ANSI and ASSE Announce Joint Webinar on New ISO Standard for Global Occupational Health and Safety

News provided by

American National Standards Institute

Oct 31, 2014, 01:02 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will host a webinar featuring important information about the ongoing development of ISO 45001, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements, a new International Standard designed to provide government agencies, industry, and other affected stakeholders with effective, usable guidance for improving worker safety in countries around the world. The webinar, titled The Rise of ISO 45001 - A New Global Occupational Health and Safety Management System Standard, will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, November 19, 2014.

Following the tragic deaths of garment factory workers around the world, including over 1,100 people in a factory collapse in Bangladesh, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced in 2013 that it would develop a new standard for global occupational health and safety (OH&S) to provide consensus solutions for improving working safety in global supply chains. This standard, ISO 45001, is currently being developed by ISO Project Committee (PC) 283, Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements. More than 50 countries are directly involved in the creation of this important document, including the United States; ASSE serves as the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Administrator to ISO PC 283, which is responsible for providing U.S. input on ISO 45001.

During the webinar, participants will receive a detailed, insider look at the creation of the current draft of ISO 45001 and will learn about the potential impact this standard will have on organizations and supply chains around the world. Information will also be shared on how organizations and individuals can become involved with the development of this International Standard and how companies and other groups can prepare for future changes in their OH&S policies.

The webinar will feature a panel discussion of these and other important issues, and participants will hear expert commentary from:

Scott Cooper, Vice President for Policy and Government Relations, ANSI
Kathy Seabrook, President of Global Solutions Inc., former President of ASSE, and Vice Chair of the U.S. TAG to ISO PC 283
Vic Toy, President and Principal Consultant for Insyst OHS and Chair of the U.S. TAG to ISO PC 283

Participants in the webinar will have 90-day access to an archived recording of the event and will receive electronic copies of both the current draft of ISO 45001 and the American National Standard (ANS) ANSI/AIHA/ASSE Z10-2012, Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems.

The cost of the webinar is $125 for ASSE and ANSI members and $145 for non-members. Online registration is now available. All questions should be directed to Tim Fisher, director, practices and standards, ASSE, via email at [email protected].

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is made up of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

About ASSE
Founded in 1911, the Chicago-based ASSE is the oldest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 35,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members lead, manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor, health care and education.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute