The National Safety Council (NSC) has received a second $500,000 grant from the Pittsburgh-based McElhattan Foundation for the NSC Work to Zero initiative, launched last January to educate employers about technological safety advancements that promise to reduce and ultimately eliminate preventable deaths in the workplace. Since receiving the first grant last December, NSC has conducted research into emerging and existing technologies and will release a comprehensive report in February that details which technologies could reduce fatality risk in the most hazardous situations for workers. The report will be released in conjunction with the first Work to Zero summit, scheduled for Feb. 13-14 in Bonita Springs, Florida. Registration for the summit is open now.

NSC also plans to develop interactive and robust resources to help employers implement technologies and best practices.

“Our workers deserve to go home every day after work in the same condition they arrived,” said Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO. “Technology can help mitigate common on-the-job risks and significantly improve safety at workplaces everywhere. The National Safety Council is very grateful to the McElhattan Foundation for providing us with the financial tools needed to advance safety in the workplace.”

“The Work to Zero initiative is off to a great start – we’re excited about the upcoming summit and the release of the first Work to Zero white paper. The McElhattan Foundation is proud to renew our grant to the National Safety Council so this important work can continue,” said Lesley Carlin, executive director of the McElhattan Foundation.

Work-related serious injuries totaled 4.5 million and cost society an estimated $161.5 billion in 2017, the latest year of available data. That same year, the National Safety Council surveyed its 15,000 member companies to gauge their interest in workplace technologies and found 100% have a strong interest in knowing more about technologies and how to implement innovations such as augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence, sensors, wearables, drones and robotics.

For more about the Council’s workplace safety initiatives, visit nsc.org/worktozero.

About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact.

About the McElhattan Foundation

The McElhattan Foundation, established in 1994, originally served as the philanthropic arm of Industrial Scientific Corporation, a company founded by K.E. McElhattan and his son, Kent D. McElhattan. When the family sold Industrial Scientific in 2017, a portion of the proceeds went into the Foundation’s endowment, and the Foundation chose “preserving and enhancing human life” as its mission. Now, the Foundation awards grants twice per year in four program areas: workplace safety, education, end-of-life planning and care, and community development in Knox and Franklin, PA. More information is available at mcelhattan.org.