DES PLAINES, ILLINOIS (August 30, 2001) - As America looks at Labor Day as the last vacation weekend of the summer, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) applauds the American workers whose determination and hard work in the decades before allow us to have the freedom to enjoy this holiday. ASSE also urges employers to recognize the value of safety in honor of the American worker. For instance, as the construction industry recorded the highest number of fatal injuries last year a recent ASSE Foundation-funded study found 'a strong correlation between corporate culture and good safety records in this industry and that certain cultural characteristics are more prone to affect a safety record.'

      "As we look back onto the great strides in workplace safety made over the years, we also have to look at the fact that last year 5,915 people died from work-related injuries and that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, construction recorded the highest number," ASSE President Eddie Greer, CSP, said today. "There are several ways to address this. We know from our international conference on contractor safety held last fall in London that corporations, contractors and employees must make safety a part of the initial planning of any construction project. Also, a recent Foundation funded study of construction firms found that the company committed to safety also had the most consistent positive safety record."

      The Foundation-funded study done this year by Dr. Keith R. Molenaar of the Construction Engineering and Management Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder titled 'Corporate Culture in Companies with Outstanding Construction Safety' found three critical characteristics of corporate culture that influenced safety performance. Those characteristics are 1) the value of upper management's commitment to company safety; 2) the incentives that are offered to field personnel for safe performance; and, 3) the involvement of subcontractors in the company's culture. The report defines corporate culture as the beliefs, values and behaviors that are consistent throughout all members of the organization.

      The report recommended that upper management make safety a strategic concern, actively participate in safety, assign safety responsibilities at field levels -- not just with safety personnel, identify and correct unsafe behaviors before they result in accidents, and offer meaningful incentives for safe performance.

      As for safety professionals, Greer states, "we need to be an integral part of the leadership team within our companies, in any industry. That means communicating the vision that fatalities and injuries are unacceptable."

      Greer also recommends that safety professionals need to step back, analyze leading indicators such as near misses and unsafe conditions and take action before problems arise or get worse. "It takes leadership to do that," Greer said.

      "Although times have changed since 1894 when Congress first passed an act making the first Monday of September a legal holiday, Labor Day, there is still much more that needs to be done to reduce the hundreds of thousands who are inflicted each year with work-related illnesses, injuries and loss of life," Greer said. "Safety is an investment more companies need to be banking on."

      In an effort to address these challenges, ASSE and its members provide ongoing educational programs such as the ASSE Construction Safety Symposium to take place this November 8-9th in New Orleans. Agenda items include an update on fall prevention, the second leading cause of work-related deaths and the primary cause of deaths in the construction industry; an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) update on construction industry regulations; safety training for non-English speaking employees; effective training techniques for the safety professional in construction; managing subcontractor liability, and improving crane safety.

      ASSE is the oldest and largest society of safety professionals in the world. Founded in 1911, the non-profit ASSE represents more than 30,000 safety professionals including Certified Safety Professionals, Certified Industrial Hygienists, Professional Engineers, Ergonomists, Academicians, Fire Protection Engineers, System Safety Experts, Health Professionals, Transportation Specialists, and a wide collection of other disciplines, skills, and backgrounds. Additionally, the ASSE Foundation funds scholarships and research in the area of occupational safety and health. More information on the Foundation study and Construction Symposium can be found on ASSE's web site atwww.asse.org.

     

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