ASSE/SEMA Newsletter

American Society Safety Engineering (ASSE), Professional Organization, Student Chapter

Safety, Environmental Management Association (SEMA), Student Organization

 

 

 

                                                 Events                                                                       Contents

 

                                                              Nov. 28th Fall Festival                                                 Research project ideas

 

                                                      Nov. 3rd SEMA/ASSE Meeting                                          ASSE/SEMA Website

 

                                                      Nov. 6th – 9th ASSE Conference                                          Environmental News

                                                              Louisville, Kentucky

                                                                                                                                                            Safety News

                                                                 Nov. 10th – 14th

                                                       Vote for new leadership team!                                       Current SEMA/ASSE Officers

                                                                                        

                                                       Nov. 10th ASSE joint meeting                                      Members graduating in December

                                                                  Stillwater, OK                                            

 

                                                        THANKSGIVING BREAK

                                                                 Nov. 26th – 28th

 

                                                      Dec. 1st SEMA/ASSE Meeting

 

                                                          Semester comes to an end!

                                                            CHRISTMAS BREAK

                                                                       Dec. 19th

 

 

Research Project

 

The SEMA/ASSE research project is coming up soon and we still need ideas! Any ideas can be brought up in the next meeting and possibly voted on afterwards. Last years research project involved junk mail and its effects on landfills, it was a great project and NSU won 3rd place, placing above many “well-known” colleges. So, we are hoping to get a head start on this year’s project so we can hopefully come out in first place!

 

ASSE/SEMA Website

 

Any up-coming information will be posted on the ASSE/SEMA website.

http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~sema/

There is lots of great information about the group including an updated calendar, faculty members, student leadership team and contact information, the Newsletter just in case you miss this one! Also, pictures and a lot of helpful environmental and safety links. Chris Stevens has done a great job keeping the website up to date which has been very helpful! So, a special thanks to Chris for all of your hard work!

 

Environmental News

IMO Sets Sail for Global Action on Pollution from Large Ships

Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn (202) 564-4355 / milbourn.cathy@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. - Oct. 10, 2008) With the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) adoption of new emissions standards for large diesel ships and their fuels, EPA can now move forward with a domestic rulemaking action under the Clean Air Act. When fully implemented, this will help reduce harmful emissions by 80 percent or more from large diesel ships, including those that are foreign-flagged operating in U.S. waters.

"Massive reductions in air pollution from these large ships will help 87 million Americans living in areas around ports that don't meet air quality standards breathe cleaner air," said Margo T. Oge, director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality. "Pollution emitted by ships along the U.S. coastlines and waterways can move inland where it worsens air quality."

As emissions decline from other transportation sources, ship emissions will become a larger part of the nation's pollution inventory. In 2001, oceangoing vessels contributed nearly six percent of nitrogen oxide (NOx), more than 10 percent of particulate matter (PM), and about 40 percent of sulfur dioxide (SOx) to the nation's air pollution from mobile sources. Without further controls, pollution will increase to about 34 percent of NOx, 45 percent of PM, and 94 percent of SOx emissions by 2030. Ocean-going vessels dock at over 100 U.S. ports. More than 40 of these ports are in metropolitan areas that do not meet federal air quality standards.

For more information on this subject visit:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/24a02c8a96574d3f852574de005b6308!OpenDocument

 

 

Safety News

 

American Society of Safety Engineers’ Members Express Concern about MRSA Infections, Recommend Ways to Prevent Infection in the Workplace

 

Contact: Joanna Climer, 847-768-3404, jeclimer@asse.org

 

Des Plaines, IL (October 13, 2008) — Members of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) are concerned about the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureaus (MRSA) infections in the workplace. As a result, ASSE professional member Aruna Vadgama, RN, MPA, CSP, CPHQ, CPE, COHN-S, SRN, CHRM recently discussed ways to prevent MRSA infection in the workplace in an ASSE Healthcare Practice Specialty’s newsletter HealthBeat article titled, “MRSA Infection Control: Best Practices”.


According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 126,000 hospitalizations are related to MRSA each year; and 70 percent of hospital-acquired infections are due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA, with MRSA infections being one of the strongest and fastest-growing.

According to the article, MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is of concern to hospital staff because it is strongly resistant to methicillin and to other modern antibiotics, but it can be treated with several other available antibiotics. Staph lives on human skin and/or in the nasal area and can cause a wide range of illnesses from minor skin infections to life-threatening diseases. Infection can be spread through contact with pus from an infected wound, skin-to-skin contact, as well as from contact with other objects --as staph can exist on surfaces for up to six hours. In hospitals, people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to staph infections.

 

“Good hygiene, particularly regular and thorough hand washing, offers the best protection (against infection),” Vadgama wrote. “The key to treating any disease and/or illness is early detection, early diagnosis, proper treatment and follow up.”

MRSA is not always easy to detect. A person may be colonized by MRSA, meaning they are infected and are carriers of the disease but show no symptoms. Vadgama notes that nasal swabs are a good way to detect MRSA infection in people who do not show symptoms, as staph infections are commonly found in the nasal area.

 

For more information on this subject visit:

http://www.asse.org/newsroom/release.php?pressRelease=1129

 

Current SEMA/ASSE Officers

 

 

                                                                  President                                                 Terry Horton

                                                                  Vice-President                                        Chris Stevens

                                                                  Public Relations                                      Chad Hawkins

                                                                  Secretary                                                  Jordan Cosner

                                                                  Senate Representative                            Andy Cain

                                                                  Treasurer                                                 Paula Wiswell

                                                                  Faculty Sponsors                                     Ms. Ellis & Dr. Turner

 

This years membership has rose quite a bit which is a great thing but we still need to get the word out to everyone on what we are about and keep recruiting new members! Keep up the great work everyone!

 

 

Members Graduating in December

 

Jordan Cosner

Michael Reed

Bridgett Perez

Michael Markel

Jimmy Pike

Paula Wisewell

 

 

An End Note

 

I just want everyone to know that it has been a great pleasure to be a part of this group and I hope everyone has as much fun I have had. This group is a great way to get a foot in the door for those planning on graduating any time soon, or later! The faculty sponsors and the teachers here at NSU are great people who will offer help in a heartbeat; all anyone has to do is ask. I speak for myself definitely when I say they have been a substantial help in my planning for my future in these career fields. I hope everyone has had a great semester so far and look forward to the breaks coming soon! Good luck in classes!

 

Sincerely, Jordan Cosner