Overview

The NSC is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. The NSC was founded in 1913 as a membership organization and now has more than 45,000 member businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals.  The U.S. Congress and President Eisenhower granted the NSC a Federal Charter in 1953, (Public Law 259 of the 83rd Congress) that gave the Council a mandate to “arouse the nation” in accident prevention. 

The mission of the National Safety Council is to educate, protect and influence society to adopt safety, health and environmental policies, practices and procedures that prevent and mitigate human suffering and economic losses arising from preventable causes.  Unintentional injuries are the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic respiratory diseases. The highest injury risks that Americans face are essentially the same risks they have faced for decades: worker safety hazards, risks associated with motor vehicles and transportation, and hazards in homes and public places, such as falls, poisoning, fire, and drowning.

The National Safety Council works to help society understand risks by providing safety solutions for individuals and organizations. The NSC achieves its mission and addresses these risks by providing safety and health solutions that reduce unintentional deaths and disabling injuries at home, at work, in communities and in transportation. 

The Council’s solutions include training programs, safety products, partnerships, public education and advocacy.  Many of these solutions are delivered by the Council and delivered in local communities through the Council’s more than 40 local chapters and thousands of instructors.  In addition, the Council’s thousands of volunteers, representing individual member organizations, develop and deliver safety and health programs in their areas of interest. 

The NSC is governed by a Board of Directors and a Board of Delegates.  With the exception of two executive officers who are salaried employees of the Council, directors and delegates are unpaid volunteers.  Board members, officers, and committees, aided by 2,000 volunteers, determine policies, operating procedures and programs to be developed and carried out by the Council’s 300-plus professional staff.  Board members represent industry, labor, chapters, government, community groups, trade and professional associations, and individuals.