Tackling Today’s Safety Challenges

?As you may remember from my last quarterly article, I meet with a broad range of safety executives one-on-one every year to gather their insights on trends impacting their companies, the safety and health profession, and the workforces ASSP members aim to protect. We call it the “Corporate Listening Tour,” an activity that helps inform and direct our organization’s focus.?

While federal and state efforts have advanced workplace safety and health over the past few decades, more must be done to protect workers. The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that nearly 5,500 fatal work injuries occurred in 2022 – a 5.7 percent increase from the previous year. This means a worker died every 96 minutes. That’s simply not acceptable. On-the-job fatalities and serious injuries are preventable.?

Our 2024 report highlights five key findings based on feedback from industry leaders. We explain what these findings mean to organizations and occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals. We also propose a set of questions to help spark discussions among safety teams as well as with their colleagues and corporate leaders.?

1) Focus on What Matters. Prioritize the prevention of serious injuries and fatalities over minor incidents to avoid spreading resources too thin. This might mean accepting a slight increase in less severe incidents, but it’s ultimately about spending valuable time and resources where they count the most.?

2) Manage Workforce Changes and Safety Priorities. With unpredictable shifts in the workforce and a shortage of skilled labor, keeping everyone safe and healthy becomes more challenging. High turnover and the struggle to attract and keep good employees increase the risk of incidents and employee burnout. OSH professionals must influence how new employees are trained and provide input on retention strategies.?

3) Embrace OSH-Related Applications of AI. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, is constantly reshaping how we work. While this brings opportunities for safety improvements, it also introduces new risks. OSH professionals should focus on using AI to enhance safety while ensuring the organization doesn’t neglect traditional safety practices that have proven to be effective.?

4) Manage Cultural Shifts and Governance in Uncertain Times. Economic and political uncertainties affect how businesses operate. OSH professionals can drive changes in organizational culture – making sure leaders take accountability for safety – and demonstrate its importance even in uncertain times.?

5) Empower Influential OSH Leaders in the Changing Workplace. OSH professionals must maintain their technical skills and certifications while seeking organizational support to become better leaders who can drive operational excellence.?

I encourage you to review our 2024 Corporate Listening Tour report by downloading it from the ASSP website, absorbing the detailed analysis and using the findings to engage your business leaders.?

It’s through proactive conversations about trends and potential risks that we can better integrate program improvements across our organizations to reduce worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities.?