According to the EHS Today article, “ASSE: The Safety Profession is Growing” by Laura Water, the environmental, health and safety specialist field is rapidly growing to accommodate the needs of many companies.  Money magazine lists “environmental, health and safety specialist jobs,” as number 22, “risk-management manager” as number 14 and “environmental engineer” as number 5 on their list of “The 50 Best Jobs in America.”  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of EHS practitioners is expected to increase 9 percent during the years between 2006 and 2016.

Walter states that safety professionals work in a variety of industries to prevent injury and harm to workers and the workplace facility.  Safety professionals are familiar with the term “safety science” which is the prevention of incidents, illnesses and other events that harm people, property and the environment.  Safety professionals help to prevent incidents by promoting and managing safety education, safe practices and implementing safety procedures and design.

Effective safety training and investing in safety professionals can greatly benefit companies.   According to the article, businesses spend about $170 billion a year on costs associated with injuries and pay nearly $1 billion every week to injured employees and their medical providers.  Recently, an Australian investment firm study showed that companies who did not properly manage workplace safety issues underperformed those that did.

Investing in a safety specialist or professional to ensure proper safety management and guidelines are being followed is essential to companies.   By investing in preventative action and training, companies can save money long term by avoiding the costs that accidents, injuries and defective machinery can have.

Companies should also research and invest in safety equipment to further promote safety training and behaviors.  Safety equipment such as helmets, protective clothing, protective footwear and slip resistant flooring can also greatly improve employees’ work environment.  By investing in a safety professional to ensure the workplace is a safe working environment and providing safety attire and machinery to employees, companies can help to ensure that all measures are being taken to provide workers with the safest work environment possible.

Walter, Laura. “ASSE: The Safety Profession is Growing.” EHS Today, November 2010.

http://ehstoday.com/safety/news/asse-safety-profession-growing-1334/index.html

Filed under: Safety Industry Growth by Beth Faraci Social tagging: safety equipment > safety professionals > safety science > safety specialist > slip resistant flooring