The most pressing issue facing EHS professionals in the new year, according to ISHN’s 2015 EHS State of the Nation subscriber survey, is an age-old challenge that has been reported in ISHN State of the Nation surveys since the 1980s – dealing with the safety and health attitudes and behaviors of line employees. Consider:

• Forty-five percent of pros say employee-related discipline will be one of their biggest challenges in 2015 (this is the top challenge cited among the 14 issues that subscribers could choose from in the survey).

• Safety training of employees is the most-often cited goal of professionals for 2015 (61%).

• Employee safety and health engagement / participation / accountability is a 2015 goal for 54%.

• In contrast, only 36% say a goal in 2015 is senior leadership safety and health engagement / participation / accountability.

ISHN’s exclusive 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.