As a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act new procedures and policies may have to be implemented by safety, health and environmental professionals in public companies in order to safeguard their employers, employees, colleagues and themselves, says an American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) technical report released recently to its membership.
The public law will go further than financial reporting, the ASSE report notes, and require disclosure of a series of company operations, including those in safety, health and the environment. An organization will be required to report an operation that has a failure (safety, environmental or property) that may "significantly impact" the organization's financial soundness.