Transition

The regulatory landscape has been very slow to change, my older and wiser self now realizes. Still, I hope that during the past 23 years, we've largely accomplished the spirit of what I promised at the outset.

I recently found the issue of Occupational Health & Safety in which I introduced myself to the readership. (Hint: It's so old that the issue isn't available on our website, where issues dating back to January 2003 are archived.)

My first issue as the editor of this magazine was our December 1995 issue. I was introducing a new editorial team for this magazine and, most significantly, the addition of Linda Johnson—now Linda Johnson Sherrard—as our technical editor.

One thing that stands out in my editor's note in that issue seems like irrational exuberance to me now: "I'm confident that together, we will continue to provide unsurpassed coverage of occupational safety, health and hygiene issues, regardless of how fast the regulatory landscape changes."

The regulatory landscape has been very slow to change, my older and wiser self now realizes. Still, I hope that during the past 23 years, we've largely accomplished the spirit of what I promised at the outset.

I'm reminiscing a bit because my tenure as OH&S editor is coming to an end. At the end of this month, I am retiring from the position and from 1105 Media Inc., our parent company.

I've enjoyed this work very much, have met and worked with many wonderful people along the way, and I am sure that I will greatly miss the ones I've worked with while serving as this magazine's editor.

I am passing the torch to Sydny Shepard, currently the executive editor of another magazine we publish named Campus Security & Life Safety. You'll be hearing from her soon in this space, as well as when she becomes the chief moderator of our very popular webinars. Both of us are attending ASSP's Safety 2019 trade show in New Orleans this month; I hope she'll get to meet many of you there.

This article originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.

About the Author

Jerry Laws is Editor of Occupational Health & Safety magazine, which is owned by 1105 Media Inc.

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