with Corrie Pitzer presenting his DeepSafe Leadership model.
 
Three Keynote Presentations
We will be motivated and inspired by three keynote presenters including Anil Mathur, former CEO of Alaska Tanker Company, Corrie Pitzer, CEO of Safemap International, and Amy Harper, PhD, former Senior Director of Training and Consulting for NSC. Another very special presenter, Bob Edwards, will discuss Human Performance Learning Teams.
 
Safety Committee University
We will also bring back our popular Safety Committee University with a great lineup of sessions including some unique perspectives such as Bob Nelms of the Failsafe Network leading us in his Profound Incident Learning.
 
Even though this event is entirely online, we promise to make this one of the most interesting, educational, and valuable events for you in your safety work!
 
New Conference Website
Please check out our new conference marketing website to find the flyer, program schedule, presenter and program information, as well as registration link.
www.sosafety.org
 
Scholarships Available
We still have opportunities for scholarships. You can find the application on our chapter website at www.soassp.org/conference. Also, the Redwood Safety Association is offering the Harry W. Smedes Memorial Scholarship at www.redwoodsafety.org/training.
 
Please register today and join us in October!

​A big thank you to Loria Holden for her service on our ASSP executive board. She will be leaving our chapter to take a position in Georgia. Loria has served on our executive committee for well over 1.5 years and has been an important leader in our chapter and our Southern Oregon safety community. Although her time in our chapter was short, her leadership was very valuable. Our well wishes and thankfulness go with her.
 
We still have vacancies on our executive board. Our executive team for our chapter is an important part of making sure that the work we do as a chapter gets done. Every job on the executive team is important, and when we have positions that remain unfilled, it limits the work our executive team can do to help our chapter to be successful. Let me know if you would like an opportunity to serve on our committee with a great group of people that do great things to make our Southern Oregon chapter the best it can be. We look forward to welcoming you as our newest executive team member!
 
Please consider joining our ASP-CSP study group on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. We learn lots and already a couple of our attendees have passed exams. It is a challenging but rewarding experience to work on your certification and succeed. Let me know if you would like to participate in this virtual study group.
 
Our Southern Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Conference is going to be unforgettable this year. Mike Hill has worked very hard to bring world class speakers to our small-but-mighty conference. Unfortunately, it needs to be virtual. The world is full of virtual events these days. But there is still room for the best virtual event! Please join us, submit awards applications, and consider sponsoring our conference as well.
 
Sincerely,
David H
 
 
David Hanson, CSP

​It's natural to wonder, “What does ASSP governance have to do with me?” That’s why it’s important to recognize that ASSP governance affects you because it impacts the organization you have chosen to join and support. Governance affects how ASSP does business and shows up in the marketplace, advocates on behalf of the safety profession, and delivers value to you as a member.

By now you may have heard about a proposal to update ASSP's governance. If not or if you would like more information about what you have heard, please visit ASSP’s governance webpage to review details on the recommendation to transition the House of Delegates to an at-large advisory group. ASSP has also posted a one-page fact sheet that summarizes key facts.
Since late May 2021, ASSP’s Board of Directors has been working to share information and answer member questions during various events and through one-on-one conversations with leaders and key stakeholder groups. In presentations about the recommendation, ASSP President Brad Giles, President-Elect Christine Sullivan and members of the Governance Task Force have highlighted several anticipated outcomes of passing the proposal:

1. Eliminate legal and financial risk by creating one governing body. Proposal aims to align ASSP structure with Illinois state law (where ASSP is incorporated).
2. Create agile daily operations. Versatile infrastructure would enable ASSP to meet the contemporary needs of our member communities, capture market opportunities and implement solutions faster.
3. Enhance member voice in decision-making. More members would be able to participate via the at-large approach. Members retain voting authority on key issues (e.g., name change).
4. Maintain strong representation for ASSP communities. Chapters would continue to advocate for change through their elected area directors and regional vice presidents.
5. Foster greater diversity of thought. At-large participation would open a more inclusive path to meaningful engagement for a larger group of members, including those not represented before.

The ASSP governance webpage provides additional details on these expected outcomes and explains factors driving the proposal. It also features an in-depth FAQ section that addresses specific elements of the proposal.

The House of Delegates will vote on this proposal on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, during a meeting starting at 12:00 p.m. CT. If you have specific questions about this issue, please contact Chapter President David Hanson using the form at the bottom of this page.
​
Member voice will always be vital to ASSP. We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this information so you can fully understand the issues and their impact on our Society.