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Green Cross Quarterly

February 2024

Stemming the Opioid Crisis: A New Call to Action

The National Safety Council joined the movement to create awareness around opioid overdoses in 2017. Since that time, NSC has led research to better understand the impact various causes of impairment (chemical, physical and psychosocial) have on workplace safety and created resources, such as mental health and substance use cost calculators, to help safety professionals advocate for improved workplace impairment prevention efforts. Yet, workplace overdose deaths have increased by 619% since 2011.

NSC is working to help employers establish safety protocols and programs for addressing workplace impairment that protects both worker safety and their employment. People spend more time at work than anywhere else. Therefore, workplaces have the unique opportunity to serve as an access point to needed services.

The opioid epidemic requires a multi-layered approach to prevent fatalities and overdoses while increasing access to recovery services. Through Respond Ready Workplace, NSC aims to reduce overdose deaths by increasing awareness of the value of naloxone — a drug that can temporarily stop many of the life-threatening effects of opioid overdose — and related workplace training. Is your workplace proactively implementing naloxone in every workplace? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Contact [email protected] to share your journey to a Respond Ready Workplace. 

 

Save the Date: Green Cross Celebration

Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
6 to 9:45 p.m.
Walt Disney World - EPCOT®
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 

Join us and experience the magic of Disney at the World Showcase Pavilion located in the heart of EPCOT®. Following a delectable dinner, entertainment, auction and the Green Cross for Safety awards presentation, guests will enjoy a dessert reception and front-row seats to the nighttime spectacular featuring fireworks and music at the Isle de France. This event is a fantastic opportunity to network with other safety professionals, entertain clients or just have a fun night out with friends and/or colleagues while at the NSC Safety Congress & Expo in Orlando!

The Green Cross Celebration raises critical funds enabling NSC to keep people safe throughout their everyday lives both on and off the job. By identifying the leading safety concerns through research, NSC creates effective solutions and provides the resources employers and individuals need to stay safe. We advocate at the federal and state level and are relentless in our efforts to educate everyone to ensure safety is a priority each and every day. None of this work would be possible without the support of our partners.

Save the date for this special evening as registration will open in late spring.

About the Awards: The NSC Green Cross for Safety awards honor three types of achievement each year: Safety Advocate, Safety Excellence and Safety Innovation. Nominations are open now through March 17, 2024. 

Congratulations to Schneider, the only company to be honored in each category since the inception of the Green Cross for Safety awards. Thank you for your commitment to safety!

Donor Spotlight

As the presenting sponsor of the 2023 Green Cross Celebration, U. S. Steel is committed to the important mission of saving lives, from the workplace to anyplace. 

Founded in 1901, U. S. Steel Corp. is one of the leading steel producers and a dedicated partner of the National Safety Council. The Pittsburgh-based company holds “Safety First” as one of its primary ethical principles for its more than 24,000 employees. A proud member of the Campbell Institute, U. S. Steel remains a committed partner to NSC through its support in 2023 of the Green Cross Celebration and a recently launched serious injury, illness and fatality (SIIF) prevention initiative.

A key component of our work together will be to help employers address SIIF to keep their workers safe in the workplace. To assist employers and leaders with SIIF, NSC will lead efforts to establish an evidence-based SIIF model program that increases access to easy-to-use tools and resources and helps companies implement effective strategies that prevent workers from experiencing serious illnesses, injuries and fatalities. This new SIIF model will be presented at the NSC Congress & Expo 2024 in Orlando, Florida.

U.S. Steel identifies safety as the most important priority. From leadership engagement in supporting working safely in day-to-day operations to United Steelworkers participation in safety practices and programs, U. S. Steel demonstrates the comprehensive approach to safety needed to sustain a culture committed to zero harm.

Enviro Safety Products Gives Back

For 25 years, Enviro Safety Product’s unwavering commitment to Your Safety is Our Priority has been woven into every aspect of its work, from its trusted partnership industry leading manufacturers to the company’s personalized approach to equipping your workforce with the right safety solutions for every job. From hard hats and respirators to fall protection and eyewear, Enviro Safety Products offers a comprehensive range of safety products designed to keep your workers safe and comfortable.

Last November, celebrating 25 years of putting American worker safety first, Enviro Safety Products held a Giving Tuesday cause marketing campaign and raised funds through product sales that day to support the life-saving work of NSC. To learn more about Enviro Safety Products and how they can help you safeguard your most valuable asset – your people – visit www.envirosafetyproducts.com.

A Distracted Driver Nearly Took His Life

On March 17, 2017, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Carlos Rosario was conducting a laser speed enforcement detail outside his vehicle when he clocked a speeding vehicle and signaled the driver to pull over. Following close behind was another vehicle. That driver was texting and driving and didn’t notice the vehicle in front slowing down. When the driver looked up and noticed the slowing vehicle, he swerved to the right and lost control of his vehicle at about 70 mph.

The driver’s vehicle struck Rosario at about 35 mph. Rosario sustained traumatic injuries, nearly dying. He had a brain injury, multiple fractures in his legs, jaw, arm and back, and lost more than 15 units of blood. Rosario was in a coma for 17 days. His family, friends, and people from other states and countries joined together in prayer.

YouTube Video

On April 3, 2017, Rosario woke up. He began a very long, steep road of physical recovery. He went on to recover fully and – to everyone’s amazement – returned to work less than two years after his incident.

Rosario forgave the driver that caused the crash and has asked the driver to join him in events to educate the public on distracted driving, but the driver has declined. Rosario consistently communicates with the public about distracted driving. 

At least nine people a day, on average, are killed in distracted driving crashes but a few simple steps can reduce the risks for yourself and those around you. Join NSC in observing Distracted Driving Awareness Month this April and help everyone get home safe.

Join Us at the Future of EHS Event

There’s still time to join us at The Future of EHS 2024 at the Omni in Louisville, Kentucky, Feb. 20-22. This three-day event brings together environment, health and safety (EHS) professionals, business leaders, researchers and solutions providers for an open exchange of forward-looking ideas, the latest in safety innovations and best practices. There will be insightful keynotes and session speakers, curated breakouts and networking receptions, an interactive safety technology pavilion and so much more. Check out the full agenda, which includes:

General Sessions

● New Approaches to Serious Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities
● Organization Structures for Success
● Proven Solutions for MSDs
● Wellbeing Best Practices and Barriers
● Technology, Data and the Future

Fireside Chats

● Impacts on Ethics and Safety
● Generations in the Workforce

Stop by the Safety Technology Pavilion to engage with a curated group of partners who will be on-site to demonstrate their technology solutions. This is your opportunity to have a personalized visit where you can ask questions and demo technology that could be a good fit for your organization.

Special thanks to our Event Sponsor, Benchmark Gensuite®, and Supporting Sponsor, Avetta, as well as our program content funders including Amazon and the McElhattan Foundation.

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