PARK RIDGE, Illinois — The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the world’s oldest professional safety organization, has crafted an “OSHA Reform Blueprint” that details its priorities and vision for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in a time of political change. The eight-page proposal calls for reforms to emphasize the management of risk, sharpen the agency’s focus on productive policies, and fill legislative and regulatory gaps that limit OSHA’s ability to better protect workers. The paper’s release comes during North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, which runs May 7-13.

“Every change in our nation’s leadership provides an opportunity to consider better ways of protecting American workers,” said ASSE President Thomas Cecich, CSP, CIH. “With more than 100 years of experience in safety leadership, ASSE is proposing innovative approaches to improve how occupational safety and health is practiced and regulated in the United States.”

ASSE’s reform blueprint for OSHA presents recommendations vetted by safety professionals from a wide variety of industries. It proposes strategies to shift the main focus of OSHA’s mission from solely managing compliance to more effectively reducing workplace risks. That change would bring America’s regulatory practices in line with global trends while encouraging employer ownership of safety and health in their organizations. Requiring every employer to adopt a safety and health management program would help achieve that goal.

“These proposals are grounded in what ASSE’s 37,000 safety and health professionals have learned on the front lines of protecting workers,” Cecich said. “We’re confident we can help OSHA and Congress improve the regulatory oversight for occupational safety and health.”

The document discusses OSHA’s recordkeeping system and supports policy changes related to the publication of employers’ records, post-accident drug testing, and the confrontational policy of publicly identifying employers before due process is completed. ASSE seeks collaboration with OSHA to develop recordkeeping strategies that are intuitive and efficient while producing data that helps employers assess and correct hazards. Also, OSHA should recognize employers that are champions of safe workplaces while taking their strongest actions against recalcitrant employers who blatantly disregard the safety of their workers.

Other issues addressed in the reform blueprint include aiming for a greater focus on the primary causes of workplace fatalities and serious injuries, not just total injuries and illnesses; providing federal-level protections to all state and municipal workers in states exempt from OSHA; advancing the prevention of hazardous occupational chemical exposures, including assessing the use of control banding; and increasing third-party audits to expand the reach of OSHA’s limited resources.

The recommendations for OSHA were developed by an ad-hoc working group convened by the ASSE Board of Directors. The group incorporated positions and priorities established by the Society’s Governmental Affairs Committee and its Council on Professional Affairs, as well as taking input from experts in global occupational safety and health regulation, small- and medium-sized businesses, and corporate safety management.

In early May, ASSE representatives shared the OSHA Reform Blueprint in Washington D.C. with some key stakeholders. “This blueprint can be the start of a deep and important conversation about creating a new OSHA that works more effectively for workers and employers,” Cecich said. “If we can take a collaborative approach, these proposed strategies will better protect workers and increase America’s competitiveness across the globe.”

Access the full document on our website.

About ASSE – Working together for a safer, stronger future

For more than 100 years, the American Society of Safety Engineers has been at the forefront of helping occupational safety and health professionals protect people and property. The nonprofit society is based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge. Its global membership of over 37,000 professionals covers every industry, developing safety and health management plans that prevent deaths, injuries and illnesses. ASSE advances its members and the safety profession through education, advocacy, standards development and a professional community. Its flagship publication, Professional Safety, is a longtime leader in the field. Visit www.asse.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Media contact: Blaine Krage, 847.768.3416, bkrage@asse.org