With the official start of summer upon us, now is the time to start planning for the ninth annual Safe + Sound Week which is being held August 11-17, 2025. This event is sponsored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in partnership with other safety organizations including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Safety Council (NSC), and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).
Safe + Sound week recognizes the accomplishments of workplace health and safety programs and raises awareness about the value of them being proactive. Organizations are encouraged to hold events and activities that highlight their safety program and identify opportunities for new safety initiatives.
Why Participate?
Participating is a great opportunity to recognize your organization’s safety accomplishments and show its commitment to safety. OSHA emphasizes that successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, while at the same time improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started or energize an existing one.
Feedback about Safe + Sound Week from previous participants has included that holding the event at their workplace helped create a culture of safety and let employees know their ideas were welcome. Other benefits mentioned were that participating in Safe + Sound Week encouraged collaboration between employers and employees and showed stakeholders how safety is a fundamental pillar of business.
Who Should Participate?
Businesses of any size and in any type of industry looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are encouraged to participate. Last year more than 5,700 organizations registered to participate, including local life science companies.
How Can my Business Participate?
Companies can either participate privately, or officially register (expected to open in early July) on OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week webpage. The webpage will also have lots of great ideas for Safe + Sound Week activities, many of which don’t take a lot of time to plan for. Resources are provided on developing safety and health programs, management leadership, worker participation, and finding and fixing workplace hazards. They include webinars, course offerings, brochures, worksheet templates, and more.
Safe + Sound Week has been a huge success for Safety Partners’ clients who have participated in previous years! Some fun activities from events we’ve helped clients plan are listed below.
- Mock spill drills and fire drills
- Hands-on fire extinguisher training
- Safety-related games including “Safety Bingo,” “Name that Chemical,” and the “Waste Segregation Challenge”
- The classic “Can You Take Your Gloves Off Without Contaminating (i.e., getting shaving cream on) Yourself and Your Surroundings?”
- Safety scavenger hunts to locate safety manuals, safety data sheets (SDS), emergency equipment, and more!
- Ergonomics training sessions and ergonomics lab and office equipment demonstrations
- Demonstrations on airflow in a biosafety cabinet and the importance of not creating turbulence
- Refresher safety training using a new format such as “Safety Jeopardy”
Safe + Sound week is a great opportunity to raise awareness about your safety program in a fun and engaging way! For additional information, or for assistance with planning for this year’s event, please contact us!
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training.
