World-Class Safety: Achieving World-Class Safety

March 25, 2004
The question of the day is: What is world-class safety, and how can companies achieve it?

The American Society of Safety Engineers is holding a conference in New Orleans this week to discuss world-class safety. Twenty sessions focus on five tracks to promote world-leadership:

  • Key elements of world-class safety;
  • Assessment tools and benchmarking;
  • Moving beyond compliance to excellence;
  • Steering your organization's culture toward world-class safety;
  • Safety Efforts at companies recognized for world-class safety.

"There are many ways to achieve safety excellence," said Rich Moscato, chairman of the ASSE task force that pulled the conference together told the opening day audience on March 25. And the conference offers safety professionals the opportunity to learn how safety excellence is promoted at companies like General Motors, Bechtel, DuPont, IBM and Dow Chemical Co.

ASSE President James "Skipper" Kendrick introduced many in the opening session to a new word: epistemology. "It is the study of knowledge," he noted. "There are things we know we know; this provides support for the fact we're doing the right thing. There thinks we know we don't know. And there are things we don't know we don't know. This is the most challenging. Questions come up we never thought of before."

He said he hoped the conference provided answers for some of those questions, the most challenging being, "What is world-class safety."

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.

Sponsored Recommendations

June 23, 2025
Learn about lone working laws in the US, key hazards and risks, and get actionable advice on how to keep your lone workers safe.
June 23, 2025
Chemical substitution can quickly get messy, with unclear steps and the risk of swapping one hazard for another. This checklist helps you avoid costly mistakes, prioritize which...
June 23, 2025
A mature approach to health and safety means making safety a core part of your culture, where everyone plays a role and performance is measured by more than just numbers. In this...
June 23, 2025
Behavior-based safety focuses on observing and encouraging safe behaviors to reduce workplace risks. Experts explain how strong safety culture, clear methods, and digital tools...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!