Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
How Jacobs keeps mental health in check
Th brilliance of resilience
January/February 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Management
  • Strategy
  • Regulation/enforcement
Sector: Central government
News

TUC and ex-HSE chief criticise board make-up and secrecy

Open-access content Monday 5th September 2016

Former HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger has added to the criticism by accusing the board of "hiding" in closed-session meetings.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has appointed Susan Johnson, former chief executive of the Durham and Northern Business Forum, and previously a director of food retailer Greggs, to the HSE board in one of three positions that have been filled before by TUC nominees. The tripartite structure of the HSE board (formerly the Health and Safety Commission), representing employee, employer and government interests, was prescribed in the Health and Safety at Work Act. Section 2(3) (b) in Sch 2 of the Act says the secretary of state "shall appoint three members after consulting such organisations representing employees as he considers appropriate".

A similar clause provides for three employer representatives among the maximum 11 board members.

"The government cannot appoint an employer to represent workers," said TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady. "It's a blatant abuse of rules that are there to ensure a fair balance between workers and bosses."

Johnson is a non-executive director of the Sports Ground Safety Authority. She replaces Sir Paul Kenny, former general secretary of the GMB union, who left the board at the end of last month. The two remaining employee representative members of the board are Kevin Rowan, head of organisation and services at the TUC, and Jonathan Baume, former general secretary of the FDA civil service union. The TUC also criticised Baume's appointment in 2013 because it was made despite the congress's proposal of another candidate, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack.

In the first triennial review for the government of the HSE's work and functions in 2014, Martin Temple, since appointed as HSE chair, said the board needed a broader range of skills. Temple recommended a relaxation in the fixed numbers of employer and employee representatives if the DWP found it was "not possible to achieve the appropriate balance of skills/ competences and required experience/background of HSE board members".

The government said it saw no need to change the prescribed numbers of representatives, but the TUC argued that, by appointing Johnson to one of the employee representative positions, it had in effect done so.

Geoffrey Podger, who served as HSE chief executive from 2007 to 2013, told delegates at IOSH's National Safety and Health Conference last month that the public perception of safety and health over-regulation had made those who should champion proportionate risk management reluctant to speak out.

"My glance falls upon the HSE board whose role you might have thought it was to do this," he said. "It is quite extraordinary to me the position they seem to have got themselves in."

Podger, now senior visiting research fellow at the Centre for Risk Management, at King's College London, said the board's tripartite structure was replicated in many countries. "Those that have good health and safety records all have bodies which bring together both sides of industry with politicians in some way and lead to open discussions on the best way forward on issues and don't try to hide problems."

He observed that the HSE board which should perform this function "increasingly doesn't and actually hides". He pointed to the board's shrinking number of public meetings, from nine in 2012 to three in 2016, of which one was cancelled.

Podger criticised the recruitment of board members lacking "relevant influence or any sectoral knowledge" in last year's Allan St John Holt memorial lecture.

He told IOSH Magazine: "Instead of having arm's length recommendations on health and safety from people who know what they are doing, what we end up with is politicised health and safety which reflects the mantras of the day but no political expertise."

Topics
Regulation/enforcement
Sector: Central government
News

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Project Health and Safety Manager

London (Central)
Up to £400.00 per day
Reference
5452796

Health and Safety Advisor – Career Progression role

Chesterfield
£26,824.02 and progressing through increments to £30,785.23
Reference
5452792

Regional Health and Safety Advisor

Newmarket
£43000 - £48000 per annum + Car and Benefits
Reference
5452785
See all jobs »

Today's top reads

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ