During the launch reception, ASSE President-Elect Kathy A. Seabrook, CSP, noted that EHS professionals are uniquely positioned to educate executives and the business community on issues related to proper risk assessment within the management process. "EHS professionals have the valued expertise and leadership to collaborate with senior managers in the implementation of effective risk assessment and the ongoing oversight of productive risk management," she said.
The institute will support improved risk-related training and education while providing a platform for the EHS community to contribute to the development of new evidence-based risk-related policies, processes and solutions. It will also serve as a clearinghouse for risk-related information and the tools relevant to professional SH&E.
"Recent injury and illness trends within companies and their global supply chains indicate that overall incident rate improvement has slowed and rates of fatal and serious injuries have remained steady for a number of years. Clearly, a different approach is required if further improvements are to be made," Seabrook said. "Now is the time for a transformation of safety leadership through proactive, preventive approaches that have the potential to identify risks and enable action in advance of injury, illness or loss."