Occupational safety and health professionals can transform their company鈥檚 safety program from a compliance-driven cost center into a corporate sustainability initiative with help from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). ASSP鈥檚 comprehensive Safety Standards Toolbox on Sept. 24-25 will give registrants access to four webinars and nearly 50 voluntary national consensus standards that promote industry best practices and address leading causes of citations.
鈥淭he webinars will show safety professionals how to leverage standards to drive performance improvements that reduce injuries, save lives and boost profits at their workplaces,鈥� said Tim Fisher, ASSP鈥檚 director of standards and technical services. 鈥淎nyone involved with the remediation of workplace hazards can significantly advance their company by acquiring these standards and learning how to optimize their implementation.鈥� The two-day event includes four 90-minute webinars and 30-day electronic access to download a group of standards. Safety professionals can conveniently register on the ASSP website.
As an advocate for workplace safety, ASSP understands the importance of leading the evolution of voluntary safety standards. ASSP is the secretariat for many standards committees in the United States and worldwide, ensuring that standards are developed and revised in accordance with guidelines from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
While regulatory entities like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establish workplace standards mandated by law, voluntary consensus standards are those guidelines that safety-minded organizations choose to implement because of their merit. Consensus standards reference state-of-the-art practices and technologies while addressing gaps where no regulatory standard exists in today鈥檚 rapid-changing environment.
鈥淥rganizations with true safety cultures go beyond complying with OSHA regulations,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淭hey hold themselves to a higher standard so they can eliminate risks that cause worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities in addition to reducing claims costs and reputational damage.鈥� The four webinars are divided into the categories of 鈥淔ocus on General Industry鈥� on Sept. 24 and 鈥淔ocus on Construction and Demolition鈥� on Sept. 25. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got some great experts lined up for the webinars, and getting access to nearly 50 standards in one shot is an amazing opportunity for the safety and health professional,鈥� Fisher said.