OSH’s common agenda

Every human on the planet has skin in the game when it comes to OSH. In some form we are all reliant on the inputs and processes of organisations to deliver safe outcomes. Throughout the lifecycle of work, risk is omnipresent. The public go about their daily lives with the expectation those risks are effectively controlled, with little thought for how or by whom until something goes wrong. We therefore need to amplify the value of the OSH profession in the public’s perception. This is one of the key tenets in Activate 2028, IOSH’s new strategy.

As a species, we have advanced through taking risks or, perhaps more accurately, from our ability to adapt to the changing risk landscape in our environments. Therefore, to build a sustainable and equitable future for all, the OSH community and our stakeholders must continue to adapt to that changing risk landscape in our environments. We must build on effective legislation, policy and principles to co-create a common agenda.

What does a common OSH agenda look like? With a safe and healthy work environment now a fundamental principle and right at work, all OSH stakeholders across the globe have an obligation to close the gap between grand gestures and concrete action.

We must address daily challenges. Healthy and safe work environments must be created as an outcome of effectively resourced and planned work, acknowledging the potential for variance, and enabling people to adapt and accommodate change.

We must collaborate with all stakeholders to cut through the cacophony of opinions to build a significant instrument for a more effective multilateral system, ensuring coherence around a range of policy areas. This must provide an ethical framework that is equitable in its accessibility and applicable across the global network. It will require global, national and regional inputs and processes to drive the desired outcomes.

We must strive to build frameworks for safer outcomes, enabling risks to be taken, growth to occur and for adaptation to be learnt from. Application of care, trust and continuous improvement, as well as acknowledging people as a critical part of solutions, is key.

The OSH community must coalesce around values and goals that identify the means to respond to people’s needs and aspirations. Activate 2028 fills me with hope and pride that our members will be at the forefront of this change. It’s a bold statement of intent to elevate the value of our profession in the eyes of society and business. I hope you can see how, individually and collectively, you have a critical part to play in the delivery of a safe and healthy world of work.

Stuart Hughes President-elect, IOSH