News Release, October 4, 2001
For Immediate Release October 4, 2001 Contact: Joe Larkin Phone: 630-775-2303 Attendees Call National Safety Council Congress & Expo a Success Quality of Sessions and Exhibit Visitors Praised Itasca, Ill. -- Despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, more than 12,500 safety and health professionals took to the skies and highways to attend the National Safety Council*s 89th annual Congress & Expo Sept. 21-28 in Atlanta, Ga. With widespread encouragement and support from the safety and health community, the nation*s largest annual safety, health and environmental convention was held as scheduled, winning rave reviews from attendees and exhibitors alike. NSC President Alan C. McMillan said the fact that attendance was down only about 30 percent from the 18,000-20,000 of recent years, just a week and a half after the Sept. 11 tragedies, *speaks volumes about the dedication and commitment of the nation*s - and the world*s - safety and health professionals.* The Congress* topical keynote, plenary and technical sessions drew large and appreciative audiences. Sessions on such subjects as emergency response and chemical-biological disasters played to overflow audiences. The Occupational Keynote Session, featuring John Henshaw, the new head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, attracted an attentive audience of several thousand safety professionals. *The Council made the right decision in going ahead with the Congress & Expo,* said Alex Masotti, Safety Manager at Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, Wis. *Nothing was lost in the technical sessions I attended. The Congress & Expo provides a great opportunity to network and share ideas with fellow safety and health professionals. I'm glad I came. Countless lives are saved by what we learn here.* *Last week*s events were truly tragic,* added Gavin McLachlan, Director of Marketing, Industrial and Military Division, Camelbak Products Inc., Petaluma, Calif. *However, it was great to see so many safety and health professionals unite together. It's important to continue doing business to support the economy.* Several exhibitors, while acknowledging the sparser-than-usual crowds on the exhibit floor, praised the caliber of exhibit visitors and expressed satisfaction with the Expo, which featured exhibitors from around the nation and from several foreign countries showcasing safety and health products and services. *The number (attendance) may be lower but the quality is higher,* said Eric Redman, Industrial Sales Manager, Underwater Kinetics, Poway, Calif. *We've had more quality time to spend with prospective customers.* *The people who are here are here because they're looking for something,* noted Wendy L. Schad, Marketing Communications Specialist, DuPont Advanced Fibers Systems, Richmond, Va. *With the environment we're living in now, we have a lot of products which are interesting for people.* *It's been a great show for us,* commented Walker Chan, ChangZhou Chengli Machinery & Electronic Corporation, Co. Ltd., Jiangsu, China. *We generated a lot of leads and we'll definitely be back in San Diego (for Congress & Expo 2002).* The three-fold Congress & Expo combined the annual meeting of the Council, educational sessions and the Expo. The opening session featured a patriotic salute to American heroes. The Apollo 13 mission*s Gene Kranz and Jim Lovell discussed why *Failure is NOT an Option!* and why all safety professionals need to work together and communicate during this time of crisis. In his keynote address, McMillan noted that the recent tragedies have *given new meaning to our work. The job of the safety professional has just changed.* Many safety professionals have already been asked by their organizations to *think about safety in a much broader context,* he said. *Your concern no longer stops at the plant gate or at the end of the workday. You must now think about the safety of your organization, its people and their families in a more universal way.* McMillan reported that last year, 97,300 people died in the United States from injuries suffered in preventable accidents. While 5,200 of these people died at work, 18 times that many people died away from work, on the highways or in their homes and communities. *This is your challenge,* he emphasized. *This is America's safety challenge, to prevent all injuries and deaths, no matter where or when they occur, off the job as well as on the job. *Who better to lead this effort,* McMillan asked, *than the tens of thousands of safety professionals, trained and equipped by the best organizations in our country?* At a reception for exhibitors, the Council presented special awards to 27 exhibitors who have attended Congress & Expo for 50 years or more. The longevity record is shared by two 80-year exhibitors - Stonehouse Signs, Inc., Arvada, Colo., and MSA, Pittsburgh, Pa. The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental membership organization dedicated to reducing unintentional injuries in homes and communities, in the workplace and on the road. For information about Congress & Expo 2002, to be held Oct. 4-11, 2002, in San Diego, Calif., visit http://www.nsc.org. # # #