The organization was founded on 25 March 1911 in the wake of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire,[1] after lack of safety measures caused the death of 146 garment workers.
The ASSP has specialty communities that focus on particular industries or fields of professional practice, including academia, construction, consulting, engineering, environment, ergonomics, fire protection, healthcare, industrial hygiene, international, management, manufacturing, oil, gas, mining and minerals, public sector, risk management/insurance and transportation.
[citation needed] ASSP is secretariat for several American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committees and administrator for the United States technical advisory groups (TAG) to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on fall protection, risk management and occupational health and safety management systems.
[citation needed] The committees develop and maintain the standards, ensure that the revision process is timely and in accordance with ANSI procedures, and publish the final product.
Its work focuses on improving corporate recognition of employee safety, health, and well-being as a sustainable business practice.