It's Not Broken, So Why Change?

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

The headline for this message may seem a bit odd, particularly since this is the time of year when we all make resolutions to change. But, given the global economic uncertainty of recent years, the current signs of stabilization and forecasts for improvement make it easy to say, "Let's stay the course."

Positive results make this approach even more inviting. After all, ASSE is on solid financial footing, our membership is growing, and our products, services and benefits are in demand. Yet, now is not the time to grow complacent. In fact, more than ever, we must be forward thinking. We must continuously scan the current environment in order to proactively update the Society's strategic plans and anticipate business demands, economic trends and our members' professional needs.

A Changed Environment
Recognizing this need, ASSE formed a task force last year to examine the Society's future as well as its governance structure. The Society last reviewed this structure in 1993, which led to changes that were implemented in 1995. Our governance structure has not changed since then, even though the environment in which we operate has evolved immensely. Consider these facts:

• In 1995, 49% of us had unrestricted access to the Internet while 33% had no access. Today, almost all of us have full access.
• In 1995, we largely relied on OSHA regulations or voluntary consensus standards as part of our practice. Today, we must review and be aware of a wide range of global standards.
• In 1995, most professional development was conducted face-to-face. Today, more than 30% is conducted online, and that percentage will continue to grow.
• In 1995, we focused primarily on safety issues and regulatory compliance. Today, sustainability has taken center stage, and our responsibilities have expanded to include security, environment, global management, business strategy and wellness.
• In 1995, our profession focused little on accreditation and credentialing. Today, unqualified practitioners are a key concern, and we must act to protect our profession.

Times clearly have changed, and so have ASSE members. Consider these facts:

• In the mid-1990s, ASSE's membership was smaller, and members were younger on average, more male and white. Members were more likely to attend chapter meetings and volunteer for service. Employers often paid membership dues, sent members to professional development events and supported volunteer activities. Today, less than 30% of members engage with their local chapters even once per year.  In addition, most members now pay their own dues.
• In the mid-1990s, ASSE had only a few divisions. Now called practice specialties, these groups have grown in number and are producing significant content that is expanding our body of knowledge. They also have spawned branches and common interest groups (CIGs). Today, more than 60% of members pay additional dues to belong to a practice specialty or CIG.
• ASSE's competitors in the mid-1990s were U.S.-based SH&E organizations. Today, the Society's competition is global, and it is no longer limited to nonprofit organizations.

The Mandate for Change
All of these facts demonstrate that ASSE membership and the environment in which the Society operates have changed dramatically. To remain relevant and achieve our vision to be a global advocate for SH&E professionals and a premier leader of the profession, ASSE's leadership team also must evolve and adapt as the environment changes in order to ensure that we remain focused on strategy and policy.

It's easy to maintain the status quo, but that is a route we cannot accept. Instead, we must focus on being current, proactive and nimble. Ours is an ever-changing world, and we must be ready, willing and able to adapt.

Best wishes for a successful 2013.

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
Andy Warhol

Now is not the time to grow complacent. In fact, more than ever, we must be forward thinking.

Changing World Demands Proactive Preparation

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

I love this time of year, as winter approaches and another year draws to a close. It is a time to be thankful, as well as a time to reflect and plan for the future.

As this year passes, ASSE has now seen 101 new chapters written. Each year brings a fresh start with exciting new opportunities. This past year was no different, setting in motion many new opportunities. Change is, indeed, in the wind.

Sensing this change, ASSE's Board of Directors formed a 50-member task force of past presidents and a diverse group of members to discuss the Society's future and governance structure. This group reviewed demographic and survey data, examined research about trends in other professional associations and read books about association governance. The task force also was provided with an "environmental scan" of the world in which ASSE operates and in which we perform our jobs. This scan covered global realities and trends in economics, politics, technology, demographics, education, the nature of work, risks and risk management, and the SH&E profession itself.

I subsequently shared this scan with many members, and I'd like to share some highlights with you.

• Economics. A global shift is occurring. Telecommunications and transportation have shrunk the globe and competition among multinationals is increasing. China will likely overtake the U.S. economy by 2020 and India may do so by 2050. Stakeholders have higher expectations and lower tolerance. Emphasis on sustainability and improved corporate governance continues to grow.
• International politics. Building dissatisfaction is creating greater demand for political and economic transparency. Growth and economic disparity continue to fuel instability. E-activism is growing, fueled by communication technology, and the global political influence of China, India, Brazil, Russia and the Middle East increases.
• U.S. demographics. The U.S. population is graying, living longer and retiring later. Technology and Social Security concerns are fueling a widening generation gap. Too few citizens hold college degrees in engineering and the sciences, with one-third of all Ph.D.s awarded to temporary visa holders.
• Technology. In our interconnected global society, 2 billion PCs and 5 billion mobile phones are in use, and more than 2.1 billion people use the Internet. Social networking is expanding opportunities for engagement and communications. Eighty percent of Americans age 18 to 29 and 50% of all Americans use online social networking.
• Education. Innovations continue to emerge rapidly. More than 30% of corporate education and training is delivered by e-learning, while e-books comprise more than 20% of the market, and will continue to gain more market share. By 2015, South Korea plans to digitize all school learning materials, and China has already spent more than $1 billion to pioneer e-learning in rural areas. In the U.S., more than 1,000 school districts have or are budgeting to purchase iPads for incoming freshmen.
• Nature of work. U.S. workers face an emerging and increasing set of risks. The workforce is aging, while losing competitiveness due to the lack of technical education. U.S. workers risk becoming less valuable, yet they face higher workloads, longer hours, increased pressures for greater productivity, and increased use of irregular and flexible work schedules.
• Implications for ASSE. Change will continue to occur rapidly, making an expanded global perspective and understanding critical. Increased and evolving risks will present opportunities for qualified SH&E professionals, as will the expanding focus on good corporate governance and sustainability.
• The SH&E profession. Demand is surpassing the supply of qualified professionals. More employers are seeking SH&E professionals with graduate degrees and M.B.A.s, while the number of qualified professors to teach courses is declining. Employers are expecting greater fluency in international cultures, foreign languages and global SH&E topics. Research-to-practice will gain momentum as the profession embraces fact-based solutions. More will be learned about human factors, and SH&E professionals will play a greater role in process and work design.

Our world is clearly different than it was 18 years ago when we last reviewed ASSE's governance structure and strategic focus. Technology has changed how we operate, and the pace of change requires ASSE to be more nimble and data-driven, to plan and react faster, and to think strategically for the benefit of all members.

In the months ahead, you will hear more about this initiative as we create a structure for the future. As the world continues to change, ASSE and each of us must be prepared.

Technology has changed how we operate, and the pace of change requires ASSE to be more nimble and to think strategically for the benefit of all members.

Wanted: Your Ideas

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

While researching and gathering information for a conference presentation on the link between supervisors and improvements in the safety climate, I logged onto ASSE's Body of Knowledge (BOK) website - which you can find at www.safetybok.org -and searched on some select keywords related to my topic. Like many search engines, the BOK was easy to use. But what struck me was the quality of the information the search returned. It was specific to my topic, and I didn't have to dig deeply into the results to find the information I wanted.

That experience made me think about ideas, which led me to this quote from Plato: "Ideas rule the world, and as the human mind will receive new ideas, laying aside the old and effete, the world will advance." The idea for ASSE's BOK was first discussed in 1998, when the Society's Council on Practices and Standards began to take on a more strategic and visionary role as steward of the profession's body of knowledge. To ensure that the SH&E profession continues to prosper, grow and gain professional recognition, ASSE leaders realized we had to define our practices, and assemble, advance and sustain our own body of knowledge.

Initially, we focused on compiling a list of publications, books and articles that SH&E professionals use to implement effective management programs. By 2003, that vision had evolved and expanded. We wanted to ensure that our body of knowledge would be user-friendly and readily available, so we surveyed members and published a white paper that recommended new standards and suggested a need to define professional competencies. Those efforts moved the needle, but the real a-ha moment came in 2008, when two members, Fred Fanning and Jeff Camplin, shared their ideas for turning the BOK into a living resource that would perpetually reflect current practice.

Today, just 4 years later, the BOK includes more than 6,000 assets, and more than 3,000 members have registered for and are using the site. The growing number of assets and users are a testament to the power of ideas-not just the culminating idea, but also all those that led the way. The BOK has developed over the past 15 years, and it is a shining example of how we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.

Building on previous successes to influence the world is something most people find motivating. In fact, a recent Harris Poll found that 97% of Generation Y want careers that allow them "to have an impact on the world."

As SH&E professionals, don't we share a similar palpable hunger to make the world safer? In How to Change the World, David Bornstein says, "[We] are ready to roll up our sleeves and dig in to fix, or at least substantially address the very problems that evade governments and established institutions." ASSE is committed to lead by fostering new ideas, valuing innovation and creating a vision for a better tomorrow. We speak of the "influence" of an idea, and say that ideas are "contagious." Bornstein sees it this way: "We know that when the ripening of an idea is due, when the hour strikes, that idea will spread with a force that nothing can resist."

ASSE's goals to become a primary source of SH&E knowledge, the voice of the profession and a thought leader are such ideas. Another example is the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability. In just 1 year, the center has elevated workplace safety as a key component of corporate sustainability efforts.

So, let's build on our momentum. Let's draw public attention to workplace fatalities. Recent BLS statistics show that 4,609 people died from on-the-job injuries in the U.S. in 2011. That's 13 people each day who will never return home to their families.

We must actively advocate for workplace safety. We must define significant SH&E problems and collaborate with our stakeholders to find solutions. We must actively share and discuss our ideas so they can be considered, refined and pursued. As a profession, we must dream, innovate and invent.

ASSE's BOK started as an idea. It expanded and grew, and it is now poised to become a significant tool for current and future SH&E practitioners. What's your big idea? We'd love to hear it. It just might lead to a new way of preventing workplace injuries and illnesses.

Commit to Our Cause

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

Election campaigns expose us to nonstop media messages, slogans and rhetoric. Amidst all this noise, especially the negativity, distortion and misrepresentation common to many elections, it can be difficult to think or talk about anything else. So, I’d like to invite you to support and participate in some campaigns that are fueled by facts rather than rhetoric: the ASSE campaigns for 2012-13.

Workplace Fatalities
The facts: According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, each day, more than 8,000 workers suffer a recordable injury and 13 lose their lives. This is like saying that most of the 3 million people in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area suffered a reportable injury—or that all 4,600 residents of my town went to work one morning and never came home. Globally, International Labor Organization estimates that 2.3 million people succumb to work-related incidents or diseases every year, which equates to more than 6,000 deaths each day. These outcomes are unacceptable—made even more so because the downward trend in these statistics has stalled. This statistical plateau should be a call to action for us all.
The campaign: ASSE will develop a series of communications and events to keep workplace fatalities in the public eye and to encourage collaboration on the development of new approaches to preventing workplace fatalities. In addition, ASSE’s work with the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability will continue to position workplace safety as a major social issue that must be addressed.

Value of the SH&E Professional
The facts: ASSE’s study in 2008 revealed that the perceived performance of SH&E professionals falls below management’s stated expectations in several areas, including business and strategy, and organizational and management support.
The campaign: Through this campaign, the Society will focus on increasing employers’ and other stakeholders’ understanding of the competencies, capabilities and value of safety professionals. The business community must come to understand that SH&E professionals are much more than technicians who simply perform compliance-based activities. To achieve this, we must adopt the mind-set that to thrive in our organizations and to “get a seat at the table,” we must articulate the value we deliver.

OSHA/NIOSH Fall Prevention
The facts: Falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths in construction and a leading cause of injuries. The campaign: ASSE has signed on as an active participant in the OSHA/NIOSH fall prevention campaign.

Small Business
The facts: BLS has recently reported that the total OSHA recordable case rate in 2010 was highest among companies with 50 to 249 employees.
The campaign: Through this campaign, ASSE will develop electronic and traditional media resources to increase small business occupational safety and health awareness, and to improve small business capabilities in developing occupational safety and health programs, including increasing the availability of industry-specific tools and products. These employers must understand that the risks are real and that they can be mitigated in a cost-effective manner.

Be Committed & Get Involved
So how might you help?
• Share your ideas on strategies and tools that will increase public awareness of workplace fatalities and build the groundswell needed to effect lasting change.
• Develop new ways to articulate your role and what it means to your organization’s future.
• Improve your risk assessment competencies, provide cost-effective solutions as a business partner and take a leadership role in developing risk assessment policy.
• Volunteer tips, resources or even your time to a local small business to help it identify and correct hazards.
• Participate in and spread the word about the fall prevention campaign by visiting http://stopconstructionfalls.com and following the “Get Involved” link.
These are just a few suggestions. The facts are that too few people know about the work of safety professionals, and even fewer take note of the devastating number of people injured and killed at work each year. It’s time we deliver a message about occupational safety and our profession that is strong and clear. By actively participating in and supporting campaigns such as these, we, as SH&E professionals, can collectively and emphatically declare that the status quo does not and will not work in occupational safety. Will you join with me in committing to our cause?

It’s time we deliver a message about occupational safety and our profession that is strong and clear. Will you join with me in committing to our cause?

A Time for Leadership Development

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

Do you remember Yogi Berra? Baseball fans like me remember him as a great New York Yankees catcher. He was a 15-time All Star, won the American League MVP three times, played in 14 World Series and still holds many records some 50 years later.

Beyond baseball, Yogi is best known for his quirky statements. Consider this one, which I found while researching the topic of leadership:"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going because you might not get there."As crazy as they may sound, Yogi's words hold a great deal of wisdom about leadership. Leaders must have a vision and must be able to communicate and share that vision with others.

Great leaders also engender positive emotions among followers so they want to join together for a greater good. I recently heard ASSE past president Eddie Greer speak about leadership."Leadership is about learning to do what is right, because we can never rise above the limitations of our character," he said. "If we are going to serve as leaders, then we must have the trust of our followers. Character enables trust to exist and makes being a leader possible."

If a person isn't trustworthy who will follow? At its core, leadership truly is about influencing others, not about position. It is about engaging others, sharing your vision and moving people to action. Great leaders also earn respect over time by putting the good of the people and the organization ahead of any personal agenda. They exude optimism and a positive attitude, and help others see life as a series of great opportunities and exciting challenges.

Although he probably never saw himself that way, my father was a leader. He was a high-school teacher and football coach who was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. But beyond coaching championship teams, his greatest legacy was helping boys and girls develop into men and women by teaching them the importance of strong character, hard work, responsibility, integrity and selflessness. My father taught me that a leader is the one who helps others the most. He was right.

Do you see yourself as a leader? In studying leadership, I have found that most of us don't see ourselves as leaders, yet most of us want to improve our abilities in this area. Some contend that leadership can't be taught - either you have the ability or you do not. I disagree. Certainly, some people have stronger personalities or greater confidence, and others may have been in the right place at the right time.

However, during my career with ASSE and in business, most of the best leaders I've observed are just like you and me. We don't set out to be in charge, yet over time, as we take on responsibility, get things done, help others and build trust, we gain leadership knowledge and skills. Others value our assistance and ask "which way next."

Are you optimistic about the future? Do you have the ability to create a vision and influence others to follow? Why not take those feelings of optimism and opportunity to refocus, recommit and put plans into action to take a more active role in ASSE and your SH&E career?

The SH&E profession needs strong, effective leaders, and ASSE offers some excellent opportunities for us to build and develop our leadership skills. This fall, the Society will host its Leadership Conference for chapter, region and practice specialty leaders and its Future Safety Leaders Conference for outstanding student members. In addition, in November, ASSE will deliver "Safety Is All About Leadership,"a 2-day symposium in Orlando, FL. You can find details about any of these events on the Society's website.

Learning more about leadership and developing these vital skills will help us excel as SH&E professionals. I encourage you to attend at least one of these important events this fall. You will discover it is an investment well made. At its core, leadership is about influencing others, not about position. It is about engaging others, sharing your vision and moving people to action.

Where's ASSE

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

The easy answer to the question posed by the headline is Des Plaines, IL. But that's really only a small part of the answer. Yes, Society headquarters is located in Des Plaines, but, at its core, ASSE is you and me: safety professionals dedicated to creating a culture of prevention. ASSE is our knowledge, our beliefs, our passion and the value of our work. It is located inside of each of us, across the country and around the world. We are ASSE.

I've often been asked, "What do I get for my dues?" That's a natural question, but it's really the wrong one to consider when discussing ASSE membership. It is easy to believe that ASSE is some "place" where Professional Safety is created, the website is managed, conferences and webinars are produced, surveys are distributed, standards are written and books are published. Certainly, those products and services are vital to our mission. Yet, it is members like you and me who write the books and articles, speak at the conferences and webinars, help develop standards, advise government, and establish Society goals and work to achieve them. We collectively create the body of knowledge and bring it to life.

Over the past 2 years, I have been invited often to speak about ASSE membership and "what's in it for me?" During those talks, I focus instead on what each of us can do for ASSE, the profession and ourselves to increase our value, and how we each can invest in our own success. I guess I have taken the lead from John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural call to action: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

Consider this short tale from Charles Osgood. "This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."

As members, pitching in is our responsibility. I urge you to view it as an expectation of membership. Across our 152 chapters representing members in more than 75 countries, hundreds of members step forward each year to volunteer their time, talent and resources to help others succeed. Through their service, they learn and grow, and increase the value of our profession.

ASSE needs each member to embrace volunteerism. I know firsthand that work and life demands pull us in many directions and that time is precious. But I also know that you will gain great personal and professional returns if you get involved. As an active volunteer, you will meet many knowledgeable professionals and develop a diverse network, putting solutions only a text, call or e-mail away. You will receive far more in return when you pay it forward. Investing in ourselves through ASSE involvement can pay big dividends, especially when we share our knowledge to help others to learn and grow.

Imagine the energy and creativity that ASSE could generate with nearly 35,000 members committed to developing and sharing ideas and innovations across our global community mobilized to create a safe, healthy world. Together, we can create a new ASSE culture that maximizes our strengths and creates exciting new opportunities. 

We are ASSE. We are the voice and thought leaders of this profession, and key contributors to our body of knowledge. Be part of a global community in which each member actively contributes and ensures that our profession remains vibrant. Invest in your membership and increase your value. Together, let's move off the plateau of complacency, create a culture of volunteerism and forge an even stronger future. Let's make this vision our reality.

ASSE needs each member to embrace volunteerism.You will gain high personal and professional returns if you get involved.

"I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody."
Lily Tomlin

Let’s Raise Our Sails & Catch the Winds of Change

2012 ASSE President Richard A. Pollock, CSP

ASSE is in the midst of change. Our predecessors had vision and built a strong foundation. But, the winds are shifting. Like many other professional organizations led by volunteers and with limited resources, ASSE is facing significant challenges. The Board of Directors recognized this and made a bold move. Instead of simply celebrating our heritage of growth and success, the Board set out to create a new vision and strategic direction for the Society. With members’ best interests as our guiding principle, we discussed and debated our future. The result was strong guiding values and new aspirational goals that were approved last year. Each council has worked diligently to establish new strategies to move ASSE toward these goals.

Why are these changes necessary? We face many challenges to our profession, livelihood and ASSE. We have been reactive as fatality and incident rates have plateaued, members have lost their jobs, volunteerism has declined and our future has become less secure. Our members, employers, workers, families and society deserve more.

However, these threats also present opportunity. Our new goals are based on opportunity and our strategies are charting the course to a strong future.

Our vision is clear. ASSE members are a primary source of knowledge for the SH&E profession. As thought leaders, we must speak out and set the agenda. We must gather and share a body of knowledge that defines and furthers our interests, and establishes ASSE as the source of information, learning and best practices.

We will advance the profession by supporting science-based research, and by sharing our knowledge through publications and professional development offerings. We will establish a strong global professional community, dedicated to a common cause. We will establish the value of safety professionals and our profession through deeper relationships with the business community and government.

Our work is important. Moreover, because we are passionate about our work and its importance, we will never quit and our voices will be heard. Because of our values, beliefs and passion, we will make sure we get the facts and our professional opinions to the table. We will advise, instruct and, in some cases, direct regulators on key issues.

Maximizing opportunity and managing business risk is fundamental to all successful organizations. Employers often mistakenly equate safety to regulatory compliance. As a result, safety is seen as a cost that is counterproductive to profit-based goals and fiduciary responsibilities. ASSE will engage business leaders in the discussion of business risk, not compliance.

Increasing profitability while reducing risk of loss to the environment, workers, community and customers are increasingly demanded by stakeholders. Greater requirements for fiduciary control, transparency in governance and employee stewardship have increased the business value of our profession. By having the vision and helping to create the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability, ASSE is at the forefront and will continue to lead globally.

ASSE also continues to advocate for the ongoing global shift toward risk-based approaches to SH&E. We are researching these approaches and their effect on business results, and defining methods for implementation. Business risk and enterprise risk are fundamental, and this is the language by which our prevention message will be heard. As long as OSHA standards exist, ASSE members will need to help employers comply. However, by leading the shift toward risk-based approaches and establishing prevention cultures, we will become better aligned with business strategies and goals, thus increasing our value.

So, let’s imagine. What does our future hold? Will the new goals and strategies make a difference? Imagine that ASSE continues to grow, expanding its influence around the globe. New members are engaged, and most realize that membership is a privilege and volunteerism is expected. We ensure the involvement of young members and students. Within this new culture, the very best professionals step forward. New leaders are identified earlier so they may be mentored and provided opportunities to grow.

New pathways for communication allow all voices to be heard. Chapters excel in providing member services. The practice specialties and common interest groups become more valuable as members broadly engage, reach their full potential and actively assemble our body of knowledge. Greater value is realized by those who can’t attend meetings, live remotely or across oceans. A strong global community emerges that embraces diversity and furthers our values.

Imagine that we are invited to the table where government and business policy are determined. Imagine the value of our profession is increased tenfold, ensuring that in another recession, our profession remains strong and highly valued. Most important, imagine a world that is safe and healthy for future generations.
Our vision is clear and our future is bright. Please engage and help lead our profession forward. Let your voice be heard.

“You can’t hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can’t catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t try.”
Kathy Seligman