Around 800 delegates including occupational safety and health professionals (OSH), business leaders and government officials are expected to attend the Singapore WSH Conference 2016, co-organised biennially by the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH), the WSH Institute and Ministry of Manpower.
This year's conference programme is themed around 'Total WSH: The Future of Our Workplace', and aims to highlight the importance of adopting a holistic approach towards managing both safety and health risks in the workplace.
IOSH is one of the conference's strategic partners, while Darren Brunton, Immediate Past Chair of IOSH Singapore Branch, was part of the conference's initial working group.
Darren said: "The fact IOSH Singapore was involved in the initial planning for the conference shows that the Institution and the branch are gaining recognition within Singapore, and that we can bring many aspects to support the development of health, safety and wellbeing to the community and workplace in Singapore and the region.
"By working with the Workplace Safety and Health Council, the WSH Institute, the Ministry of Manpower and other regional authorities, we will continue to promote total workplace safety and health for the future."
Representatives of IOSH and its Singapore Branch will be promoting the Institution, its ongoing research and other projects throughout the conference, which is due to take place at Suntec Singapore on 24-25 August.
Among the conference's key speakers will be IOSH's executive director of policy, Shelley Frost. She is due to address delegates about IOSH Blueprint, the Institution's new global model for defining competency in occupational safety and health, during a symposium session on the conference's second day.
The first component of IOSH Blueprint -- a self-assessment tool enabling OSH professionals to assess their competencies and produce professional profiles and development plans -- was released earlier this year to IOSH members. In 2017, the profession will be able to use IOSH Blueprint to access new knowledge and skills training through a 'knowledge bank' of resources.
Shelley is also due to address delegates about the self-assessment tool at The Forum on Workplace Safety & Health, a satellite event to the WSH Conference 2016 which will take place at Suntec Singapore on 26 August.
It has been organised by Messe Düsseldorf Asia in partnership with IOSH Singapore Branch, the Institution of Engineers Singapore, Singapore Institute of Safety Officers and the Occupational and Environmental Health Society.
The event will bring together OSH experts, specialists and manufacturers to discuss topics including WSH management and Design for Safety.
IOSH President, Dr Karen McDonnell, is set to address the forum and outline the global reach of the Institution's occupational cancer campaign, No Time to Lose. Stephen Pollock, Project Safety Manager at MTR Corporation Ltd in Hong Kong, will also speak about its support of the campaign.
IOSH Singapore Branch Chair, Bhupendra Baliyan, said: "The branch is at the forefront in promoting safety and health locally and in the Asia-Pacific region through actively participating in various seminars, conferences and events like the Forum on Workplace Safety & Health.
"This event will provide an excellent opportunity for all OSH professionals to meet and share the ideas, views and fulfil continual learning and improvement in their own profession.
"A joint partnership among like-minded organisations to organise a WSH forum is a commitment to improve and saves lives at work and move together towards a 'vision-zero' goal."
