“To us, the journey is more than a theme for the Congress, it’s really the way we think about safety and safety excellence,” said NSC President and CEO Janet Froetscher during the opening session. “It’s always a continuous journey.”
The opening session also served as a somber reminder of how workplace injuries and fatalities impact family members. Froetscher pointed out that 3 million serious injuries – all preventable – and 100,000 fatalities occur in the United States alone every year.
Kent McElhattan, incoming chairman of the NSC board and chairman and CEO of Industrial Scientific Inc., stressed that his company strives to make safety “personal and emotional.”
“I can’t think of anything more important,” he said. “To be effective leaders, you have to be emotionally engaged.”
Be sure to visit EHSToday.com this week to read the latest reporting from NSC. And visit the EHS Today Facebook page for photos from sunny San Diego – including photos from the America’s Safety Companies awards ceremony at the Hotel del Coronado (coming soon).