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62 members of the United Society of Casualty Inspectors in New York who recognized the
workplace was changing rapidly resulting in an immediate need to reduce the increasing amount
of workplace fatalities and injuries launched the American Society of Safety Engineers on October
14, 1911. This was a daunting task. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1913
documented approximately 23,000 industrial deaths among a workforce of 38 million people,
equivalent to a rate of 61 deaths per 100,000 workers. Insurance carriers having employed
inspectors to profitably underwrite property and employee liability for worker injuries soon saw a
cost benefit relationship between occupational safety engineering and a company’s bottom line.
Thereby they began to meet and share information on best practices in an effort to reduce
workplace risk.
Today ASSE continues to provide its members, employers, employees, the general public and the
media with the most current information and professional development programs on all aspects of
the occupational safety, health and environmental field. This is done through seminars,
symposiums, local chapter meetings, conferences, the ASSE web site, the ASSE Foundation and
ongoing external communications. ASSE also develops nationally and even, internationally
recognized safety standards.
ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety and health organization and is dedicated to
protect people, property and the environment. Its more than 30,000 members manage, supervise, and consult on safety, health and environmental issues in all industries, government, education and insurance.
In 1946, our nation was morning the many losses during World War II and many mothers and
daughters were referred to as “Rosie the Riveter”. In many cases our factories and manufacturing
facilities experienced a dramatic shift in skill level, experience, and gender of the work force. The
acronyms OSHA, CSP, and TCEQ were light years from existence. The shores of the Sabine and
Neches rivers were thriving with industry, including shipbuilding, petrochemicals and logging to
name a few. The Beaumont area had definitely earning its name “Boom Town” and companies
from abroad now looked to the region for expansion. Despite the country’s adversity and lack of
governing forces a few individuals recognized the need for networking of people and ideas to
improve safety in the work place. On February 28, 1946 the Sabine Neches Chapter of the
American Society of Safety Engineers (SNC-ASSE) was chartered.
It’s been 60 years since SNC-ASSE was chartered and our chapter has seen many changes in
leadership and territorial boundaries. The once obsolete acronyms now guide industry standards
and define the term “Safety Professional”. Today, independent icons of industry merge faster that
the printer can change letterhead and organizational structure can be defined. The term safety
professional has taken on a whole new meaning and we now use analogies like “behavioral
process” and “root cause analysis”, and many more. We have come a long way; yet continue to
strive for a goal of zero accidents or incidents.
American Society of Safety Engineers - Sabine Neches Chapter
P.O. Box 1011
Port Neches, Texas 77651-1011
http://www.snc.asse.org/
Russell Robinson, CSP – President Joe Clark – Vice President Les Powell – Secretary Paul Easley - Treasurer