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Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

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Sector: Offshore
IOSH News

Workforce engagement “critical” for offshore health and safety

Open-access content Friday 9th June 2017
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

Workforce engagement is crucial offshore

Shane Gorman, Workforce Engagement Coordinator for member-led organisation Step Change in Safety, said when workers are engaged they feel empowered to raise awareness of unsafe situations, preventing themselves and their colleagues from coming to harm.

Shane was speaking at a meeting arranged by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health's (IOSH) Offshore Group.

The discussion was around workforce engagement - a word which is often over used and misunderstood. Shane explained that in his role he talks to 'the workforce', discusses safety issues and matters, and empowers each individual, regardless of job role or title, to feel confident enough to report upon any safety issue.

He told delegates how they can each influence safety in their workplaces, including providing information about how they can become safety representatives.

He said: "Workforce engagement is key, not just to delivering key facts and information about safety systems offshore but to having the workforce chatting to each other, having open discussions about potential hazards and playing their part in the safety of everyone offshore.

"There can be misconceptions about workforce engagement on and offshore. It's not one individual delivering a one-hour talk to a room full of people. It's building confidence, empowering individuals and driving safety messages through intervention."

Shane, an IOSH member, is an experienced safety representative having spent many years working offshore. Step Change in Safety was borne out of the investigation which followed the Piper Alpha disaster, which happened in July 1988, killing 167 offshore workers. Shane had a personal experience with the world's worst oil and gas disaster having lost his dad, David Gorman, on that terrible and tragic night.

Simon Hatson, Chair of IOSH's Offshore Group, said: "The offshore industry is a very hazardous one. It is critical, therefore, that workforces are engaged in the development and maintenance of the health and safety systems.

"Our event was very informative for people working in the sector. Both Shane and Dave are experienced safety representatives and I hope delegates were able to take away some insights to share with their own workforces."

The meeting, held in Aberdeen on Monday 15 May, also heard an account from Dave Thomson, a safety representative and member of Step Change in Safety's G18, who spoke about his role as an offshore safety representative and the challenges he faces.

You may also be interested in...

 Election season continues for IOSH members

Monday 12th June 2017
It is nearly time to play your part in the future of your profession and the body that represents it and cast your vote in the IOSH Council Election. IOSH has this year received a record number of nominations for election to Council, with 29 candidates put forward.On Thursday 22 June, all members will receive details of each of these candidates and their election slips from the Electoral Reform Services. IOSH President Graham Parker has urged all members to take their opportunity to vote.
Open-access content

 Bangladesh health and safety project begins trainer recruitment

Tuesday 13th June 2017
Up to 30 people will undergo training to ensure they are able to deliver workshops, initially in ready-made garment factories in Dhaka and Chittagong. It is part of the OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) Initiative for Workers and Communities, a three-year project which has been co-funded by IOSH. As well as identifying trainers, staff from the initiative have developed the curriculum for the ‘train-the-trainer’ courses, the first round of which will take place this summer.
Open-access content

 Work-related cancer drive gains 200th supporter

Tuesday 20th June 2017
No Time to Lose, run by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has attracted backing from a wide cross-section of industries. This support has led to the risks of exposure to cancer-causing agents in workplaces – and many ways these can be controlled – being highlighted to employees around the world.The 200th organisation to register its support was the University of Liverpool.
Open-access content

 Visit IOSH’s Safety & Health Expo stand for industry’s latest

Wednesday 24th May 2017
Visitors to the stand’s theatre will be able to get information on career development, IOSH training courses, volunteering opportunities and the upcoming ISO 45001 standard.
Open-access content

 Record number of visits to IOSH’s expo stand

Monday 26th June 2017
There were 1,472 visits made to the stand at the event – well in excess of previous years – with information on career development, IOSH training courses, volunteering opportunities and the upcoming ISO 45001 standard on offer. Also available were details on WORK 2022, IOSH’s new strategy, and the latest from the No Time to Lose occupational cancer campaign.
Open-access content

 Commitment to tackle silica dust: Partners on track six months on

Monday 22nd May 2017
New guidance has been published, studies have been undertaken and presentations have been given to employers and employees around the world.  It comes after a 12-month plan of action was agreed in November 2016 to tackle the threat of RCS. Partners pledged to raise awareness of, and take preventative action against, work-related exposures to RCS, which is responsible for 800 lung cancer deaths a year in Britain alone.
Open-access content
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Sector: Energy
Sector: Offshore
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