Waring Award

History and Origination:

​

This safety professional award started in approximately 1980. It was essentially the first 'Safety Professional of the Year' award presented in Western New York. The original presenting organization was the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce (now called the Greater Buffalo Niagara Partnership).  The safety professionals involved were among our early great safety practitioners. That includes Joe Conaval  (who composed the Invocation Prayer that has been read for many years after, at the WNYSC award Luncheons. This is currently published on the last page of the WNYSC Bylaws), Jim Murty, and Edward J. Waring. The safety professional award was passed on to the already well established Western New York Safety Conference in 1987. Joe, Jim and Edward were also members of the Western New York Safety Conference.

​

(The WNYSC was founded in the winter of 1935, when a group of foresighted and safety-minded individuals in this area got together and discussed the importance of safety promotion and education to both workers and management. After several meetings, these safety crusaders organized the Western New York Safety conference. The late Frank Redmond, of the Associated Industries of New York State was elected the first general chairman.)

​

During the annual Western New York Safety Conference, and starting in 1987, we have continued the annual presentation of this local safety professional award.  It was named after Edward J. Waring, who was part of the original Chamber of Commerce award committee.  He was an early member of the Western New York Safety Conference.  Professionally, he was a safety professional for one of the local insurance companies.  When the Western New York Safety Conference named the award, they selected past member Edward J. Waring as the award name to honor this professional who represented a lifelong commitment to accident and injury reduction. 

​

From 1987 to 1993, the Local Niagara Frontier Section of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the WNYSC awarded the safety professional award (SPY and Waring) jointly.  Since then, the awards selection process and presentation has been done separately, during the same WNYSC awards luncheon.