ASSE, AIHA Spread the Word in China
The two biggest U.S. safety and health professional associations have been making strides in China this fall, extending the recent forays that have included a food safety delegation from the United States and the recent opening of an FDA office there.
The recent AIHA and ASSE events, both in November, were AIHA's first Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene training course in Shanghai, which the association says was a success, and ASSE President Warren K. Brown's speech Nov. 20 at the 4th China International Forum on Work Safety in Beijing.
After noting ASSE will celebrate its centennial in 2011, Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM, spoke about key skills for today's safety professionals and the relevance of safety to good corporate governance. He said the successful safety professional must possess business management skills, versatility to add value to their organizations, and the ability to influence. "By influence, I mean having a range of interpersonal skills such as listening skills, communicating, resolving conflict, motivating and team building, an understanding of change management principles, as well as the ability to make the case for safety to workers and management," Brown said. He noted that ASSE's Value of the Safety Professional project is "working to ensure that the value proposition for the safety professional is clearly understood by the business community and that safety professionals have the skills needed to compete in the new workplace environment."