by Brianna Crandall — January 26, 2011—To mark its 100th anniversary in 2011, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has released a new film titled “American Society of Safety Engineers—Celebrating 100 Years of Safety,” which tells the story of occupational safety and tragedy through the decades of its existence and why the workplace is safer today.
The film traces the development of the occupational safety, health and environmental (OSHE) profession from ASSE’s founding in 1911 after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City that took the lives of 146 people unable to escape the fire due to locked doors and collapsed fire escapes, to today’s successful building of large projects without worker injuries or fatalities.
ASSE currently has more than 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professional members located worldwide committed to protecting people, property and the environment. ASSE produced the documentary as part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety and how it affects everyone in every facet of people’s work and daily lives.
The documentary also looks to the challenges of the future. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths cost the U.S. $170 billion annually—not taking into account the untold grief family and friends go through.
However, ASSE says that for every dollar invested in a safety program, four to six dollars are saved because injuries and illnesses decline or are prevented, medical and workers compensation costs decrease, and there is a reduction in absenteeism, lower turnover and reduction in delayed production time, and increased employee morale.
