Kullman urges World Safety Congress participants to strengthen efforts over next 3 years through collaboration, prevention

DuPont Safety & Protection Group Vice President Ellen J. Kullman today called on XVII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work participants to strengthen "our efforts through collaboration and prevention" in enhancing workplace safety over the next three years.

In today's World Congress closing keynote address, Kullman stressed the importance of "bringing it all together" following this week's broad range of safety sessions here involving government, labor, and industry leaders from around the world. She noted that while the World Congress ends today, a new journey of collaboration and partnership is just beginning.

"We cannot settle for anything less than safe workplaces for employees in every country around the world," Kullman said. "This can only be accomplished through partnership. Business, government, academia and agencies must work together in collaboration to make sure that every man and woman, mother and father, son and daughter goes home safely from work and passes their knowledge on to others around them.

"As we go forward into the next three years before the XVIIIth World Congress, I challenge all of us to renew our energy and commitment to making this a safer world for people everywhere. We have the knowledge. We have the experience. We have the passion. Now we must reaffirm our commitment to be the ambassadors of safety and health in our globalized world."

Kullman noted that a growing number of both business and government leaders around the world are recognizing the value of strong safety practices and the impact to their businesses and economies.

"In order for both government and business leaders to embrace a safety culture, it is important for them to understand that safety is a business value," Kullman said. "Globally, companies are beginning to understand that the direct and indirect cost savings from safety management can significantly affect the bottom-line. Whether they are dramatically lowering workers' compensation costs for a public transportation system in the United States, or improving productivity in the oil and gas plants in Mexico, or enabling multinational companies to do more business in China, business leaders are clearly recognizing that safety management systems offer real financial benefits."

On Tuesday, a coalition of diverse, cross-industry companies from around the world announced here its commitment in advancing workplace and home safety practices globally over the next three years by agreeing to participate in the first-ever "World Safety Declaration: Global Industry Commitment to Workplace Safety."

The global coalition of the "World Safety Declaration" includes 15 founding companies, headquartered in various countries and representing a broad range of industries from entertainment to mining. Founding companies include DuPont, Walt Disney Company, General Electric, British Petroleum, TATA Steel, BE&K services, Huaibei Coal Mining, Fluor services, Rohm & Haas, Evergreen Aviation Technologies, Aker Kvaerner services, Yantai Wanhua polyurethane, Hindustan Lever consumer goods, Cemex and Qantas Airways. Other businesses attending the World Congress were invited by the founding companies to participate and sign the declaration when it was unveiled Tuesday.

The declaration, which was signed by leaders of the coalition's founding companies, was presented to the organizers of World Congress on Safety and Health at Work this week. The World Congress, which is held every three years, draws together several thousand key leaders and influencers of workplace safety policy from industry, government, and labor to present and discuss emerging safety research, trends, best practices and innovations in the workplace.

Kullman's complete address is available at http://www.worldcongress.dupont.com. Visuals of Kullman delivering today's closing keynote address at the conclusion of the World Congress in Orlando can be downloaded at: http://www.worldcongress.dupont.com.