Statement from:
Mary Lou Wilson, President, Cascade Chapter

Oregon OSHA recently released its 2005 Oregon Occupational Injury and Illness Survey Summary. Overall, the results were good for the private sector, with the DART - days away from work, restriction, or job transfer - incident rate falling from 3.1 in 2004 to 2.9 in 2005. While the rate drop is positive, as safety and health professionals we should still be concerned with the fact that 59,227 OSHA recordables contributed to the 2.9 figure. 59,227. That's a lot. 59,227 people whose lives were directly affected by a single event. This doesn't take into account the effect on the companies they worked for, the people they worked with, AND their respective families. All shared in the consequences of an industrial accident.

As Oregon safety professionals we should ask ourselves this: are we doing everything possible to control workplace injuries? Often times we think we are, yet we must realize that in order for our safety programs to improve, we need to continue to improve. Do we know how to develop safety management systems? Do we know how to conduct effective workplace safety audits? Do we have the support of upper management?

How can we develop our knowledge and skills in order function at peak performance? As a professional organization, ASSE strives to be a resource for its membership, a forum where we can come together to share innovative ideas for managing our company's safety and health programs. Whether you're new to the profession or have decades of experience in safety and health, ASSE's Cascade Chapter needs your input. Make it a point to come to chapter meetings and network. Share what you know and learn where you can. There's a wealth of information within our organization, and by working together we can continue to reduce the number of workplace injuries.