West Michigan Chapter of the ASSE

Nov 2004 News

What's Shakin??

This section provides an opportunity to brag abut promotions, certifications, announce job changes and generally keep track of what is happening in the safety community. If you, or someone you know, has reason to brag - please let us know

Don Barnes - Many of us know Don Barnes and it's nice to note that Don is now working for Right Source in their safety department. I'm sure we will see more of Don at future meetings. Heck we may even get him involved on the Board or other volunteer activity!

Grand Valley OSH Student Professional Day Invitation To WM-ASSE Members

The students of the Occupational Safety and Health Program at Grand Valley State University are holding their second annual professional day on Nov. 18 and would like to invite the members of the West Michigan ASSE Chapter to join them. Mr. Steven Selk, an investigator with the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board will be flying in from Washington, D.C. to speak to the students and invited guests about the Board.s activities, its role in investigating chemical incidents, and the results of recent investigations. The session is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM and last for approximately 1½ hours. If you are interested in attending, please contact Greg Green at greeng@gvsu.edu as space is limited and to reserve a parking space.

SEEKING ASP/CSP STUDY GUIDES

In the past several years the chapter purchased study guides for our members for the CSP and ASP exams. We have lost track of these and would appreciate any assistance you can offer as to their location. If you know where they are or who might have them please contact Eric Longman.

If we don't find them, or if they seem out of date we may be purchasing new ones for our members.

If anyone has copies that they no longer need (having passed the tests) and would like to share with our membership we would love to put them to use.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

We haven't done this for a while, but I turn to the roughly 250 people on our mailing list and who are involved in safety around West Michigan occasionally to get input that may help all of us do our jobs better. This month we are seeking folks who have had experience with a mentoring program in their operations. I've held a belief for some time that mentoring programs can play an important role in safety, but also in reducing turnover and improving productivity. Recently a company I work with mentioned their interest in starting up a mentoring program and I told them I.d use my position as editor to see if we could find anything that would support their efforts.

So, the question is - have you ever worked somewhere with a mentoring program and was it helpful. The secondary component of the question is . do you have any aspects that you can share that helped or hurt the program?

Respond by e-mail to Elongman@thehartford.com or fax a response to 616 891-7949. Let me know if I can use your name and/or company in a future article. Some special recognition or prize will likely be given in thanks.

Safety Person Of The Year Nominations

Nominations are now being received for the West Michigan Chapter of The American Society of Safety Engineer.s Safety Person of The Year Award. This is one of the most important awards a safety professional can receive as it is bestowed by one's peers and is meant to recognize outstanding service to the profession and the Chapter. To nominate an individual, please e-mail Greg Green at greeng@gvsu.edu and provide the individuals. name and the reason you are nominating them.

SALARY SURVEY

It's no real surprise I suppose, but few things have created the interest that our salary survey did several years ago. I still receive occasional e-mails asking for copies of that survey of West Michigan area Safety salaries.

In an effort to keep you informed on how overpaid (or underpaid) you are, here's a summary of a recent American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) membership compensation analysis survey. This survey found the average member salary in 2003 to be $74,000 with half of the respondents receiving a bonus of between $1,000 - $5,000. Also, the majority of those surveyed anticipate a salary increase this year of about 4.6 percent, or between one and five percent of their current salary base.

The survey done by Block Research, Inc. found that professional ASSE members (those with a P.E., CSP, CIH, CHP, CRSP or IOSH-RSP or BA from an accredited college plus 10 years of safety experience) earn nearly $10,000 more. The survey also found that having a Bachelor's Degree adds nearly $12,000 to one's salary and a Master's Degree nearly $20,000 compared to high school only. A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation adds $10,500 to a salary. In addition to salary and bonuses, 61 percent are reimbursed for professional development, with the annual amount spent per employee ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

The survey found that safety, health and environmental (SH&E) practitioners with 10 or more years of experience earn about $20,000 more than those with less than five years' experience. As responsibility and stature within a company increases, so too, does salary . rising from $57,410 for entry-level positions to $97,760 for executive-level positions.

Survey results found the electronics and finance industries ranked the highest in terms of compensation for SH&E practitioners, with education and agriculture ranking the lowest.

The 34-question survey developed by ASSE was sent to a randomly selected group of 2500 members and professional members. Of the 1624 returned surveys, respondents represented all business categories with more than half from the manufacturing, construction, insurance, services and public administration sector. The median age of the respondents was 46-50 years of age and 93 percent work full time, with seven percent self-employed. In the majority of the companies represented by respondent.s safety and health functions are grouped together, with environmental functions handled separately. Fifty-one percent surveyed say they are responsible for 100 percent of their company's safety, health and environmental budget.

SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMS

Our friends at CET asked that we remind our members of their many training programs. You can find them on the web at www.michigan.gov/miosha