NSC Receives Grant to Support Women in Safety
"Today more women than men earn bachelor's degrees, but women are still underrepresented in STEM fields," said Nick Smith, interim president and CEO of the National Safety Council. "Women should always have a seat at the safety table, and this grant from The UPS Foundation will help NSC efforts to identify, advance, and celebrate those opportunities."
The National Safety Council has received a $25,000 grant from The UPS Foundation to promote women in safety, the organization announced Jan. 23. The grant will fund more opportunities for women in the health and safety industry.
Women are 47 percent of the workforce in the United States but represent only 18 percent of safety and health professionals. In comparison, men in the safety and health industry often have longer tenure, hold higher-level positions, and/or are more likely to be direct supervisors of other staff members.
"Today more women than men earn bachelor's degrees, but women are still underrepresented in STEM fields," said Nick Smith, interim president and CEO of the National Safety Council. "Women should always have a seat at the safety table, and this grant from The UPS Foundation will help NSC efforts to identify, advance, and celebrate those opportunities."
NSC plans to use the funds in three key areas. The first is strengthening NSC's Women's Caucus, which supports female safety professionals. Currently, 300 women participate in the Women's Caucus. Second, NSC will use the grant to further provide educational opportunities for women pursuing careers in safety and health. The organization awarded its first Women in Safety Scholarship in 2018 and will increase the number of those scholarships in future years. Third, NSC will continue to honor and celebrate female safety leaders through its annual Marion Martin Award, which recognizes female safety leaders for achieving professional excellence in their area of specialty and for helping pave the way to success for other women in the industry. The council will also identify and promote women for its other safety awards.
"As a safety professional at UPS, I'm thankful for the opportunities the company has afforded me," said Andrea Quintero, UPS international operations health and safety director. "It's critical that we increase awareness of the need for and opportunities available to women in the area of health and safety by encouraging diversity and inclusion in the profession."
More information about the Marion Martin Award can be found here. Nominations for the award will be accepted until Feb. 4, 2019.
Applications for the Women in Safety Scholarship are due no later than March 31, 2019, and can be found here.