Monday, January 23, 2012

Check Out ASSE's BoK

For a living reference that represents the collective knowledge of the SH&E profession be sure to visit ASSE’s new Body of Knowledge (BoK). Over the past century, ASSE volunteer members have created Professional Safety journal articles, conference and symposium proceeding papers, white papers, books and standards, all of which are uploaded to the site. In addition, the BoK now features digital copies of PowerPoint presentations, webinars and audio-presentation recordings, and pulls from other sources of knowledge such as OSHA, EPA, NIOSH, trade associations and consensus standard-writing bodies as well. These organizations also have articles, white papers, research and other publications that support numerous topics in the SH&E field. ASSE members are constantly scanning these sources and are in the best position to identify valuable public domain assets that can be easily uploaded into the BoK, says Chairman Jeff Camplin. He adds that this formal listing of safety and health information identifies gaps in topic areas where limited knowledge exists and will form the basis of more targeted research to fill those gaps. According to Camplin, the site’s biggest benefit is its ability to allow for member engagement and interaction on thousands of topic areas to share and create safety and health knowledge. Veteran SH&E professionals can use the BoK as a general resource for cutting-edge information on those SH&E topic areas, and can also identify their own areas of expertise and contribute their own knowledge. For students or new professionals, this site provides a learning center for those lacking critical competencies in the profession. Most importantly, Camplin says, the BoK serves as a vehicle to promote the importance of SH&E in organizations, in that it demonstrates its breadth and depth for those unaware or newly interested in the SH&E profession. For more information, click here.