August 2020

Safety Doesn't Stop in the Face of a Pandemic

The SAFER: Safe Actions for Employee Returns effort at NSC has played a crucial role in helping businesses keep workers safe throughout the pandemic. The Council, along with the SAFER task force, has created impactful resources made possible through the generous support of SAFER sponsors, including Avetta, ISN, McElhattan Foundation, U.S. Steel and more.

At the heart of SAFER is a foundational framework identifying six critical areas employers must prioritize as they consider returning employees to full operations. From the framework came a series of playbooks to help employers align worker safety with business objectives. NSC created a Planning a SAFER Return workshop to walk organizations through the framework, and provided a template to guide employers in creating their own plans.

SAFER developed several quick-hit tactical documents, including issue papers, checklists and protocols to turn the framework into action. A five-part quick hit webinar series was also offered, now available on-demand, highlighting companies utilizing SAFER resources.

For organizations wanting to dig deeper, NSC showcased perception survey solutions to gather employee feedback on critical COVID-19 safety issues. The Council also launched an Organizational Vulnerability Assessment to help businesses examine COVID-19 transmission risk factors by their type of operation and mitigation capabilities.

NSC is able to provide these resources and much more to the public thanks to generous philanthropic contributions. While the pandemic brings new safety challenges for our nation’s workforce, NSC is able to address the safety of all of our partners in new ways.

Visit nsc.org/safer for more.

Save the Date: NSC 2020 Green Cross Virtual Event

Join us Oct. 1 for the Green Cross for Safety® awards celebration! To ensure the safety of all of our guests, this special event will be held virtually this year. We are excited to host an engaging experience and are pleased to offer complimentary registration for all guests.

This annual fundraising event raises critical awareness and philanthropic support for NSC, while celebrating the impact of some of the best and brightest in safety. All funds raised will support the NSC mission to save lives and prevent injuries, from the workplace to anyplace. Philanthropic contributions support research to identify leading causes of fatalities, education to increase awareness and minimize risks and advocacy to ensure the adoption of safety prevention measures.

Every day, NSC partners with world-class people and companies to make the world a safer place. You too can make an impact by joining us at this year’s Green Cross for Safety® awards celebration!

Registration will open later this month at greencross.nsc.org.

Skilled Journeyman Loses His Life to Fatigue

Colton Schoenrock was a journeyman rodbuster and loved to tie bar. He was skilled at what he did and was excited to accept a well-paying job four hours from his home, where he stayed during the week and traveled home on weekends.

One day, Colton went to work at 6 a.m. as usual. At his noon break, the company told the workers to end work at 2 p.m. so they could report back to work at 10 p.m. – exactly eight hours later – to help pour concrete in the deep foundations where they had just placed the steel bars. Colton had not previously worked night shift on this job.

So, he drove 30 minutes to the house he rented with his coworkers to try to rest before heading back to work. On less than six hours of sleep, Colton drove 30 minutes back to the worksite and then worked 15 straight hours helping pour concrete. After he was dismissed from work, Colton started his four-hour drive home to see his 11-day-old son Kain. During the ride he fell asleep, veered off the road and struck a tree head-on rolling his SUV. He lost his life instantly.

What Colton and many others don’t know is people are three times more likely to be in a car crash if you are fatigued. In fact, the people most at risk for fatigue-related incidents are those working night shifts or those working long or irregular shifts. Losing even two hours of sleep is similar to the effect of having three beers. Drowsy driving IS impaired driving.

Thanks to the generous support of donations and partners, NSC is working to change safety culture related to sleep health in the workplace with research, education and employer resources. Join us on our mission and get involved today.