Soldiers angels

This is a group that watch out for and support our military service members and families.
If you appreciate what our military is doing, pls let them know.

The site for Soldiers Angels is http://www.soldiersangels.org/heroes/index.php

When you go to Soldiers Angels you will find a link to The Patriette (http://www.thepatriette.com/). There are additional links to other military support operations.

A case of lack of planning

This is one of those funny situations – and it is an example of why safety professionals need to look at cause/effect analysis. If XX happens, what will be the effect of that measure? I guess they thought everyone would leave their lighters at home or maybe toss them in the trash before going through security. Of course we want flammables in the trash, duh!!!! The following is from fsinfo.org.

Confiscated Lighters Create Safety Problems At Airport

The Transportation Security Administration is collecting so many cigarette lighters at Honolulu International Airport checkpoints; it has become a storage and safety problem.

An anonymous TSA employee complained to the U.S. Labor Department because hundreds of pounds of the confiscated lighters and other flammable materials were being stored near employee offices and a lunchroom. So the TSA has made some changes at the airport.

The problem is that since mid-April, air travelers have been banned from taking cigarette lighters on aircraft. TSA screeners at Honolulu International Airport are seizing at least 30 pounds worth of lighters a day, sometimes as much as 40 pounds daily.

"It created a storage problem for us with all the lighters that we've seized," Honolulu's TSA Federal Security Director Sidney Hayakawa said.

Hayakawa said workers have seized 1,700 pounds of cigarette lighters at checkpoints in Honolulu since April 14.

"I guess we didn't anticipate the number of lighters that were going to be surrendered to us," Hayakawa said

Last week, after an employee filed a complaint, a U.S. Labor Department compliance officer told TSA officials they had to store the confiscated lighters and other flammable materials outside of the airport and in a safer place.

The state Transportation Department is allowing the TSA to use part of its lost-and-found office to store the seized lighters and other flammable materials. The TSA bought a $700 fireproof locker to store trays and trays of lighters.

The TSA is also trying to get the hazardous waste contractor to take the lighters away more frequently. Previously, it had been coming every two weeks.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20050628/lo_kitv/2797054

I have an idea - sell them at flea markets and street fairs. The problem would be transporting them under DOT regulations. Oh boy.

Bulletin boards - are they working for you?

A pet peeve I have is out-of-date material on the bulletin boards. Early in my safetry career I learned that the USAF required that safety bulletin boards be maintained. Ine thing I realized straight up was that if I wanted every one to experience what I did the first half of my career, then it would be easy as no one bothered to read notices, unless of course we were looking for a car.
I found that bulletin boards required attention and updates continously. Out of date material or clutter will keep some people away from them. Like I hear some saying at mac-d's "so hard to read because there's so much in my view."
I went through a number of boards on campus and pulled down stuff that was passed. The boards looked 'crisp' without all the stuff.
How do your boards look?

Side note: the East coast is calling and offering me a job - the price tag is ok. But - nah.

Safety links that add to your knowledge

There is always a time when you need that one bit of information and can not find it for the sake of anything.  And then there are those times when you just want to add to your brain’s wide open spaces a subject of safety interest.  I would recommend that you visit Christie’s safety listings.  There are number of organizations and subjects that one can find useful.  You can access it by visiting http://www.christie.ab.ca/safelist/.

If you have a site that is not there but should be – such as yours – you can have it added. 

Safety is?

Maybe that is not a very good lead-in but the question comes up on an occasion asking about obtaining a safety education and what it will do for you. The question came up today as I was speaking to the Denver Federal Safety & Health Council as to what can a person be able to do with a degree in safety, whether a 2-year or a 4-year was not discussed. In other words, can a person then work in environmental or pipe-line, or the mines?
Sometimes it might be worth while having a series of courses that were very specific to the area someone would desire to work in. But I think that would be almost impossible. Even in aviation we can't get too specific. Jim was my boss while I was in the service. One day he comes in the office and states that there was a bird strike on a KC-135 and it needed to be investigated. I looked around and stated that no flight guys were there and he responded coolly that I would be the one doing the investigation. Whoa, I am an explosives and nuc guy. But "safety is safety, so go for it." That started my involvement in every other discipline of safety. I learned the makeup of birds and what to look for in a strike. I dissected birds, participated in aircraft crashes, worked on ground issues before I transitioned into the ground side.
It all came to light when I found out that when someone would call the command and ask a question I would get a call and asked my opinion and that was handed off as the answer. Interesting - the SME, jack of all trades so to speak.
I have had my time with individuals that don't quite grasp how someone can be knowledgeable on issues of safety in other disciplines. It is a matter of study and keeping in touch with what is happening in safety - all safety.

Blogging in education

Blogs are useful in education as well as safety. Take a look at this article - might be useful to know - http://www.campus-technology.com/news_article.asp?id=11311&typeid=155.

An email from a colleague

I still need to check this out but this is an interesting article -
******* Original Message ******* Read this excerpt from a Romanian Newspaper. The article was written by Mr. Cornel Nistorescu and published under the title "C"ntarea Americii, meaning "Ode To America") in the Romanian newspaper Evenimentulzilei"The Daily Event" or "News of the Day". ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ~An Ode to America~Why are Americans so united? They would not resemble one another even if you painted them all one color! They speak all the languages of the world and form an astonishing mixture of civilizations and religious beliefs. Still, the American tragedy turned three hundred million people into a hand put on the heart.Nobody rushed to accuse the White House, the army, and the secret services that they are only a bunch of losers. Nobody rushed to empty their bank accounts. Nobody rushed out onto the streets nearby to gape about. The Americans volunteered to donate blood and to give a helping hand.After the first moments of panic, they raised their flag over the smoking ruins, putting on T-shirts, caps and ties in the colors of the national flag. They placed flags on buildings and cars as if in every place and on every car a government official or the president was passing.On every occasion, they started singing their traditional song: "God Bless America!" I watched the live broadcast and rerun after rerun for hours listening to the story of the guy who went down one hundred floors with a woman in a wheelchair without knowing who she was, or of the Californian hockey player, who gave his life fighting with the terrorists and prevented the plane from hitting a target that could have killed other hundreds or thousands of people.How on earth were they able to respond united as one human being? Imperceptibly, with every word and musical note, the memory of some turned into a modern myth of tragic heroes. And with every phone call, millions and millions of dollars were put in a collection aimed at rewarding not a man or a family, but a spirit, which no money can buy.What on earth can unite the Americans in such a way? Their land? Their galloping history? Their economic Power? Money? I tried for hours to find an answer, humming songs and murmuring phrases with the risk of sounding commonplace.I thought things over, but I reached only one conclusion...Only freedom can work such miracles.Cornel Nistorescu

Credentialing - what does that mean??

Students that seek an associates often do because of the desire for the credential of the ASP and ultimately the CSP. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals have set a guideline that the associates in safety by an accredited institution qualifies a person to sit for the exam. Minimum of a two-year degree in safety from an accredited institution. "Have either an associate degree in safety and health or a bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited college or university." ( http://www.bcsp.org/bcsp/index.php?option=content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=31)


ASSE stood behind a community college (Mt Hood) stating that the school offered much to the world of safety at a time when it looked like the school was going to shut down the program. See http://www.asse.org/press418.htm for more info. This gives light to one of my concerns regarding the program @ TSJC. Always a rumor here and there which keeps me on my toes. The ASSE does not make a distinction to whether a person attends a two-year of four-year institution. The organization does have a policy on the accreditation of the school. You can see that by visiting http://www.asse.org/ngposi17.htm.
I spoke at the World Safety Organization's conference this year on this topic of making sure the school you attend is accredited. Sure, you can get a phd in safety for $10,000, but is it accredited? More and more companies are seriously assessing employees' degrees and requiring a degree from an accredited school.

But I did not answer the question - Credentialing - what does it mean? More and more organizations and academic institutions are looking for more documentation that identify the individual as qualified. Does a test or a piece of paper really make someone qualified? Just wanted to toss that out for some thought.....

Online courses - good or bad

I am working through a letter that I received from a government agency regarding a grant we have. It appears that some do not think online courses are of value. In the opinion of one individual, if one were to work in safety, the student must take at least two years of science courses before even considering safety studies. And it is a definitely a bad thing that BCSP allows a two year degree to be accepted in order to set for the ASP/CSP.
The students that I have worked with since I began teaching back in 92 are individuals that are working adults or non-traditional students. Not every student can stop working and go to a university and sit through 4 years of lecture classroom to be better off. It would be nice, but how do you tell someone that is working in the safety arena and has been for 15 years that is making 125,000 a year that the only way you can get an education is to stop what you are doing and go to XX university? My education has been all non-traditional, from my 4 associates, 1 bs, 2 masters, and now my doctoral studies - with the PdD being all online. Would have a classroom been a blessing, especially working through SPSS, but...

Now about that cup of coffee this morning, someone forgot to put some grounds in the filter.

Notes from the email traffic

Responses as received:
The originating email -
All ERAU Faculty Members,
As a faculty member on the Prescott Campus, I have been hired for the Summer A term to work on facilitating the creation of these "archives" - which eventually are to be known as the "Aviation Safety and Security Archives" with world-wide availability of aviation safety and aviation security materials unique to ERAU. The Department of Education has given ERAU a congressional award of $1M to create these archives with the following mission:
The Prescott Campus Aviation Safety and Security Archives provides a repository which promotes research by and for faculty and students and the aviation community by identifying, acquiring, preserving, and making available primary, unique records, manuscripts and material relating to aviation and aviation/aerospace safety and security. (Mission Statement, ERAU Aviation Safety and Security Archives, February 18, 2005)
If you have any thoughts and/or ideas regarding possible donors or sources/creators of material for these archives, please contact me by replying to this e-mail (you can't because this is a copy). Please include any issues, concerns, and/or any perceived needs if you were to become involved with searching or collecting materials for the Archives, which is encouraged of all ERAU faculty members..
I will respond to any inquiries; and I will compile all responses and include them in the strategies for adding to and enhancing the materials collected to date. However, at this time the Archives is investigating what materials are available for acquisition and is refining its acquisitions policy, but is not yet ready to receive voluminous collections.

There is a plethora of data and archival information at the Army's new site.. Additional info at Ft. Rucker through the links below:
https://crc.army.mil/home/ http://www.rucker.army.mil/cdir/cssc-z.html
If more is needed, I can utilize the Army Knowledge Online to show open more doors.

Ditto with regards to the US Army's Risk Mgt. Information System (RMIS) used by its (Safety Center) now dubbed Combat Readiness Center.

A great place to start would be the Naval Safety Center. Talk to Dr. Mike Borowski. They have a computerized repository from the early 70's to the present with info from all services in aviation relating to all hazards and causes. I spent two years there as an ensign and used the services for my GRP. Can't say enough about the wealth of info you could gain by visiting them in Norfolk, VA. You would save lots of $$ by utilizing their methods and importing their info as a guide for the future.

Great place for safety discussions

Need that place to post all of the safety discussions and safety heads up in the world. So this is open to those in safety, teaching safety, and interested in safety.