The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has announced leadership changes on two ANSI/ASSP standards committees that work to advance occupational safety and health across the country. Voluntary consensus standards promote best practices and prevent worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Thomas Kramer, P.E., CSP, is the new chair of the Z359 Fall Protection Committee while John Johnson, CSP, is now the chair of the A10 Safety Requirements for Construction and Demolition Operations Committee. Both leaders will serve three-year terms, which can be reaffirmed for longer periods of service by the committees.

Kramer, managing principal at LJB Inc. based in Miamisburg, Ohio, is a professional engineer who has spent his career improving safety and reducing risks for workers at height. He specializes in the assessment and design of fall protection systems.

“Much of my career has focused on consulting with clients on the investigation and renovation of facilities, which often requires extensive and creative structural and safety modifications,” Kramer said. “It’s an honor to lead the Z359 Committee because of its unwavering efforts to reduce incidents of serious falls at job sites.”

Johnson, vice president of corporate safety at Black & Veatch based in Overland Park, Kansas, has extensive workplace safety and health experience in the construction and demolition industry. He is an industry expert in energy, power generation and management of large-scale projects.

“I’m proud of my involvement with the A10 committee because of its significance to the industry,” Johnson said. “Our group looks forward to continuing to develop standards that help construction and demolition companies take their safety programs to the next level.”

National consensus standards like those produced by the Z359 and A10 committees can transform safety programs from compliance-based cost centers to corporate sustainability initiatives that save lives and boost profits. Strong safety cultures can reduce claims costs and reputational damage caused by workplace incidents.

ASSP is the secretariat for many standards committees in the United States and worldwide, forming credible groups and ensuring standards are developed and revised in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The consensus process brings together diverse viewpoints from all levels in public and private sectors. The collective technical expertise ensures that the standards always consider the latest industry developments and best practices in addressing workplace hazards.

While regulatory entities like OSHA establish workplace safety standards that are mandated by law, voluntary consensus standards are those guidelines that safety-minded organizations choose to implement because of their merit. Consensus standards reference state-of-the-art practices and technologies while addressing gaps where no regulatory standard exists in today’s rapid-changing environment.