With the New Year here, now might be a good time to recommit to the continued  success of your organization’s health and safety efforts, not allowing the continued bad economic news to keep you from making necessary investments in safety.

Despite these tough times, there is reason for optimism. A new president will make history when he takes office in a couple weeks, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, both the rate and number of occupational injuries and illnesses decreased from 2006 to 2007.

In 2007, there were 122 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, a decrease of 4 percent from 2006, and the number of days-away-from-work cases in 2007 decreased by 24,630 cases, or 2 percent, as compared to 2006 levels.

Still, safety managers must remain vigilant. Perhaps, more so than ever. “Workplace safety processes must be in place at all times,” said Warren K. Brown, president of ASSE. “They are even more critical during business downturns.”

Brown is concerned about recent reports of some companies cutting safety processes, hoping to reduce costs.

“If companies believe they will save money by reducing or ignoring safety for their workers, customers and communities they do business in, they are mistaken,” Brown said. “The ongoing positive results are in and have been for companies that have strong safety culture and continually invest in and implement effective safety processes.”

Not only does their bottom line benefit positively, but their company reputation stays intact, employees stay safe and healthy reducing health care, workers comp, training and turnover costs.

Instead of cutting back, industry should be doing more, said former Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA John Henshaw. “With this economic downturn, I believe we must do more to reach out to small and medium size businesses to show them the value of developing and implementing workplace safety programs.”

Henshaw noted that due to the economy he doesn’t see any major changes ahead for OSHA with the new administration. “I do not believe, even though I believe it is necessary, that we will see any changes to OSHA due to the economy in the near future,” Henshaw said. “However I do believe changes need to be made in the area of standards development and generating more participation by businesses – we all need to work together.”

We need to be creative, too, said Dr. John Howard, the former director of NIOSH. “For instance, the new head of OSHA should meet with the head of Commerce in the next administration and say ‘you need to incorporate an overall workplace safety, health and environmental program for the proposed new infrastructure programs the president has called for,’ this includes all the new highway and bridge construction projects.”

Whether we can afford these proposed infrastructure projects remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though, we can’t afford not to invest in the health and safety of our workforce.

Thanks, good luck and Happy New Year.