About Us
The National Safety Council, Ohio Chapter is a private not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that is an independent chapter of the National Safety Council.
The governing body of the Ohio Chapter is a board of control made up of between 15 to 30 members and non-members residing in the assigned territory of the Chapter. Board meetings are held on a regular basis (normally every six weeks) and several standing committees meet monthly to quarterly as needed. The executive director is hired by and reports to the board of control and in turn manages the office staff and contract employees.
The National Safety Council, Ohio Chapter has grown in seventy (70) years from servicing one (1) county in a busy steel town to providing safety training, products and programs to a diverse population covering thirty (30) counties with nearly five hundred (500) members.
Mission Statement
The National Safety Council, Ohio Chapter saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads, through leadership, education and advocacy.
Our History
In 1948, the Officers of the Youngstown Association of Insurance agents met with the then Mayor of Youngstown, Charles P. Henderson, to request action to reduce the number of automobile accidents in Youngstown and surrounding communities. At that time, the community’s auto insurance rates were the third highest in the nation. Only New York City and Cook County, Illinois had higher rates. Insurers threatened to discontinue writing automobile insurance coverage in the Youngstown area unless something was done to reduce the accident rate.
Mayor Henderson convened his safety committee as well as a number of community civic and business leaders in order to address the problem. On May 10, 1949, the Youngstown area Safety Council was formed. The chronology of key events was as follows:
- May 10, 1949 – Formation of the Youngstown area Safety Council.
- June 19, 1952 – Received charter as a Chapter of the National Safety Council.
- July 1, 1952 – Incorporated as a non-profit, non-governmental, public service organization in Ohio.
- May 23, 1977 – Changes name to Safety Council of Northeastern Ohio.
- October, 13, 1988 – Expands service area to ten (10) additional counties.
- June 25, 1997 – Changes name to Northeast Ohio Chapter National Safety Council.
- January 1, 2002 – Expands service to nineteen (19) additional counties and changes name to National Safety Council, Northern Ohio Chapter.
- June 13, 2016 – Change name to National Safety Council Ohio Chapter to reflect area served.