ASSP Hosts Women's Safety Summit
"By harnessing our collective power, we can lead a deeper global conversation and make a lasting impact for women everywhere," said Abby Ferri, administrator of ASSP's Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) Common Interest Group. "Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce and often experience occupational risks differently than men. However, safety interventions frequently take a one-size-fits-all approach. We must advocate for gender-specific solutions."
The American Society of Safety Professionals hosted a summit Oct. 29 on the safety of women in the workplace. The event focused on solutions to prevent violence against women at work and encouraged employers to acquire PPE designed specifically for women. More than 50 safety experts gathered at the Women's Workplace Safety Summit near Chicago; they represented businesses, nonprofits, labor, academia, government, and professional associations.
Another topic of discussion was analyzing obstacles that keep women from advancing into leadership positions in the occupational safety and health profession.
"Workplace violence has a disproportionate impact on women and is the leading cause of fatalities for workers who are women," said ASSP President Rixio Medina, CSP, CPP. "This significant issue and others led us to bring together a diverse group of people who are involved in advancing key issues surrounding women and safety."
ASSP President-Elect Diana Stegall, CSP, CFPS, ARM, CPCU, welcomed workshop participants who represented Amazon, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, National Nurses United, Siemens, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Grainger, the National Safety Council, L.L.Bean, NIOSH, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and many other organizations. The summit was sponsored by Amazon.
"By harnessing our collective power, we can lead a deeper global conversation and make a lasting impact for women everywhere," said Abby Ferri, administrator of ASSP's Women in Safety Excellence (WISE) Common Interest Group. "Women make up nearly 50 percent of the global workforce and often experience occupational risks differently than men. However, safety interventions frequently take a one-size-fits-all approach. We must advocate for gender-specific solutions."
The summit included a keynote address by Dr. Cori Wong from Colorado State University. A formal report from the summit will be available early next year; ASSP plans to host webinars that focus on issues addressed at the summit and will address them in a key issue collaboration session at its Safety 2019 Professional Development Conference & Exposition in New Orleans next June.