DES PLAINES, IL (September 22, 2009) – Officials of the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Region V operating committee, representing 16 ASSE chapters located primarily in the Midwest, voted Friday to approve the Egypt section as a chapter and as part of its region. ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety society with 32,000+ occupational safety, health and environmental (SH&E) professional members located worldwide committed to protecting people, property and the environment. The Egypt section has 130 members and was formed in March of 2000 as the third international section. The next step is for the ASSE Board of Directors to vote on approving the change at their September 30 meeting.
“It was exciting to witness Region V representatives unanimously vote to change the status of the Egypt section to a chapter. Safety is a global issue and it is imperative that safety professionals throughout the world take part in ASSE which provides cutting edge information and strives to elevate safety to the highest level,” ASSE Regional Vice President Maribeth Anderson, of Chicago, said. “I believe that the members of the Egypt section showed great initiative and professionalism to meet the criteria for chapter membership. They have been a major contributor in spreading the importance of workplace safety to businesses, employees and families internationally. We have learned a lot from their experiences in working with a variety of cultures while developing and implementing safety processes throughout Egypt and hope to learn more. As the regional vice president, I look forward to serving their needs to help see them grow and be a role model for future chapters throughout the world as we all work towards preventing workplace injuries and illnesses.”
The ASSE Egypt section recently held its first SH&E forum in Cairo to increase chapter
eligibility by sharing experiences, to promote membership and to discuss developing a body of knowledge relevant to the profession through future technical meetings. Topics discussed included the importance of personal protection equipment (PPE) and new technologies; clarification of Egypt’s national occupational safety and health strategy; safety understanding; and the role of international standards in SH&E applications.
“The chance to include someone new in something good is always heartening,” ASSE member Linda Hiser added. “The opportunity to vote “aye” on the creation of the new Egypt Chapter of the Society was an example of just that. I was happy and proud to be a part of it.”
The officers in the ASSE Egypt section are: Said Khalifa, president; Wael Abd El Ghany, vice president; Yassin Darwish, secretary; and, Salah Shabaan, treasurer.
Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members lead, manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor, health care and education. For more information on ASSE visit www.asse.org.