Summer '96 - Volume 3.1
System Safety Society
FL Chapter News
Meeting Announcement
Ergonomic Management & Analytical Tools
This will be the theme of the next meeting of the System Safety Society's Florida Chapter. Co-sponsoring the meeting is the Central Florida Chapter of the Human Factors Engineering Society(HFES). We are fortunate to host two ergonomics experts from the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine(CHPPM). Cathlyn Wen and Steven Chervak will be speaking about such topics as basic ergonomic program elements, workplace analysis, education and training. They will also be discussing some software, Ergo Analyzer, which contains tools and techniques to help with ergonomic analysis in a variety of settings. The software is available to both government and industry.
Ms. Wen has a MS degree in Human Factors and Safety Engineering from Virginia Tech. Currently, she serves as an Ergonomist at CHPPM where she teaches ergonomic courses and conducts ergonomic site surveys. Prior to joining CHPPM, Ms. Wen studied performance and preference issues in Intelligent Transportation Systems at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and worked at the Eastman Kodak Company evaluating the image quality of radiographs and examining consumer preferences for cameras. She has been a member of the HFES for five years and has published numerous articles relating to Intelligent Transportation Systems, image quality, and camera design.
Mr. Chervak has a Masters of Science degree in Human Factors/Ergonomics Engineering from the University at Buffalo. His time at CHPPM is divided between instructing ergonomics courses and providing worksite surveys for Army installations. Before joining CHPPM, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration's Human Factors in Aging Aircraft programs where he developed a computer based ergonomics survey tool for use in the airline industry and did research in the area of Simplified English. Mr. Chervak also worked at The Center for Industrial Effectiveness where he was an Ergonomics Consultant providing assessments for several Fortune 500 companies. He is a member of the HFES and has several publications in the area of Human Factors and Aviation Maintenance.
In addition to the guest speakers, our chapter's Nominating Committee we will be collecting ballots for officer positions. Connie Perry and John Wolf are assisting Frank Zelesky his role of chairing the Nominating Committee. For those of you that are members, a ballot is included in the newsletter for you to cast your vote for next year's officers. The cutoff for accepting ballots is the meeting, so if you haven't voted, bring your ballot with you to the meeting.
Besides the presentation and ballot collection taking place at the meeting, we will be making some announcements. Of interest will be discussion of the Florida Chapter WWW home page, upcoming events, participation in the upcoming International SSS Conference, as well as other issues.
WHEN: Tue., 7/16/96 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fat Boy's Bar-B-Q 10222 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando
MENU: Buffet(BBQ pork & chicken, beans, potatoes, cole slaw, beverage)
COST: $11.00(incl. SSS cover).
RSVP: Jack Dixon at (407)297-0273 (h) or (407)823-7345 x488 (w)
National SSS News
August will be here before you know it. The 14th International System Safety Society Conference in Albuquerque, NM, is fast approaching. If you haven't registered, take a few minutes to look at what our colleagues in New Mexico have lined up. The latest information can be found on the internet. Use your browser to visit their site on the WWW: http://www.sandia.gov/sys_saf_conf/intro.htm.
Some tutorials being offered this year cover such things as introducing system safety, using the System Safety Analysis Handbook, a mock trial, fuzzy logic, software safety, and process safety management. There looks to be a cadre of very interesting papers being presented at this year's conference. Look for them to cover the latest in these areas: transportation, risk management, space, standards, human factors, materials safety, as well as many more. Also, there will be several roundtable discussions and tours that will be of great interest.
Solicitation has begun for the nomination of officers for the '97-'98 term on the national level of the System Safety Society. If you are interested in running for President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer, contact Paul Kinzey at (804)444-3520 ext. 7232. You must be a Professional Member of the society to run for these positions. The deadline for accepting nominations is June 30, 1996.
A draft System Safety Society Membership Directory is being circulated for comment. Expect to receive your copy soon.
Members have been mailed a solicitation for membership renewal. If yours has arrived, you probably noticed that the dues increased to $65, It has been quite some time since the cost of membership has gone up. The increase is to cover the cost of publishing Hazard Prevention and to tend to the growing administrative tasks of the organization. Most of out members realize the benefits of getting HP and the news it brings of our profession. Hope you all stay aboard!
The Washington, D.C. chapter has formally submitted a proposal to host the 1997 International System Safety Conference. Dates are not solid at this time, but the first choice will be 3-10 August '97. The theme will be Evolution 97: System Safety in a Changing World. Steve Smith is the General Chair. He can be reached at (202)366-2364(w), or by email at smith@mailstorm.dot.gov.
Other News
At the last SSS Meeting(4/24/96), Connie Perry motioned that the President-Elect serve as Program Chair. This is currently handled by a specific person. The motion passed and beginning with the new administration's term, programs will be coordinated by the President-Elect. Of course, if anyone wants to help with putting together a meeting, feel free to volunteer information.
Speaking of officers, let's take a quick moment to introduce those running for office in our chapter. Running for President-Elect is Mike Willoughby. Both Lynn Smith and Ron Larch are running for another term as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Bio's of these people have been published in previous newsletters. These three gentlemen were the people nominated for these positions. However, it is possible to write in a candidate. Of course, only System Safety Society members are eligible to vote.
Our chapter has been nominated for the System Safety Society Chapter of the year award. Connie Perry has worked very hard during her year as president, and the package outlining our credentials for this award reflects the improvements we have made under her leadership. Of course, John Wolf will be taking over for Connie at the next meeting. I hope each of our members gets a chance to express their appreciation to these two people and others for their contribution to our chapter's growth.
Add another site to the WWW! The Florida Chapter is now represented on-line. For now, our homepage is not a work of art, but is functional. Point your browser towards our URL, http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~mck44380/flsss.htm. Expect upgrades routinely. As the format settles in, you will be able to find the latest SSS news, useful tools, reference material, and information about what is happening locally with system safety. Send ideas and suggestions about how to improve our site to kochmanm@stricom.army.mil.
Points of Contact
President: Connie Perry (407) 823-9886
Secretary: Ron Larch (407) 281-1140
Treasurer: Lynn Smith (407) 452-3797
Membership Chair and Newsletter Editor: Mike Kochmann (407) 366-2097
Program Chair: Jack Dixon (407) 297-0273
President-Elect: John Wolf (904)248-2593
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