Joint letter from the President and Chairman

In 2003, an estimated 20.7 million people in the United States suffered disabling injuries. More than 100,000 tragically died from avoidable causes. That is nearly 57,000 seriously injured people and 278 deaths per day. The devastation and cost to families, businesses and society are staggering. Yet all were preventable.

2004 Annual Report
(pdf; 321kb)

Over the past year, the National Safety Council continued to extend its reach and influence across the nation and throughout the world. With the support of our Chapters, members and volunteers, and through private and public collaborations, we have made significant progress in our efforts to instill a culture of safety in businesses, in our homes and communities, and on our roads and highways. We believe that it is this initiative that will, over time, reduce unacceptable rates of injury and death.

Recent statistics underscore our success in the pursuit of a safer world. They also reinforce our strategic planning and are shaping the future work and focus of the National Safety Council. For example:

• 4,500 of the more than 100,000 fatal injuries in the United States last year occurred at work, representing a drop in workplace fatality rates of 6% in one year, and a 24% decrease over 10 years -- the lowest number of worker fatalities on record. Workplace initiatives endorsed or created by the Council and its collaborators are working.
• Of the more than 100,000 people who died from preventable injuries, 97% were non-work related. This means that the challenge is greater in protecting people from injury and death in our homes and communities than in America's workplaces.
• Of the 4,500 preventable deaths occurring on the job, 2,000 of these were the result of a motor vehicle collision. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of work-related deaths.
• Deaths from alcohol-related incidents decreased 2.9% over the previous year and were at their lowest level since 1999. However, there is one alcohol-related fatality every 31 minutes and an average of one injury every two minutes in an alcohol-related crash. Clearly, education and enforcement are having an impact but more needs to be done to eliminate the incidence of drunk driving.

A most promising trend this year was the adoption of safety as a core corporate value among an increasing number of business leaders. These 'CEOs who get it' are truly committed to a Safety and Health Code of Ethics that includes employees, their families, and the communities where they operate. The Council will continue to aggressively encourage a growing corporate culture of safety and develop initiatives that support and promote this positive trend.

We are also seeing occupational and highway safety issues assuming greater prominence on the international stage. For example, the issue of traffic safety achieved international attention when the World Health Organization designated 2004 the Year of Road Safety and dedicated World Health Day 2004 to road safety. The National Safety Council is actively working with governments, non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations on occupational and highway safety training and consulting in the Middle East, China, Europe, Asian/Pacific countries, and the South and Central Americas.

The National Safety Council will host the XVII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in September 2005. This is the first time that the triannual World Congress is being held in the USA. The event, which will be held in conjunction with the 93rd National Safety Council Annual Congress and Expo in Orlando, Florida, will bring greater attention to international safety issues. We are eager to share our knowledge and expertise with other nations as we learn from them.

We appreciate the support of our sponsors, partners and collaborators whose shared passion for a safer world enabled us to fulfill the Council's Congressional Charter "to arouse and maintain the interest of the people in safety and in accident prevention and to encourage the adoption and institution of safety methods by all persons and organizations."

Looking back at FY 2004, the National Safety Council has had considerable impact on safety in the workplace, in our homes and communities, and on our roads and highways. Looking ahead, there remains much to do.