The National Safety Council (NSC) is raising awareness on saving lives and preventing injuries during its annual National Safety Month this June. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and its members are proud to support the development of standards promoting safety in all aspects of daily life.
This year the NSC is promoting the theme "What I Live For," and highlighting safety issues related to painkiller abuse, transportation, ergonomics, emergency preparedness, and slips, trips and falls. The council offers downloadable posters, tip sheets, safety checklists, and an infographic to help engage employees, co-workers, family, and friends with practical best practice safety information.
ANSI supports safety efforts worldwide through its role in fostering the development of strong voluntary consensus standards and its educational efforts in several of the areas highlighted by the NSC this month:
Standards for Emergency Preparedness
Emergency preparedness is essential for all types of catastrophic events, which often occur without warning. ASIS SPC.1-2009, Organizational Resilience: Security, Preparedness, and Continuity Management Systems-Requirements with Guidance for use, is an American National Standard (ANS) developed by ASIS International, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer. It is a comprehensive management systems approach for security, preparedness, response, mitigation, business/operational continuity, and recovery for disruptive incidents resulting in an emergency, crisis, or disaster. In 2011 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded ASIS International a SAFETY Act certification for this organizational resilience standard, which was also used in the development of the International Standard ISO 28002:2011, Security Management Systems for the Supply Chain.
NFPA 1600-2007, Standard for Disaster/ Emergency Management and Business Continuity, is an ANS developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an ANSI member and audited designator. This standard was recognized by the Department of Homeland Security in the 2004 Amendments to the Homeland Security Act as the national standard for private-sector preparedness for homeland security in the U.S.
More recently, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) published a revised ANS to guide farmers and engineers in implementing emergency preparedness protocols requiring temporary emergency ventilation. ANSI/ASAE EP282.2-1993 (R2013), Design Values for Emergency Ventilation and Care of Livestock and Poultry, provides data and guidelines to assist in the design of emergency ventilation, feeding, watering, and lighting systems for livestock and poultry for unexpected events that may require temporary emergency ventilation.
Transportation Safety Awareness
Emergency preparedness also has a major impact on transportation systems across the globe. To highlight and educate others about transportation safety measures, ANSI, in cooperation with the U.S. Commercial Service and several U.S. companies, held the "Sino-U.S. Transportation Safety and Earthquake Response Management Seminar and Expo" last year, which provided 200 Chinese officials and experts with the opportunity to learn how transportation safety and earthquake response management are overseen in the U.S. by both government and industry. The workshop was part of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)-sponsored initiative the U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment Cooperation Program (SCCP). In service of this program, ANSI will organize and offer a total of 20 educational workshops over three years. Participants discussed the potential for earthquake impact on transportation, commercial vehicle safety, vehicle and heavy-lift response, and disaster specialty products. Information about this proceeding is available here.
Workplace Safety
Slips and falls on floors and other work surfaces in office, commercial, and industrial environments can injure workers who are the lifeline of successful business. ANSI/ASSE A1264.2-2006, ANSI/ASSE A1264.2-2012, Standard for the Provision of Slip Resistance on Walking/Working Surfaces, provides guidelines intended to reduce slipping hazards and allow for the effective implementation of related test procedures. The standard was developed by ANSI member and accredited standards developer the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and is part of the ANSI/ASSE A1264 Safety for Workplace Surfaces package.
These are just a fraction of the thousands of standards-based activities and initiatives supported by ANSI and its federation of members at work every day to assure the safety of global citizens during National Safety Month and every month.