Welcome
Welcome to the Heart of America Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers! Our chapter includes nearly 500 safety and health professionals in and around the Kansas City area. The Heart of America Chapter is one of over 148 local chapters organized to offer localized membership services, networking and professional development opportunities through monthly meetings and volunteer activities.
Founded in 1911, ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety organization. Its 33,000 members manage, supervise and consult on safety, health, and environmental issues in industry, insurance, government and education. ASSE is guided by a 16-member Board of Directors, which consists of 8 regional vice presidents; three council vice presidents; Society president, president-elect, senior vice president, vice president of finance and executive director. ASSE has 13 practice specialties, 150 chapters, 56 sections and 64 student sections.
Run for ASSE Regional Vice President of Region V!
Anyone who is interested in running for the office of ASSE Regional Vice President for Region V should contact Eric Hallerud at eric_hallerud@kcmo.org or 816-513-1430. The deadline for nominations is September 30, 2010.
HOA Member Wins Prestigous ASSE Region V Safety Professional of the Year Award
Congratuations to Shelly Killingsworth, past President and current Member-at-Large of the Heart of America Chapter on being named the ASSE Region V Safety Professional of the Year!
Trust Fund Established for UCM Alum and ASSE Member Chris Walters
Chris Walters, a member of Nutmeg Chapter and the Saint Louis Chapter of ASSE, was among five people who lost their lives Sunday in the explosion in Middletown, Connecticut. At the time of his death, he was safety manager of Keystone Construction and Maintenance Services. He was a dedicated member of ASSE, a dedicated safety professional, and a good friend. He leaves a family in Flourissant, MO.
The following Trust fund has been set up for Chris’s family. If anyone has questions or suggestion in publicizing the fund please do not hesitate to contact Mark Steinbrecher at 314.220.6345. For purposes of money being sent to the bank, the account is as follows, checks should be made payable to the V. Chris Walters Family Fund.
V. Chris Walters Family Fund
c/o Parkside Financial Bank & Trust
8112 Maryland Ave. Suite 101
Clayton, MO 63105
We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. Walters and will certainly keep them in our thoughts during this difficult time. We have received questions and offers to help from many of you, and wanted to communicate to those of you who may not have heard. Thank you all for your support and assistance to the family of Mr. Walters.
More information is available at the links below.
- Chris Walters Killed in Connecticut Plant Explosion; Wife Says He Died Doing What He Loved [KSDK]
- Funeral Arrangements Pending for Florissant Father of Three [KMOV]
- ASSE Saddened by Loss of Committed St. Louis Safety Professional in Plant Explosion [ASSE]
Action is Urged to Cut Kansas City's Workers' Compensation Costs
By Lynn Horsley - from KansasCity.com
Lacerations, burns, strained backs and other injuries plague Kansas City municipal employees at a higher rate than in other comparable cities — costing scarce taxpayer dollars in tight budget times.
Kansas City has averaged about 1,200 workers’ compensation claims annually in recent years — about 100 cases a month — and suffered losses of up to $2 million more per year than it should for a city its size, said Eric Hallerud, who last year was hired as Kansas City’s corporate safety manager.
There are proven safety programs that could protect workers and save the city money, but here’s the catch: To save a lot of money in the future, the city needs to spend a little money now. And that may not be possible with a budget that already faces a $62 million shortfall.
The city must move forward now, Hallerud and others say.
