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The National Safety Council (NSC) elected Joseph J. Ucciferro chairman of the board of directors at NSC's 95th Annual Congress and Expo held in Chicago Oct. 12-19. Ucciferro, the president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Day & Zimmermann's Commercial and Public Sector, is known for his commitment and passion for corporate safety and health practices. “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the council as board chairman and help set a course for further reducing injuries here in the United States and internationally,” Uccifero said.

NSC also elected Michael F. Henderek, safety program manager for Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp., to serve as vice chairman to provide oversight of fiduciary and strategic affairs.

Owens Corning manufacturing facilities in Portland, Ore., and Brookville, Ind., have been recognized as national leaders in work site safety by being accepted into OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). “VPP underscores the unconditional commitment that Owens Corning has made to workplace safety,” said Dave Brown, president and CEO of the company, a world leader in building materials systems and glass fiber composites. “I am extremely proud of the employees in Portland and Brookville for their leadership and commitment to safety excellence. As a company, we have worked hard to make safety central to our way of doing business and to engage every employee in the safety process.”

The Gulf Coast chapter of ASSE named FabEnCo Inc., a leading manufacturer of self-closing safety gates, its sponsor of the year. “We're proud to be recognized as sponsor of the year,” said David LaCook, FabEnCo CEO. “Of course, it's only natural we'd support an organization whose member companies in local chapters around the country are major contributors to FabEnCo's bottom line … It's also our way of showing our appreciation to the ASSE Foundation for creating programs like the Medina Scholarship Fund that assists in the education of bilingual safety professionals.”

California-based Underwater Kinetics (UK) has acquired Hang Air Inc., the designers and manufacturers of the HangAir Drying System. The system safely and thoroughly dries thick, protective apparel and gear within 8 hours. UK will maintain the original product name but market it under the UK brand name. “With the addition of the HangAir Drying System to our existing product line, we see a clear opportunity to expand our current leadership role in the hangar market,” said Mike Fattori, sales director.