The World Congress runs through Sept. 22 and the NSC Congress and Expo wraps up Sept. 23 but only after a busy week of discussions and presentations on occupational safety and health.
The aim of this year's World Congress, which is being held in the United States for the first time, is to strengthen partnerships among governments, employers, workers, non-government organizations and safety and health professionals to improve workplace safety and health throughout the world.
Much of the discussion at the World Congress will focus on meeting the diverse safety and health needs of the developing world as well as on new and emerging safety and health challenges confronting industrialized nations.
The event, which is jointly organized by NSC, the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA), is held every 3 years.
Meanwhile, NSC's Congress and Expo includes an educational program that boasts of more than 200 sessions; an expo featuring more than 750 manufacturers of EHS products and services; and keynote sessions by invited speakers NIOSH Director John Howard, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Jonathan Snare, MSHA Acting Administrator David Dye, NSC President and CEO Alan McMillan and DuPont Chairman and CEO Charles Holliday Jr.
In past years, the NSC event has drawn as many as 16,000 safety professionals from more than 63 countries.
World Congress Will Promote "Success Through Partnerships"
The theme of this year's World Congress is "Prevention in a Globalized World Success Through Partnerships," and it speaks to the event's goal of strengthening partnerships among governments, employers, workers, non-government organizations and EHS professionals to improve workplace safety and health throughout the world.
More than 3,000 EHS stakeholders from around the world are expected to attend the World Congress. To ensure the event reflects a tripartite representation of government, labor and industry, and emphasizes a plurality of viewpoints particularly those in the developing world more than 50 safety and trade associations, private and public sector labor groups and educational, professional and scientific organizations serve on the National Organizing Committee.
"We hope to conclude the week speaking with one voice, united in the same vision to create a safer and healthier work environment for the global workforce and to build a sustaining culture of prevention around the world," said Mei-Li Lin, Ph.D., NSC's executive director of Research and Statistical Services.
A full schedule of presenters, panel discussions and special events taking place at the 17th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work and NSC's Congress and Expo is available at http://www.safety2005.org.