Kids From Maryland, New Jersey and Chicago Win American Society of Safety Engineers' 'Safety-On-The-Job' Poster Contest for NAOSH Week

DES PLAINES, Ill., April 2 -- The American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) officials announced that the winners of the national 'Safety-on-the-Job' poster contest open to ASSE members' children from four age groups are Michael A. Owen, 6, of Burtonsville, MD; Rachel Hunnicutt, 8, of Montague, NJ; Jerome Ezra Rhodes, 9, of Chicago, IL; and, Keith Sneddon, 11, of Forest Hill, MD.

ASSE officials said the winning entries went above and beyond in illustrating safety on the job in this contest open to all ASSE members' children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews for age groups 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12. The contest is part of this year's ASSE North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) week celebration that takes place from May 4 - 10. Each of the four winners receive a $1,000 savings bond and the runners-up receive gift certificates.

"It is so important to not only teach our children about public safety, for instance not to talk to strangers or to look both ways before crossing the street, but to teach them about other types of safety risks they may encounter as they get older, such as in the workplace, along with some solutions," ASSE President Mark Hansen, P.E., C.S.P, said. "This poster contest helps us, as parents, discuss with our children just what workplace safety is. And the results have been incredible, colorful and extremely creative."

Michael A. Owen's winning poster titled "Be Safe Around Robots" highlights the issue of lockout-tagout -- a means of identifying circuits, systems, or items of equipment for the purpose of alerting persons that a tagged circuit, system, or piece of equipment is undergoing servicing, maintenance, or repair and is therefore out of service and not to be used. Michael, 6, is a cub scout and enjoys building models, science and sports. His ASSE sponsor is his father, Michael V. Owen a member of ASSE Region VI's National Capital Chapter.

Rachel Hunnicutt's winning poster titled "Stay Safe on the Job" highlights safety equipment -- safety glasses, heavy-duty gloves, steel toe boots and hard hats. Rachel, 8, enjoys sewing, crafts and drawing animals. Rachel's ASSE sponsor is her father, William C. Hunnicutt of ASSE Region VIII's New Jersey Chapter.

Jerome Ezra Rhodes' winning poster titled "Pay Attention" tells a brief story about recognizing a puddle at the workplace, cleaning it up, then putting up a 'wet floor' safety warning sign. Jerome, 9, enjoys playing sports, inventing things, and playing games such as chess. Jerome's ASSE sponsor is his mother, Linda G. Rhodes of ASSE Region V's Greater Chicago Chapter.

Keith Sneddon's winning poster titled "As Soon as They Start They're Safety Smart" illustrates the importance of work zone safety on our roadways. On average, 760 workers die each year while working on roadway improvements. Keith, 11, enjoys soccer, skateboarding, baseball, skiing and video games. Keith's ASSE sponsor is his father, Andrew J. Sneddon of ASSE Region VI's Chesapeake Chapter.

There were two runners up in each of the four age categories. The runners- up in the age 5-6 category are Tessa Farthing, 6, of Fairfield, OH for her poster titled "Radiation Safety," sponsored by ASSE member Phil Combest of ASSE Region I's Orange County Chapter, and Caleb Brunkon, 5, of Tucson, AZ for his poster titled "Safety Guidelines," sponsored by his father, new ASSE member Matthew Brunkon.

The runners-up in the age 7-8 category are Christian Niedenthal, 7, of Eureka, MO, for his poster titled "Good Linemen Always Be Careful - Wear Your Hardhat," sponsored by his father Gilbert C. Niedenthal of ASSE Region V's St. Louis chapter, and Nicolette Arrotti, 8, of Farmington, CT, for her poster titled "Wear All Safety Equipment," sponsored by her father Gerard Arrotti of ASSE Region VIII's Connecticut Valley Chapter.

The runners-up in the age 9-10 category are Noah Baggett, 9, of Corona, CA, for his poster titled "Got Safety?" sponsored by his father Harvey D. Baggett of ASSE Region I's Orange County Chapter, and Megan Baldassari, 10, of Sulphur, LA for her poster titled "Get Cookin' at work, but don't leave your pans on the stove" sponsored by ASSE member Kathy E. Kiestler of ASSE Region IV's Imperial Calcasieu Chapter.

The runners-up in the age 11-12 category are Alyssa Garcia, 11, of Oyster Bay, NY, for her poster titled "Safety at Work: the Carpenter Shop," sponsored by her father Angelo Garcia a member of ASSE Region VIII's Long Island Chapter, and Lauren Baldassari, 12, of Sulphur, LA for her poster titled "Lift with legs ... " also sponsored by ASSE member Kathy E. Kiestler.

All those who entered the contest will receive gift certificates as well as having their posters displayed at the ASSE June 2003 Professional Development Conference and Exhibition in Denver. For information on how to participate in NAOSH week and to view the poster entries check ASSE's NAOSH web page by going to www.asse.org, then to ASSE news and the NAOSH prompt in the middle of the page or call ASSE's customer service at 847-699-2929.

Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, IL-based ASSE is the world's oldest and largest professional safety organization. ASSE has 30,000 safety professional members located throughout the U.S. and abroad who manage, supervise and consult on safety, health and environmental issues in industry, government, labor and education.