The American Society of Safety Professionals’ (ASSP) The Case for Safety Podcast has surpassed 300,000 downloads over five years, the group announced December 11. The podcast series offers practical workplace safety and health guidance and updates for safety professionals worldwide.
The ASSP’s safety podcast series debuted in September 2018, and the group has shared 123 episodes.
In the latest installment, the podcast discusses the impacts of winter weather on worker safety and health and how keeping an eye on the outdoor temperature can help employers and safety professionals determine the appropriate tools and procedures for winter hazards. The featured expert was Victor Rodriguez, operations meteorologist for Amazon, which sponsored the episode.
Recent podcasts have covered topics that include:
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) for women,
- How to get safety improvement buy-in from your organization,
- Tips for improving ergonomics, and
- How advancing workplace safety can increase productivity and benefit a company’s bottom line.
An upcoming episode will focus on the revised American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ASSP A10.48 voluntary national consensus standard, Criteria for Safety Practices with the Construction, Demolition, Modification and Maintenance of Communications Structures.
“More than ever, ASSP supports the occupational safety and health community in finding ways to keep workers safe amidst new challenges,” ASSP President Jim Thornton said in a statement. “Environments can change rapidly and our podcast continues to be a valuable resource in providing helpful insights.”
The podcast series is available free on the ASSP website. Listeners also can subscribe to The Case for Safety Podcast on Spotify and Apple® Podcasts.
The ASSP has a global membership of over 35,000 safety professionals and is a standards-setting organization.
NSC awarded nearly $1 million to expand roadway safety program
The National Safety Council (NSC) has secured three federal pass-through grants totaling over $900,000 to expand its employer traffic safety program, Our Driving Concern (ODC), the group recently announced. According to the NSC, its ODC program helps increase awareness of the impact of traffic crashes on employers, equips companies with tools to keep their employees safe on the road, and improves transportation safety outcomes.
The grants, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), were awarded to the NSC by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, Ohio Department of Public Safety, and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission awarded the NSC $80,000 to address impaired driving, as more than 40% of the motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana in 2021 were alcohol-related. The NSC will create evidence-based resources, tools, and training for employers to educate their employees and communities on the impacts of impaired driving.
The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety awarded the NSC $157,156 in highway traffic safety funding for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The funding will go toward an Employer Traffic Safety Program focused on the highest traffic crash risks in Ohio, including driver distraction, seat belt use, and speeding.
TxDOT awarded the NSC $711,420 to continue a 16-year partnership to enhance employer traffic safety in Texas. The funding will secure free training and traffic safety resources to reduce risky driving behavior, save money, and save lives.
“State and federal funds like this enhance the Council’s work with government partners to contribute to a reduction in crashes, serious injuries, and fatalities,” Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at the NSC, said in a statement.
The NSC is a not-for-profit organization focused on preventing deaths in the home, in the workplace, and on the roadways.