'Not just the right thing to do- it's good for business,' says ASSP CEO
A coalition of leading occupational safety organizations is urging employers to move beyond legal compliance and integrate risk-based safety strategies into their core business models. The Intersociety Forum (ISF), which includes the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), has released a new report outlining how prioritizing safety and health can drive business success.
Jennifer McNelly, CEO of ASSP, says simply meeting regulatory requirements is not enough to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities. “From what we see, just doing the basics in a regulatory environment isn’t achieving the outcomes we really want around occupational safety and health,” she says. “The data shows that workplace injury and fatality rates have remained relatively flat for the past decade.”
Three core principles
The ISF report highlights three key principles to help businesses move beyond compliance:
- Standards and worker well-being – Businesses must view safety as a driver of success, not just an obligation. “Safety isn’t just about compliance,” McNelly explains. “It’s about creating standards that foster business success while promoting the health of the workforce. Employers always say, ‘Talent is our most important asset.’ So how do we ensure safety is integrated into every business decision?”
- Embracing risk and safety management systems – Proactive risk management is essential for preventing incidents before they happen. “How do we get ahead of compliance and look at what’s coming?” McNelly asks. “Businesses need to integrate safety into total business operations—taking a prevention-first mindset rather than just ensuring the right paperwork is in place.”
- Revolutionizing recordkeeping for predictive insights – Traditional lagging indicators, such as incident reports, only show what has already gone wrong. Instead, businesses should adopt leading indicators and predictive analytics to prevent accidents. “Lagging indicators are important, but they don’t have prevention associated with them,” McNelly points out. “How do we stop incidents before they occur?”
Role of AI and technology
One of the most promising developments in workplace safety is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics. McNelly sees AI as a game-changer but acknowledges the challenges. “We actually see great promise, although there are a number of risks associated with understanding the role and implication of AI,” she says. “There’s an opportunity for step change in how information is used, but we need to ensure ethical use, accurate data interpretation, and quality control.”
Employers’ role in advancing safety
The report calls on employers to take an active role in shaping a new era of workplace safety. This means engaging with voluntary safety standards, investing in safety technologies, and fostering a culture where risk management is integrated into everyday operations.
McNelly stresses that this effort is not just for businesses alone—governments, safety organizations, and industry leaders must work together. “This isn’t just a business discussion,” she says. “Government, businesses, and all of us who care about worker safety need to lean in together.”
A Global movement
The coalition is already taking its message to key regulatory bodies, with plans to meet with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) once a new Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health is appointed. However, McNelly believes these principles must extend beyond the U.S. “These core principles have value globally,” she says. “We need a framework that allows for flexibility while ensuring workplace safety is maintained. This isn’t just a U.S. concern—it’s a global competitiveness issue.”
Employers and safety professionals can act by reviewing the ISF report and incorporating its principles into their safety programs. The coalition is also encouraging organizations to publicly support the initiative. “Our goal is to expand the movement,” McNelly says. “We’re asking organizations to join us, and we’ll continue pushing forward at events like the Safety on the Edge Summit.”
By embracing a proactive approach to safety, businesses can enhance productivity, reduce operational disruptions, and most importantly, ensure workers return home safely every day. As McNelly puts it, “Moving beyond compliance is not just the right thing to do—it’s good for business.”
