Chapter News

Michigan Safety Conference

A.J. Hale, President of the 2007 Michigan Safety Conference (MSC) gave out several awards at the President’s Reception on Monday, April 16, 2007.  The Michigan Safety Conference is a 2 day safety and health conference held every spring in Michigan.  This year’s conference will be April 17-18, 2007 at the DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Darryl C. Hill, CSP, Health and Safety Officer for ABB, North America received the Distinguished Service to Safety Award given to a MSC volunteer for outstanding service to the conference and accomplishments in the safety profession. Darryl has been active in the Michigan Safety Conference since 1995, serving on the Board of Directors, Executive Board and as the President in 2006. Darryl served on Industrial Division, Promotion and Publicity and the Scholarship Committee.

As the Safety & Health Officer at ABB North America, Darryl is responsible for over 20,000 employees and contractors. He serves on the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Executive Committee as Vice President – Finance and is editor and contributing author of the ASSE best-selling book, Construction Safety Management & Engineering. Darryl was named the ASSE Edgar Monsanto Queeny National Safety Professional of the Year in 1997. Darryl is an adjunct instructor at Oakland University.

MaryAnn L. Northcote, CPP, CHSP, CEA, Director of Loss Control at Trinity Health Insurance and Risk Management Services was named the 2007 Safety Professional of the Year.  Since 2001, she has served as Director of Loss Control for the fourth largest Catholic healthcare system in the U.S. and has organized and led the workers’ compensation redesign team, the ergonomics team, the needle stick prevention task force and the safe patient lifting team.  In addition she produces and implements template loss control programs for ergonomics, slip and fall prevention, defensive driving, drug testing, smallpox prevention and return to work.

MaryAnn is a member of the National Safety Council, National Fire Protection Association, American Society for Industrial Security and Michigan Safety Conference.  She has served as Chairperson of the Healthcare Division of the Michigan Safety Conference as well as a member of the division for many years.

E-mail irionsandymsc@hotmail.com or check our website for more information on programs and registration:  www.michsafetyconference.org

Renee Hawatmeh received the UPS Diversity Scholarship from the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation. By Rebecca Wyatt, OU Web Writer

The American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation recently awarded OU occupational safety and health senior Renee Hawatmeh with a United Parcel Service (UPS) Diversity Scholarship for $5,250, which will help Hawatmeh finish her degree without the burden of student loans. "I'm going to use the scholarship money to pay off my students loans," said Hawatmeh. "I'm really glad I can get through these last few classes and not have to worry about that."

Education has always been an important part of Hawatmeh's life, but so has her culture. Her family is from Jordan and her parents hold to traditions. Hawatmeh said she did not have the option to go away to school, and OU provided an excellent program close to home. She originally came to OU after two years at Macomb Community College to study physical therapy but after meeting with the occupational safety and health program Director Charles McGlothlin, Hawatmeh changed her major.

"I never knew anything about occupational safety and health, but Dr. McGlothlin made me really interested in it," said Hawatmeh. After her first class, Safety Training Methods, she was hooked.

"My grades dramatically improved after I changed my major. Studying didn't feel like studying because I actually enjoyed learning about it," said Hawatmeh. "I started working on some research and was invited to attend conferences where I was able to network and learn more about the field."

Hawatmeh attended the Michigan Safety Conference in Lansing, Mich., the National Safety Leaders Conference in Cleveland, Ohio and presented a critique of research on working midnight shifts at a conference in South Carolina.

"All of our classes here at OU required us to complete presentations and papers on research so presenting in front of an audience felt very normal to me," said Hawatmeh.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is providing the opportunity for the scholarship winners to attend the ASSE Professional Development Conference and Exposition in June in Seattle, Wash., where they will receive their awards and Hawatmeh hopes to attend that conference as well.

Hawatmeh credits her education at Oakland for preparing her with a solid foundation for a career in occupational safety and health one that landed her an internship this summer at General Motors. "The program included a lot of science. I took plenty of the science classes, which is helpful for me because I want to learn a lot of occupational safety and health, but I'm very interested in the health side of it," said Hawatmeh.

She also had classes in safety training, accident prevention and robotics, and outside of the classroom she was involved with the ASSE student group on campus, which is how she heard about the scholarships that were offered and decided to apply.

Applicants had to complete a 300-word essay, provide recommendations from faculty and include transcripts from all colleges and universities they attended. Hawatmeh was pleased to learn she had received the UPS award. This year, she also received a $2,500 scholarship from DaimlerChrysler.

"I have worked 30-35 hours a week while going to school full time for the past four years. These scholarships help me to finish paying for my education and allow me to focus on the next phase of my life," said Hawatmeh, who is considering returning for a master's degree in the newly-established Master of Science in Safety Management program after gaining some work experience.

Right now, Hawatmeh just wants to learn as much as she can about the field through her internship with GM.

"Helping people is my passion," said Hawatmeh. "I can't wait to get out there and start applying what I have learned."

For more information on Oakland's occupational safety and health program, visit the School of Health Sciences Web site or call (248)370-3562.