President's Message from
Don Westbrook
The beginning of a New Year is a time for reflection on
the past and a look forward to the future; in other words, gauging where
we stand as an organization. Over the past three years that I have been
involved with the local section I have been amazed at how active we have
been as a local section. For instance, the new and improved web site
that Gary Shrum developed and maintains is an excellent resource that
provides us with both current and historical information. Newsletters,
program updates, member contact information, meeting minutes, and
government affairs updates can all be accessed from the website.
Additionally, annual dues and PDC/Fall Conference fees can now be paid
online through Paypal.
Speaking of programs, all of our meetings, PDCs, and
conferences have been very interesting and well attended this past year.
Mark Smith is currently planning a Spring PDC on machine guarding and we
will also be holding several telewebs on various IH topics throughout
the year at the Sagebrush restaurant in Oak Ridge. We also have the
informative newsletter that is published quarterly by Janet
Rowe-Eikenberry, which keeps us up to date on membership news and
emerging IH issues.
Overall, I think we have a very active section that
provides value to our membership as well as to other safety and health
professionals in our region. We need to make sure this trend continues.
As you can see, volunteerism is the key to a successful organization. I
would like to thank all of our officers, board members, committee
chairs, and other volunteers for their hard work and contributions to
the local section. In order to maintain and grow our section, please
consider volunteering in the future.
