About 12,500 safety and health professionals attended the National Safety Council's 89th annual Congress & Expo last month in Atlanta, down 30 percent from crowds of 18,000-20,000 in recent years, according to NSC President Alan C. McMillan. The meeting was held less than two weeks after the terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.

McMillan was not fazed by the decline, saying those attending spoke "volumes about the dedication and commitment of the nation's - and the world's - safety and health professionals."

It's estimated about 10 percent of the expo's vendors cancelled. A number of large vendors manned booths with only local sales reps and cancelled evening parties.