Drew Wilson
The Florida Chamber Safety Council is now an official chapter of the National Safety Council, the two organizations announced Monday.
The induction makes the Chamber’s council NSC’s 19th state chapter. Organizations within the NSC Chapter network provide training, consulting, conferences and workshops to employers in their states and regions using the resources of the National Safety Council, the country’s leading nonprofit safety advocate focused on ending preventable deaths and injuries.
FCSC said the designation represents a “doubling down on its commitment to making Florida the safest state in the United States,” citing stats that preventable injuries are the fourth leading cause of death in the state, following trailing heart disease, cancer and stroke.
More than 12,600 Floridians died from preventable injuries in 2018, the most recent year for which data are available.
“On-the-job injuries and fatalities continue to plague our nation, and strong partnerships are critical in order to save lives,” NSC president and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said. “We are excited to add the Florida Chamber Safety Council to our growing Chapter network and leverage their expertise to help make workplaces across the country safer for all workers.”
Florida Chamber Safety Council President Katie Yeutter added, “It is an honor for the Florida Chamber Safety Council to be named the Florida chapter of the National Safety Council to serve as the leading safety advocate for Florida. As we aim to make Florida the safest state in America, the principles NSC represents will serve as a guiding model for promoting safety, advocating health and leading sustainability in Florida.”
The Florida Chamber launched the Safety Council in June as part of its efforts to grow the state economy from the 17th largest in the world to the 10th over the next decade. At its founding, Chamber leaders said Florida businesses lacked a leading organization to work exclusively on preventing workplace injuries and deaths.
Now, as a National Safety Council Chapter, the leadership said it seeks to set a national standard for what businesses can expect from their local and regional chapters. The Florida Chamber Safety Council intends to provide guidance on day-to-day safety programs as well as assistance with persistent issues such as opioid misuse, mental health and cannabis use.
