The Southern California Joint Technical Symposium was formed way back in the olden days of the 1980s when two Sections (Orange County and Southern California) of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) held a joint meeting. These two small groups included a powerhouse of eminent environmental health and hygiene professionals who were willing to share their expertise with colleagues by providing short technical presentations.

In 2005, the Orange County Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) joined the AIHA sections, and brought a new class of professional to the JTS: The Safety Pro.

The event was held in Long Beach area until 2017, when the JTS outgrew local venues and moved to the Carson Community Center about 5 miles north.

The JTS has grown organically and impressively to the Premier EHS Symposium of Southern California. Now two ASSP chapters (Long Beach and Orange County) as well as the founding AIHA sections continue to sponsor the JTS each year. With a diverse membership of over 1,000 members, each year the sponsoring organizations of the JTS are proud to attract over 300 prominent practitioners and dozens of sponsoring companies and exhibitors representing the best in current technology and service to the EHS professionals.

Congratulations on a great chapter year. The Long Beach Chapter has achieved Gold level recognition for the 2018-2019 year. This recognition is based from the information your chapter submitted in the Chapter Operations Management Tool. 

The work that goes into achieving this level of success is impressive and greatly appreciated by ASSP.  Your efforts benefit your chapter members and the safety profession as a whole. 

The Platinum and Gold chapters will be recognized at the Chapter Recognition Luncheon taking place at Safety 2020 in Orlando, FL.

Again, congratulations on your accomplishment, and thank you for your work in providing accessible, face-to-face opportunities for ASSP members to become better safety professionals. 

Sincerely,

Arielle Semmel

Sr. Manager Communities

A new Chapter year is upon us and I look forward to leading the organization, with your support.  We will be planning our Chapter year on August 22 at the first officer's meeting. Some suggested meeting ideas I plan to discuss include a presentation at the 3M Training Facility (similar to last year), a tour of the Long Beach Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and a meet / greet / presentation by James Boretti (ASSP Region 1 RVP).  Look for emails on these and many more activities.

My goals for the new year include increasing member involvement and hosting a possible PDC with another ASSP chapter.  Don't forget the annual Joint Technical Symposium (JTS), scheduled for October 16.  This is a great way to network with ASSP / AIHA members, learn something new, and get CEU's.  The ASSP Leadership Conference is October 10-12 in Chicago. I have attended this event several times 

and highly recommend attending;  you'll learn best practices and hear an engaging keynote speaker.  

The Long Beach Chapter is here for you.  The time you invest will bring great returns.  I hope to see you at one or more of our upcoming meetings.  

Steve Comley

Long Beach ASSP President   

Safety 2020 is taking the sunny approach and headed straight down to Orlando, Fla. The 2019 conference touted record setting numbers, and even more growth is expected for the 59th annual conference in Orlando.

While Orlando is known for its more than a dozen theme parks, including Disney World and Universal Studios, the city is also home to the Orange County Convention Center, which is the second-largest convention facility in the United States. According to its website, the OCCC attracts more than 230 events to the Central Florida area with more than 1.4 million attendees.

For more information on ASSP and Safety 2020, visit http://assp.org