It seems that this country just got a whole lot safer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (referred to as OSHA), an organization that deals with the safety and protection of employers and their workers, recently signed an alliance with ISEA, the International Safety Equipment Association.
These partners represent two side of the same coin: OSHA deals with safety education and training while ISEA deals with safety equipment manufacturers. Their marriage gave OSHA access to ISEA’s clients, allowing the administration to directly reach employers and workers in high-hazard industries, while ISEA’s businesses benefit from increased access to safety information. The alliance specifically “[provides] members, employers, and workers with information on how to properly select, use, maintain, and store PPE (personal protective equipment) and safety equipment.” With some 3 billion tons of hazardous materials being shipped annually in the US, the need for this union has never been greater.
The two organizations have already gotten to work on several campaigns: National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction and Heat Prevention Illness to name a few. The one that seems to have taken off the most, however, is Safe + Sound Week. With seven international participants and nearly all 50 states involved, Safe + Sound Week (August 13th to 19th) is “a nationwide event to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces.” You, too, can sign your business up to reinforce the importance of workplace safety. Getting involved is easy: just go to the site, choose which activities you want to be involved in (you can host an even specifically for your workers or can set up a community project), and complete the activities within the week — you can even print out a certificate and web badge as recognition of you and your workers’ efforts.
Although ISEA is a non-profit and OSHA is government-funded, both organizations are passionate about keeping the hardworking people of this country safe.
