ASSP Launches Standards-Based User Groups, Partners with Avetta to Advance Data-Driven Safety
New framework aims to move workplace safety beyond compliance by embedding consensus standards into business strategy and technology.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jan 28, 2026
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has launched Standards-Based User Groups, a new framework aimed at helping organizations move beyond regulatory compliance toward data-driven safety excellence.
The initiative is designed to position safety as a strategic business function by enabling organizations to operationalize consensus standards through measurable, repeatable systems. ASSP said the framework supports benchmarking safety culture, strengthening operational resilience, and integrating safety more deeply into business decision-making.
The launch is being validated through a collaboration with Avetta, a provider of supply chain risk management software. The partnership serves as the first real-world application of the framework, demonstrating how safety standards can be embedded into enterprise technology.
Under the collaboration, Avetta has incorporated elements of the ANSI/ASSP Z10 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and Z16 Incident Investigation standards into its new Cultural Maturity Index. The tool is designed to translate safety culture indicators such as leadership, trust, and engagement into quantitative, standards-aligned metrics.
“This is proof that standards can be practical, living tools that drive safer and stronger organizations,” said Linda Tapp, ASSP board president.
ASSP said the Standards-Based User Groups will function as collaborative networks that bring together safety professionals, employers, and technology providers to provide feedback, share insights, and support future standards development. Data generated through partnerships such as the Avetta collaboration will help inform research, guidance, and the profession’s broader body of knowledge.
ASSP encouraged safety professionals, employers, and solution providers to learn more about the framework and upcoming focus areas through its Standards-Based User Group initiative.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco brings a strong and varied journalism background to her role at Occupational Health & Safety, having previously served as a multimedia editor, broadcast journalist, professor and reviewer across major news organizations. As Content Editor, she writes news and feature articles, hosts sponsor and editorial webinars, co-hosts the SafetyPod worker health and safety podcast, and manages the brand’s digital and social media presence. She is committed to informing and engaging the safety community through compelling reporting and conversations that support safer, healthier workplaces.