In a recent congratulatory letter to President George W. Bush, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) offered its expertise and assistance on future safety, health and environmental issues to the president.
"We pride ourselves on our dedication to excellence, expertise and the commitment to the protection of people, property and the environment on a worldwide basis," ASSE President Samuel Gualardo, CSP, said in his Jan. 25 letter to Bush. "ASSE members are leaders in their field with the knowledge and expertise needed to move safety and health forward on a global level. They assist in developing national and international safety standards and national regulations based on their experience and knowledge."
In his written response submitted to ASSE before the Nov. 7 election to a series of questions concerning occupational safety and health, Bush responded first by stating "promoting workplace safety is a common goal that unites both employers and employees."
His response went on to say, "OSHA should be a partner with U.S. companies and not an adversary. While the enforcement of health and safety regulations must remain a tool of OSHA, as president, I will place a renewed focus on education, consultation, training and outreach -- particularly for America''s small businesses -- to be proactive and help prevent workplace accidents from occurring. OSHA''s worksite inspections should continue; however, OSHA should move away from citing small businesses for unimportant paperwork violations and instead focus on serious violations that cause harm to workers."
In his letter, ASSE''s Gualardo told Bush that there is great opportunity for significant benefit if partnership can be achieved.
"The result will be innovative methods to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of occupational safety and health and environmental management," wrote Gualardo. "Once more, we congratulate you and look forward to working with you on future safety, health and environmental issues."
by Virginia Sutcliffe