Every day, millions of people go to work and return home safely – injury- and illness-free – thanks in part to the commitment of occupational safety, health and environmental practitioners.

These safety engineers work to identify hazards and implement safety advances across all industries with the goal of reducing workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses.

The American Society of Safety Engineers, founded in 1911, is the oldest professional safety organization, representing more than 32,000 global SH&E practitioners committed to protecting people, property and the environment. ASSE members are at the forefront of safety engineering, design, standards development, management and education and training for hundreds of thousands of businesses, organizations and governments worldwide.

Regionally, the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the ASSE celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. The chapter includes more than 150 members from Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Schuylkill, Carbon and Monroe counties.

Altogether, ASSE has 151 chapters, 35 sections and 60 student sections and has members in 75 countries. Its members serve on more than 40 safety and health standards committees, including the International Organization for Standardization, and lead the way in contributing to new legislation designed to better protect workers.

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of ASSE was chartered Oct. 27, 1962. Chapter officers include president Bruce Everett, vice president Bruce Mellott, secretary Thomas Shaffer, treasurer Linda Sanchez and delegate to the society house of delegates Joseph Branco. Past president Gordon Smoko is membership chair.

Looking forward to the next 50 years of development in safety, the Lehigh Valley Chapter and its members continue to work toward increasing awareness about the importance of workplace safety and health. For more information about the Valley chapter, visit lv.asse.org/.