David V. MacCollum was a pioneer in the safety, health, and environmental field. With a career in safety that spanned 60 years, MacCollum’s accolades were as illustrious as they were substantial.
MacCollum was the third-ever Certified Safety Professional (CSP), received the CSP Award of Excellence and the BCSP Lifetime Achievement Award, served as President of ASSE, was a member of the U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Construction Safety Advisory Committee, was a published author, and was named a Fellow by ASSE in 1999—the organization’s highest honor—among other accomplishments.
As part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s, MacCollum’s work was instrumental in developing roll-over protection structures for tractors and other construction equipment. In an interview with BCSP in 2011, MacCollum said “If we are to be successful, we have to overcome traditional priorities—the conventional wisdoms that came about when little was known of safety, but that people still believe.”
MacCollum was a champion of prevention, rather than reaction. “People often become interested in safety only after someone is hurt. This is wrong. Safety professionals need to be involved at the start. Hazards can and should be overcome by design,” continued MacCollum in the 2011 interview.
“We were honored to know Mr. MacCollum and have him as such an integral part of BCSP’s history,” said BCSP CEO Dr. Treasa Turnbeaugh, MBA, CSP, ASP, CIT, CAE, IOM, FASSP. “We are truly saddened by his departure, but tremendously proud of the advancements he made to the profession and to the immeasurable lives he helped save.”
MacCollum finished our 2011 interview with a simple piece of advice: “We should be spokespeople for our profession.”
We will do our best to carry out your wishes, David.
David V. MacCollum, 96, was a past president of ASSE and was a member of the first U.S. Secretary of Labor’s Construction Safety Advisory Committee [1969-1972]. He specialized in safety research and technical assistance on high-risk hazards to enterprise, insurance companies, universities, trade associations, attorneys, and government for over 20 years and was involved in the development of rollover protections and other safeguards and innovative construction methods and procedures. Mr. MacCollum held a B.S. degree from Oregon State University and was a Registered Professional Engineer and Certified Safety Professional.