According to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, EHS department staffing should remain stable in most organizations in the coming year. Expectations for overall EHS department headcounts in ’15: only 5% see headcounts shrinking “slightly” and a scant 1% plan on “significant decreases.” Staff size will remain the same for 65% of pros. Slight staff increases are projected by 27%, and significant increases are anticipated by 2%.

ISHN’sexclusive subscriber survey was conducted by email November 18 – December 2, 2014. We heard from safety pros, executive managers, plant engineers, environmental specialists and industrial hygienists working in mostly mid-size 100-499 employee companies (22%) and companies with more than 5,000 employees (28%). Forty percent of the surveyed firms have annual revenues of more than $1 billion, and 48% have been in business for more than 50 years. Fifty-one percent of respondents come from either the petro refining / oil and gas sector; utilities; fabricated metal products manufacturing; construction; and transportation equipment manufacturing.