Todd Hohn, CSP, is the Global Workplace Health and Safety Director for Underwriters Laboratories Inc. He is a U.S Delegate for the creation of the new ISO 45001 global standard for Occupational Health and Safety. Todd received his B.S. degree in Safety from Illinois State University and completed the Advanced Executive Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, as well as the Executive Development Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
A growing body of evidence supports the underlying concept that focusing on the health and safety of your workforce is good for the employees as well as your bottom line.
When I look at the landscape of health and safety today in the U.S. and globally, it reminds me of a Henry Ford quote I heard long ago — “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
The evolution of safety precautions, regulations, and products continues. The impact of safety in the workplace has been great and will continue to improve through innovative products coupled with responsible procedures in the U.S. and globally.
The seeds have been planted and are being cultivated for the development of a global occupational health and safety standard. I am participating as a U.S. delegate and member of the U.S. leadership team on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the new OH&S standard – ISO 45001.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded more than 18,000 injuries involving electrical shock or electrical burn between 2003 and 2009, and 1,573 electrical fatalities.
At last year’s National Safety Council Congress
and Expo, OSHA presenters noted that fall protection
was the agency’s second-most cited violation
category. That’s no surprise — fall protection
consistently ranks among OSHA’s highest number of
inspections and total fines.
Safety analytics is an emerging science that is helping to drive improvements not only in workforce safety and health programs, but also in overall business performance.
