Prevention Rather Than Cure” has been ASSE’s motto for as long as anyone can remember. It is a motto that we quote often and proudly put on every bag, shirt, or cup we can. Every standard that ASSE develops is a health and safety standard — we are proud that the work we do helps to prevent illnesses from happening. Our work is proactive so that our nation’s healthcare systems don’t have to be reactive. The ASSE product standards and listing program, as well as the ASSE professional qualifications standards and certification programs, help protect the health and safety of the public, as well as our maintenance and service personnel and construction workers. This is even more critical in buildings occupied by immune compromised people, including hospitals, nursing homes, and multifamily residences. Hats off to all of you who work in the plumbing, piping, and HVAC industries to help protect people from illness or injury.
As you are probably aware, backflow prevention is the backbone of ASSE’s programs. It is so important in assuring clean and safe drinking water across the country and around the world. But backflow prevention is not all that ASSE does. We invite you to learn about ASSE’s other product and personnel programs and learn how they too achieve our motto of “Prevention Rather Than Cure.”
I have been a strong supporter of ASSE and its motto for nearly 24 years. Now, I am retiring! I’m passing the torch to other members of the ASSE staff, knowing that they will continue to develop new and innovative ways to bring standards, certifications, and listings to the forefront of our industry. There has been a lot of growth for ASSE during those 24 years, and I am very glad to have been a part of it. We have introduced personnel certification for those who work on fire protection systems, rainwater catchment systems, infection control risk assessments, service plumbing, residential fire systems, and hydronic systems, and there are many others in development.
The credit for protecting health and safety also goes to the committee members and working group members, all volunteers, who give their time and expertise to this cause. Whether they contribute to standards development or to technical committees creating exam questions, they are all very much appreciated. I have learned so much from my involvement with these members.
The newest member of the ASSE team is Kathleen Huttner. Kathleen is the Senior Director of Testing and Credential Services and oversees ASSE and IAPMO professional testing and credentialing. Kathleen spent the past 15 years as the Executive Director for an association in the dental industry that focused primarily on certification programs for dentists. Her experience running certification programs, as well as being the leader of that organization, will suit her well in her role at ASSE. Welcome Kathleen!
Kathleen has been tasked with writing this column in the future. If you have any suggestions for future articles, or if you would like to be involved on working groups or committees, please contact Kathleen at Kathleen.Huttner@asse-plumbing.org.
