IOSH launches its new five-year strategy this spring. It will build and act on the reshaped purpose and ambition gained during WORK 2022, which ran from 2017 to 2022.
Staying true to the IOSH vision and mission
‘At the core of IOSH’s vision, mission and ambition is the commitment to protect workers’ lives and protect people from harm at work every day. What could be more important?’ says Dr Peter Bonfield, chair of the IOSH Board of Trustees. ‘Our new strategy has the broadest possible relevance and potential for application across the Institution’s activities and its membership but also beyond, through our partners and supply chains the world over.’
Our mission statement continues to pursue our vision of a safe and healthy world of work:
- We build excellence in a profession dedicated to the protection of all workers, everywhere
- We drive action from everyone that can influence and prioritise OSH standards, globally
- We put people at the heart of social sustainability.
‘We’re launching this new strategy at a vital time for the OSH profession and the world of work. We’re working hard to make real the agreement last year by the International Labour Organization to establish a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work,’ says IOSH president Lawrence Webb. ‘I’m convinced this strategy will serve members and OSH professionals well in the years to come.’
New elements explain how we’re committed to doing this and what we aspire to achieve for our members and the OSH profession.
‘We’re at the start of a new chapter for IOSH, but one that builds seamlessly upon what we’ve achieved during the life of our previous strategy,’ says IOSH chief executive Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher. ‘Our next strategy, Activate 2028, is already inspiring a renewed sense of purpose, reprioritising our work and informing business planning. I’m looking forward to sharing what this means for IOSH and for the profession.’
You will see more from our next strategy and its objectives at the official launch in April. It will inform everything we do and how we do it.
Right now, we can share two underpinning elements from the next IOSH strategy. One explains how we will deliver public benefit through our stated charitable objects, the other offers values that characterise the occupational safety and health profession worldwide.
Public benefit statements
IOSH’s charitable objects guide our core purpose. We’ll remain dedicated to each one throughout the next five-year strategy.
As we launch IOSH’s new strategy, we wanted to create public benefit statements to clearly outline what we aim to achieve, showcasing how, along with the power of its members, IOSH can improve everyone’s working lives.
Charitable object 1
To promote systematic and organised methods of improving occupational safety and health and to advocate, advise on, disseminate, explain and advance the principles, methods and systems of their application in work generally.
Public benefit statement
We champion the right to a safe and healthy world of work. We shine a light on best practice through partnerships with NGOs, campaigns, educational resources and case studies, all freely available to guide businesses, governments and investors on how to apply OSH at organisational or policy level. Workers’ lives are protected, their families supported and communities strengthened.
Charitable object 2
To facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among the members of the Institution and of other professional bodies in the field of occupational safety and health and to work together with other professional bodies in pursuit of mutual objectives.
Public benefit statement
We create inclusive physical and virtual communities, connecting members and partners so knowledge, tools and techniques are shared and a culture of support and positive peer-to-peer interaction is nurtured. To keep communities thriving, we invest in research and outreach to further professional standards and knowledge. This has influence beyond our membership, and so can have positive impacts on workforces across the world.
Charitable object 3
To do all such other things as may be necessary or desirable for maintaining and improving the professional status of members of the Institution and of people engaged in professions requiring a knowledge of the matters mentioned in the first charitable object.
Public benefit statement
We set world-class professional standards for the OSH profession through our competency framework. We provide and accredit training and education programmes that support professionals to continuously develop themselves and be recognised and trusted for their expertise through IOSH membership.
We report on these public benefits in our annual reports. Outlining responses to the charitable objects as actionable statements will enable the Board to hold IOSH, the charity, to account for delivery of its public benefit requirements.
Values for the OSH profession
Our values are the collective guiding principles for uniting our profession.
They give us a foundation from which to act and evolve the world of work for the better.
Act with integrity
We stay true to our beliefs, our dedication to workers’ safety and our commitment to continuously champion workers’ safety and health.
Always be inclusive
We champion a world of work where everyone can be their authentic self, and we are utterly committed to protecting the right for everyone to feel safe and empowered in the world of work.
Together we innovate
We empower organisations to face an ever-changing and pressurised world through collaboration and communication. We’re committed to developing dynamic and innovative solutions.
BUILDING A STRATEGY
How we make a difference together
At the core of everything we do are our charitable objects. They define what we want to achieve for the public good. One of the key roles of Council in developing this strategy was to check and validate that it was demonstrating delivery of our charitable objects.
IOSH worked collaboratively to develop its new strategy. Throughout, Council engaged with and listened to feedback from members everywhere, bringing these insights into the strategy-development process.
With our vision and mission, charitable objects, our global partnerships and, most of all, our members across sectors and territories, through our new strategy we’re in a strong position to fulfil our objectives worldwide.
We hope these public benefit statements and values for the profession inspire you to support how the Institution, and your membership of IOSH, can make a collective difference to realising a safe and healthy world of work.
