Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road, and in our homes and communities. According to the International Labor Organization, Every 15 seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease. Every 15 seconds, 153 workers have a work-related accident. An estimated 2.3 million people die every year from work-related accidents and diseases. More than 160 million people suffer from occupational and work-related diseases, and there are 313 million non-fatal accidents per year. The suffering caused by such accidents and illnesses to workers and their families is incalculable. In economic terms, the ILO has estimated that more than 4% of the world’s annual GDP is lost as a consequence of occupational accidents and diseases. How safe would we be without standards? A standard is a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. The listing below includes examples of safety standards from the American Ladder Institute (ALI), American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), International Organization of Standardization (ISO) and the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA). Ladder Safety Fall Protection Safety Construction Safety Clothing & Equipment Safety Workplace Surface Safety Occupational Health & Safety Consumer Product Safety Search ANSI standards here. Or, ASTM standards, which are used and accepted worldwide and cover areas such as metals, paints, plastics, textiles, petroleum, construction, energy, the environment, consumer products, medical services, devices and electronics, etc. Find an OSHA standard here. OSHA provides information on the rulemaking process used to develop workplace health and safety standards, The IEC develops International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. What can you do to support National Safety Month and raise awareness: Host a meeting to review the “State of Safety” in your organization. Promote support and awareness on your social media networks. Learn more and share the information. The National Safety Council offers guides that “help you explore safety and health topics at your own pace. Find training resources, webinars, best practices and more.” Pro QC supports safety in the following ways: 1) When designing and manufacturing your product, we are able to confirm applicable safety standards and provide testing. “For example, if you are designing a non-toy children’s product that contains a cord, there are a few different standards, including the toy safety standard, that exist and that may provide helpful guidance for you in determining the safe length of cord or string to be used. Although not a mandatory requirement, you would be well advised to consider the guidance in these other standards because it is based on the considered judgment of other manufacturers, designers, and safety experts.” 2) In addition to product safety, we perform various on-site audits that incorporate worker safety.
