A nationwide task force comprised of Fortune 500 companies, safety organizations and public health experts aims to provide guidance to America's workforce as the COVID-19 pandemic and impending recession shakes the nation's economy.
Safe Actions for Employee Returns (SAFER) is a "comprehensive, multifaceted effort to guide employers through the process of safely resuming traditional work and operations now and in a post-pandemic environment," the National Safety Council states.
Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO addressed the development, saying: “The manner in which employers bring people back to work will define our national response to the pandemic,” said“For more than a century, NSC has been helping employers put safety at the forefront of all their decisions, and we are once again taking action to continue serving this important role. With SAFER, we are confident we’re bringing the best minds together to ensure Americans have the safest transition back to work so we can truly flatten the curve and enable people to live their fullest lives.”
The task force will convene to determine the recommendations and guidance needed for small and mid-size companies to navigate business continuity planning while ensuring worker health and safety. SAFER also aims to identify the ramifications of back-to-work procedures for all workers including contractors through engaging human resources, legal, labor, health care and workers compensation providers.
The culmination of these efforts will be the development of general and industry-specific resources for American employers in order to align EHS initiatives with business objectives.
The nonprofit organizations, businesses, medical professionals, government agencies and trade associations who will share their insight and expertise include:
