In an address to occupational safety, health and environmental professionals gathered on Friday in Honolulu for the Biennial Governor''s Pacific Rim Safety & Health Conference Workers'' Memorial breakfast, American Society of Safety Engineers'' (ASSE) President M. E. "Eddie" Greer told the crowd that in the year 2000, "Seventeen people a day died, never to go home again."
Worker Memorial Day "and every day is a good time to remember the thousands of people that we have lost as a result of workplace accidents, and the thousands more, including ASSE members, who lost their lives during the horrendous terrorist attacks of 9/11," Greer noted. "We also mourn for their families, friends and co-workers."
Noting that the U.S. is at war, Greer cautioned that while safety professional are doing their jobs, they must now take into consideration terrorism and that terrorists can strike at any time and anywhere.
"We as safety professionals are being relied on, and we saw this before 9/11, to develop and implement effective safety systems," said Greer. "Most companies are using safety professionals to their full potential because people want safe work environments."
Noting that in the past, a lot of the growth in the safety profession was regulatory-driven, Greer pointed out that today, "It just makes good business sense to protect people in the workplace. Companies are realizing that they get results by doing the right things for their employees."
by Sandy Smith ([email protected])