It's Official: ASSP
"Our members have always decided who we are and what we’re all about," ASSE President Jim Smith, CSP, said. "This latest vote was part of an objective process that has made us a strong organization for more than 100 years. Workplace safety is constantly evolving, so our society must adjust as well to remain strong and relevant while growing our profession. Our profession includes more occupations and industries than ever before."
The American Society of Safety Engineers will be renamed the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) next year when it unveils a redesigned website at its Safety 2018 conference in San Antonio. The switch was approved by 74 percent of voting members in online voting that ended Aug. 13, ASSE announced Aug. 16.
The final vote count was 3,651 in favor and 1,267 opposed, well above the minimum voting requirement of 1 percent of ASSE's eligible members because 14 percent cast ballots. The new name had been unanimously recommended by the ASSE Board of Directors in January and was supported by its House of Delegates in June at Safety 2017 in Denver.
"Our members have clearly voiced that the American Society of Safety Professionals better reflects our diverse membership," said ASSE President Jim Smith, CSP. "Engineers made up our entire membership when we were formed, but today the occupational safety and health profession encompasses many disciplines."
ASSE was founded in 1911 as the United Association of Casualty Inspectors after the Triangle Waist Co. fire in New York City killed 146 garment workers. The society's name was changed in 1914 to the American Society of Safety Engineers.
"Our members have always decided who we are and what we’re all about," Smith said. "This latest vote was part of an objective process that has made us a strong organization for more than 100 years.
"Workplace safety is constantly evolving, so our society must adjust as well to remain strong and relevant while growing our profession. Our profession includes more occupations and industries than ever before," he added. "Our members are knowledgeable about everything from risk assessment and hazard control to workers’ compensation and organizational management, not to mention the more traditional aspects of safety management and engineering."