Position Statements

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has been committed to the protection of people, property, and the environment since 1911.  

ASSP Mission: We are the community that protects people, property and the environment.

• Our mission reflects our role as guardians of workplace safety. Our ultimate goal is to have all workers return home to their loved ones safe, healthy and well each day.

ASSP Vision: Safety, health and well-being are inherent rights of every worker.

• Our vision is an ideal, and we aspire to recognize that this work requires collaboration with regulatory bodies, businesses and nongovernmental organizations as well as our community of safety and health professionals.

Our Position Statement:

ASSP opposes all forms of exploitative child labor practices. We call on governmental entities and nongovernmental organizations to combat exploitive child labor practices in the U.S. and around the world.

As part of this position, ASSP strongly supports:

• Regulation and legislation in the U.S. and other countries that prohibits and prevents exploitative child labor practice.
• Specific language in applicable global standards that opposes and facilitates prevention of exploitative child labor practice.
• Actions by our membership and occupational safety and health professionals on a global basis to establish and implement programs prohibiting exploitative child labor practices.

Please review additional background information on our position here.

Approved by the ASSP Board of Directors on March 26, 2024

• ASSP is a strong supporter of high-caliber certification bodies and has historically supported certifications and credentials
• ASSP does not oppose the public sector from issuing certifications and credentials
• We recommend that certification bodies operate at the highest levels and that they obtain accreditation from an NCCA-recognized accrediting body or an equivalent, [Institute for Credentialing Excellence/National Commission for Certifying Agencies]
• Public-sector certification bodies must recognize and include accredited certification bodies in the private sector in regulations and programs

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) strives to elevate the safety profession and the individuals who choose it. We set the occupational safety and health community’s standards for excellence and ethics. ASSP strives to uphold and elevate the value of the safety profession through innovation and thought leadership, and supports the development and dissemination of objective, data-driven, solutions-based safety and health practices.

On Sept. 9, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will develop an emergency temporary standard (ETS) related to COVID-19:

• Requiring All Employers with 100+ Employees to Ensure Their Workers are Vaccinated or Tested Weekly: The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work. OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement. This requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses with 100+ employees.

ASSP has published a technical report, ASSP/ISO TR - 45005-2021, Occupational Health and Safety Management – Safe Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic – General Guidelines for Organizations, registered with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) addressing COVID-19. It is available on a complimentary basis:

• This ANSI registered technical report gives guidelines for organizations on how to manage the risks arising from COVID-19 to protect work-related health, safety and well-being. This document is applicable to organizations of all sizes and sectors. . . .

To address the anticipated ETS, ASSP takes the following position:

• During the past 18 months, ASSP has supported public and private sector initiatives intended to stop the spread of this deadly disease.
• ASSP has provided produced significant COVID-19 content, all of which is available on a complimentary basis to all stakeholders.
• We support public policy initiatives backed by good science and sound technology.
• ASSP recommends that instead of implementing an ETS based primarily on an employee count, OSHA consider an approach based on risk assessment.
• ASSP recommends that OSHA review the exemption of employers with less than 100 employees. The size of a company or organization does not affect how the disease affects workers.
• In addition, our members believe that regardless of workforce size, employers can implement controls to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, including contractors that have fewer than 100 employees and operate on multiemployer worksites.
• ASSP will provide technical comments on the ETS when it is released to address any issues it believes warrants additional review.

Following release of the ETS, ASSP will notify and provide resources to its members and stakeholders on the topic.

Approved: Oct. 8, 2021

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) strives to elevate the safety profession and the individuals who choose it. We set the occupational safety and health community’s standards for excellence and ethics. ASSP strives to uphold and elevate the value of the safety profession through innovation and thought leadership, and supports the development and dissemination of objective, data-driven solutions based safety and health practices.

On Sept. 20, 2021, the Biden Administration announced the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will take the following actions to address extreme heat exposure:

• To combat the hazards associated with extreme heat exposure – both indoors and outdoors – the White House today announced enhanced and expanded efforts the U.S. Department of Labor is taking to address heat-related illnesses.
• To emphasize its concern and take necessary action, OSHA is implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards, developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections, and launching a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard. In addition, the agency is forming a National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group to provide better understanding of challenges and to identify and share best practices to protect workers.

To address these initiatives, ASSP takes the following position:

• ASSP supports public and private sector initiatives intended to prevent occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
• We support public policy initiatives backed by good science and sound technology.
• Heat stress is a well-known and largely preventable hazard, and ASSP has long supported the development of a standard for heat stress.
• Our members stress the need to keep the standard simple from an implementation perspective and encourage OSHA to review the regulatory approaches taken by state-plan states.
• ASSP will provide technical comments on the heat stress initiatives, including the national emphasis program, at the time of their release to address any concerns it believes warrant additional review.
• ASSP is working with the A10 Committee for Construction and Demolition Operations to create a voluntary national consensus standard on heat stress for construction and demolition operations:

American Society of Safety Professionals New BSR/ASSP A10.50-201X, Standard for Heat Stress Management in Construction and Demolition Operations (new standard): This standard establishes the minimum requirements for the prevention heat illnesses and management of heat stress hazards and exposures encountered during construction and demolition operations. It establishes procedures for the management of heat stress hazards and the selection and use of appropriate controls and practices to reduce risks presented by heat stress and prevention heat illnesses for construction and demolition environments.

Following release of the details for the OSHA heat initiatives, ASSP will notify and provide relevant resources on the topic to its members and stakeholders.

Approved: Oct. 8, 2021

The utilization of national consensus standards will be of increased importance to this country as the economy of the United States moves towards more of a global perspective. National consensus standards reflect the opinions of the professionals who work at all levels of the public and private sectors in technology development, manufacturing, training, financial analysis, personnel, academia as well as insight from the final end user. This balanced insight enables standards to be crafted in a way which not only benefits and protects users of the standard, but also furthers the interests of the businesses which have been created to meet user demand.

ASSP supports the increased utilization of consensus standards in the formulation of legislation and regulation for occupational safety and health. Governmental agencies such as OSHA, CPSC, NHTSA, etc... should be encouraged to utilize these consensus standards as they provide an efficient/effective alternative to traditional public sector rule making.

Policy Implementation

ASSP advocates initiatives to encourage the utilization of national consensus standards as an effective/efficient option for meeting the demand of increased regulation/legislation in occupational safety and health since:

• National consensus standards have fewer procedural burdens
• The consensus method provides for a balance between competing interests
• The voluntary nature of consensus standards enables users to adapt provisions to meet unusual circumstances.
• Much lower standards development cost are obtained.

(Supporting white paper provided upon request)

Approved by the ASSP Board of Directors
August 25, 1995, Reaffirmed June 2008 and June 2011
June 2018, Reaffirmed With ASSE/ASSP Name Change

ASSP supports the increased use of consensus standards in the formulation of legislation and regulation for occupational safety and health. Governmental agencies such as OSHA, CPSC, NHTSA and others should be encouraged to use these consensus standards as they provide an efficient/effective alternative to traditional public sector rule making.

ASSP supports reasonable public access to national voluntary consensus standards specifically referenced in regulatory provisions. However, this must be done without compromising the legitimate proprietary interests of the organizations that develop and maintain such standards.

ASSP opposes requirements that all such standards be made publicly available at no cost without permission of the developing organization.

ASSP opposes standards-developing bodies losing or having their copyright protections stripped due governmental incorporation of standards by reference.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP supports cooperative compliance efforts that recognize or promote employer or employee programs that reduce, or control, recognized workplace hazards and risks, along with fostering employee involvement. Examples of such efforts include the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP), and the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP believes that data and injury rates derived from the current rule (29 CFR 1904) reveal limited, to no, leading information regarding injury causation, hazards and safety performance. Instead, they reveal more about injury management than safety management.

ASSP further believes that a revision to the rule will help OSHA better achieve the purpose of developing “information regarding the causes and prevention of occupational accidents and illnesses” as set forth in the OSH Act. Such revision will also help align employer focus on leading metrics of performance as recommended by OSHA, called for in modern occupational safety and health management systems such as ANSI/ASSP Z10 and promoted by ASSP members.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP supports legislation and regulations to ensure that critical workplace safety and health responsibilities are performed or managed by qualified professionals.

However, ASSP opposes legislation or regulation not including accredited certification(s) or licensure. This would include, but is not limited to, the certified safety professional (CSP) and certified industrial hygienist (CIH), or those individuals qualified by experience, education or training to perform such responsibilities.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

The enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 and the establishment of the OSHA Administration (OSHA) to enforce the Act made workplace safety and health issues a national priority. For occupational safety and health professionals and practitioners this law has directed their responsibilities and efforts towards assisting corporate America in addressing these issues. It is evident that a forum and role is needed to deal with the Act for these professionals and practitioners.

The ASSP recognizes the important role of government in assuring achievement of occupational safety and health objectives through setting standards. conducting inspections. supporting research and providing consultation and training.

Therefore, ASSP advocates:

• Employers must have primary responsibility for occupational safety and health.
• The Society believes that employers and employees working together, with government support, can attain excellence in safety and health performance.
• Government should encourage through significant incentives and recognition, voluntary employer programs for excelling in safety and health achievement.
• Government standards setting must be conducted with efficiency, maximizing use of public input and available data to develop and publish reasonable standards in a timely manner.
• Government enforcement should be fair and consistent. Penalties should not be set as a budgeted government revenue source. but should be based on the seriousness of noncompliance. A strong, objective mechanism must be in place to afford employers avenues of appeal of enforcement actions and incentives to expedite corrective actions.
• Government's support of research to improve occupational safety and health is critical. The causes and severities of accidents should be analyzed to prioritize research.
• Government consultation for improving safety and health should be made available to all employers regardless of size. Consultations must be without threat of subsequent inspections and citations.
• Government must utilize qualified safety and health professionals in administering OSHA and assure that these professionals have opportunities for pursuing nationally recognized credentials and participating in professional development activities.

Policy Priorities

• ASSP will take a proactive stance with federal and state agencies in the development of safety and health legislation and standards. The Society will provide public written comment, oral testimony at public hearings, and seek a broader influence through discussions with regulators and legislators. Such involvement will be guided by an assessment of the needs of the safety profession and its professionals.
• The Government Affairs Committee, with support from ASSP staff and the Standards Development Committee, will provide overall leadership to the Society in this effort. An essential component of this leadership will be to nurture a government affairs network among Society organizational units that supports effective influence of occupational safety and health issues at all levels of government.
• The Standard Development Committee will assure that ASSP is represented at ANSI/OSHA Coordinating Committee meetings to maintain the awareness and provide leadership in the development of reasonable and consistent standard related to the safety profession.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors: October 28, 1992
Reaffirmed by ASSP Board of Directors: June 2008
Reaffirmed with ASSE to ASSP Name Change: June 2017
Reaffirmed by ASSP Board of Directors: June 2019

ASSP supports adequate funding for federal OSHA and state OSHA plans at levels sufficient to achieve their mission. ASSP also supports continued funding of OSHA’s Susan Harwood grants and NIOSH’s research and educational functions. In addition, ASSP supports adequate funding for governmental agencies such as the Chemical Safety Board and the National Transportation Safety Board at levels sufficient to achieve their mission.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP supports legislative and regulatory initiatives to provide OSHA coverage to all government workers.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP believes that regulatory agencies would benefit from the use of independent workplace safety and health auditors to augment the resources available to federal and state regulators. Such auditors must be qualified by experience, education, training or professional certification.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

ASSP condemns all forms of violence in the workplace. ASSP supports public policy efforts to eliminate workplace violence through promulgation of an enforceable and effective OSHA standard, accompanied by comprehensive education and outreach.

ASSP is particularly concerned with an alarming rise of injuries associated with violence in high-risk industries, included but not limited to livery services, and retail, healthcare and social service industry sectors. ASSP understands that solid overall public policy will address all worksites. However, from an implementation perspective, it appears the most effective way forward is to start the process with high-risk industries.

Approved by ASSP Board of Directors on June 8, 2019

Effective occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS) are essential for workers in order to create and maintain safe, healthy and productive workplaces.

Organizations should implement programs, policies procedures and other measures that contribute to a drug-free workplace, as well as a workplace free of workers under the influence of any impairment-inducing substance.

Occupational safety and health (OSH) programs and standards should incorporate a risk-based approach and promote the application of risk assessment methods.

Organizations should strive to create environments, programs, policies and procedures that integrate traditional safety and health approaches with holistic approaches to worker well-being. Doing so will reduce worker injuries and illnesses, lower associated workers’ compensation costs, help control healthcare costs, and improve worker morale and productivity.

Distracted driving is defined as any activity that could divert the driver's attention away from the primary task of driving. ASSP recognizes the risks to drivers and others from distracted driving and believes it is the responsibility of every driver to follow all applicable laws and regulations. ASSP promotes the establishment of policies, programs, practices, and regulations that promote safe driving.