CEO Jennifer McNelly of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has been appointed to the board of directors of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which provides a framework for safety standards development and conformity assessment systems. Her three-year term as a director-at-large begins Jan. 1.

McNelly, CAE, will continue her full-time role at ASSP during her time on the ANSI board. She will attend ANSI’s board meeting and year-end event as a guest on Dec. 6-7 in Washington, D.C.

“I look forward to helping advance ANSI’s and ASSP’s valuable work developing voluntary national consensus standards,” McNelly said. “Our longtime collaboration with ANSI has been an important element of our successful efforts to elevate workplace safety standards.”

ANSI accredits standards that are developed by government agencies, consumer groups and other standards organizations such as ASSP, which is a global leader in creating voluntary national consensus standards to protect workers. The standards provide the latest expert guidance and fill gaps where federal regulations don’t exist.

Companies rely on voluntary consensus standards to drive improvement, injury prevention and sustainability. Since regulatory requirements are slow to change and often out of date, compliance is not sufficient. A standards-based approach to workplace safety also improves productivity and boosts a company’s bottom line.

“With Jennifer giving ASSP a voice on the ANSI board, it will improve our alliance and support the standards process in today’s changing world of work,” said ASSP President Jim Thornton, CSP, CIH, FASSP, FAIHA.