International Sustainability OSH Center Launching June 13
Safety 2011, the American Society of Safety Engineers' big conference in Chicago, is the setting for the debut of the Center for Safety and Health in Sustainability -- a collaboration of ASSE, AIHA, and IOSH.
The Center for Safety and Health in Sustainability will be launched June 13 at 4 p.m. during Safety 2011, the American Society of Safety Engineers' annual conference in Chicago. The new center is an organizational stakeholder of the Global Reporting Initiative, which pioneered the most widely used sustainability reporting framework, and Mike Wallace, director of GRI's Focal Point USA, will make a presentation during the conference.
The center is a collaborative effort among ASSE, AIHA, and IOSH, the British occupational hygienists' professional organization. ASSE says the center "came about after it became apparent that safety professionals were in need of a voice in the shaping of sustainability policies. It will provide new insights into the measurement, management, and impact of safety and health sustainability, with the goal of being a recognized thought leader for sustainability and corporate social responsibility. It will seek to educate the business community on the importance of safety in good corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. The hope is that, through the work of the Center, all organizations will recognize their responsibility to protect the health and well-being of workers, customers, and neighboring communities in any business practices, operations, or development."
"We were troubled by the fact that more than 2.3 million people die from workplace injuries and illness every year, resulting in losses both tangible and intangible," the announcement continues. "The vision that ASSE, AIHA, IOSH, and ultimately, the Center, maintain is for all organizations to ensure that the protection of the safety, health, and well-being of workers, customers, and neighboring communities is among the primary considerations in any business practice, operation, or development. To work toward this end and in coordination with GRI, ASSE and its counterparts will advocate for a comprehensive and standardized approach to measuring not only lagging, but leading indicators of safety and health performance."
Combined, the three founding organizations represent about 80,000 safety and health professionals worldwide.