SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN THE WORLD OF WORK
MARCH/APRIL 2020
C O L L A B O R AT E / I N F L U E N C E / E N H A N C E
BLOCKING OUT THE NOISE Politics has been a distraction for too long – it’s time to focus on our six priorities for improving OSH COLLABORATE
INFLUENCE
ENHANCE
Can trespass on the railways be diverted?
Mastering technology and reporting in Malaysia
How Amazon delivers safety for employees
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Join IOSH at the Health & Safety Event 2020 28 –30 April 2020 NEC, Birmingham
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WELCOME
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF
VAN ESSA HARWOOD-WHITCHER The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the world’s leading professional body for people responsible for safety and health in the workplace.
Published by Redactive Publishing Ltd Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL +44 (0) 20 7880 6200
EDITOR Emma Godfrey emma.godfrey@ioshmagazine.com
DEPUTY EDITOR Kellie Mundell kellie.mundell@ioshmagazine.com
CONTENT SUB-EDITOR James Hundleby
LEAD DESIGNER David Twardawa
SENIOR DESIGNER Joe McAllister
PICTURE RESEARCHER Charlie Hedges
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PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Aaron Nicholls Redactive aims to provide authoritative and accurate information at all times. Its publications are, however, for guidance only and are not an official information source. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher and editor. For changes to your address, please contact IOSH membership team on membership@iosh.com or 0116 257 3198. ISSN 2396-7447
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All change elcome to your new-look, bi-monthly IOSH magazine, completely redesigned to be informative and a ‘go to’ resource for our members. Delivering the top things you need to know and enhancing your CPD opportunities. I’m excited. This new size, shape and format has been many months in the making and is based on what you told us you want and need. You’ll notice first that it’s a more contemporary size and style with a fresh, modern design approach. Images catch the eye and there’s clear signposting throughout, so readers can find their way round more easily. It’s interesting, engaging and readable. You’ll find infographics and useful stats, fast facts and calls to action. Articles include average time needed to read so you can log CPD activity. The whole structure of the magazine has changed to reflect the three core elements of IOSH’s WORK 2022 – shaping the future of safety and health strategy: enhance, collaborate, and influence. Our strategy is helping to deliver advancements in safety and health at work worldwide. How this is now represented in our magazine, with insights into how these pillars are helping you and your professional peers, really bring it all to life. This edition’s cover feature dives deeper into IOSH’s six priorities and our ‘asks’ of the new UK government over the next five years. Did we get it right? As the magazine evolves, we’ll invite you to ask and answer questions and expand your debates online.
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Also in this issue, we have a spotlight on Florence Anyane, Ghana’s first female Chartered Member, we talk to the director general for the Department of Occupational Safety and Health in Malaysia about that country’s commitment to improving OSH by reducing the rate of work-related deaths and accidents and improving reporting of occupational diseases, and there’s a brilliant feature for International Women’s Day with influential women leaders from across the globe. The print edition is longer than before with more space and depth. This first issue is a bumper 84 pages! And there’s a greater variety of content with a healthy shelf life. This all sits alongside a fully revamped magazine website which carries news and views, while the print edition handles detailed features, analysis and opinion. You can also find the latest jobs and career resources at our new-look IOSH jobs website, which will be live in April – visit ioshjobs.com then! Many of you fed back that we needed to look at the environmental impact of the magazine. Six issues a year interspersed with more digital content means the print edition uses less paper and ink. It’s ‘naked’ too! IOSH has removed the unrecyclable plastic front cover lamination and it arrives unwrapped, with your name and address printed directly onto it. Finally, this is for you. Enjoy exploring. Please tell us what you think and what else you’d like to see. Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher IOSH DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
IOSH MAGAZINE
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Contents SA F E T Y, H E A LT H A N D W EL L BEI N G I N T H E W O R L D OF W O R K
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UPDAT E 7
NEWS
10
IOSH NEWS
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NEWS ANALYSIS Can we end modern slavery?
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DID YOU KNOW..? Poor mental health at sea
18
LEGAL
20
GLOBAL NEWS
22
PROSECUTIONS
24
BIG PICTURE
MODERN SLAVERY
‘It doesn’t matter what businesses say – if they are not compelled to take more decisive action, they won’t’
Grenfell three years on
28 C OV E R FE ATU R E Blocking out the noise Six priorities for progress that IOSH would like to see the UK government tackle
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CONTENTS
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70 I N FLUE N C E 52
The risk of incident escalates as fatigue levels increase, and this can have devastating consequences. Are employers taking excessive tiredness seriously enough, asks Karl Simons, chief health, safety and security officer at Thames Water
C O LLA B O RATE 34
WOMEN AT WORK Stepping up
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EU-OSHA CAMPAIGNS The power of partnerships Collaboration has been crucial to raising safety standards across Europe, says Christine Sedlatschek of EU-OSHA
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CASE STUDY On the right track How Network Rail’s public awareness campaign against under-18s trespassing on the railways saved lives
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E N HAN C E 66
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ISO 45001 Regime change The road to OSHMS compliance was long and winding, says Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH head of health and safety. Leadership and commitment from senior management is just the first step
WORKWEAR PREDICTIONS PPE gets smart As workers demand more effective protective equipment, experts expect AI and sustainability to drive trends
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COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK Your next dream hire The skills you need to spot when recruiting the best influencers
HOW TO… Be the best mentor Enjoy the satisfaction of helping someone grow – and learn new skills yourself
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ENGAGEMENT TOOLS Delivering safety at Amazon How do OSH staff at the online retail giant keep staff safe across multiple fulfilment centres?
WIDER VIEW Fighting fatigue behind the wheel, and practical tips for risk assessments
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OSH AMBITIONS Master plan for Malaysia Its economy is bounding ahead, but can Malaysia’s OSH keep up? The director general of DOSH explains how the country’s latest objective is to create a preventive culture
Five women tell how they got a foot on the OSH ladder – and how to keep climbing it
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FATIGUE MANAGEMENT Dropping off into danger
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FUTURE LEADER Chloe Hughes at Rolls-Royce
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MEMBER INTERVIEW Unchartered waters How Florence Anyane became Ghana’s first female Chartered IOSH Member
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TALKING SHOP Sustainability, technology, demographics and working patterns: the trends at the heart of future OSH
IOSH MAGAZINE
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EVACCHAIR.CO.UK 25/02/2020 11:12
Update WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS ISSUE
IN THIS S E CT I O N
Latest from UK government on new Building Safety Regulator and Fire Safety Bill P7 | UK HSE issues report on 2011 Pembroke refinery explosion P8 | The risks and benefits of being a ‘gig’ worker P8 | Reclassification of welding fume leads to safety blitz P8 | Driver death toll mounts on smart motorways P9 | Dates for your diary: must-attend events for OSH practitioners P9
F I RE S A F ETY
New Building Regulator delayed he new Building Safety Regulator being established by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the wake of the failings uncovered by the Grenfell Tower fire is not likely to be up and running until 2021, the UK government has admitted. The scope of projects covered by the regulator is also likely to be
the government aims to do ‘as soon as possible’ to implement the legislative recommendations of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry phase 1 report. The first phase of the inquiry, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, highlighted ‘serious shortcomings’ in the London Fire Brigade’s preparedness for and response to the June 2017 inferno that killed 72 people.
PHOTOG RAPHY: GETTY
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wider than originally thought. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government told IOSH magazine that although the board, headed up by former HSE chair Dame Judith Hackitt, met for the first time in midFebruary, the new regulator won’t be fully established until the Fire Safety Bill has been enacted, which
IOSH MAGAZINE
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UPDAT E
M A J O R H A Z A RDS
COSHH
Failings behind fatal refinery explosion
SAFETY BLITZ: WELDING FUME
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bit.ly/HSE-pembroke
Pros and cons of the gig economy With the rise in self-employment, independent contractors, and workers accessing labour markets online, the world of work is undergoing rapid change, with up to 2.8 million gig workers in the UK. In response, the UK HSE has published new research on the risks and benefits of the growing ‘gig’ economy to inform future OSH policy. bit.ly/pros-cons-gig
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RISKS Time pressures Mental health problems Work-related stress No sick pay Lack of control Musculoskeletal disorders Social isolation No maximum driving time Fatigue Poorer health outcomes.
2.8m
The estimated number of gig economy workers in the UK
BENEFITS Independence Self-employment Options Flexibility Informality Variety Work/life balance Opportunities for the disadvantaged.
WHAT SHOULD ORGANISATIONS BE DOING? Employers must ensure they have adequate controls in place to avoid or reduce exposure to welding fume. They should use local exhaust ventilation where effective and provide suitable respiratory protective equipment where necessary to protect workers in the metal fabrication industry from inhaling fume. HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT? New evidence last year showed exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause cancer, and the HSE updated its guidance. As a result of the International Agency for Research on Cancer releasing evidence that exposure to mild steel welding fume can cause lung cancer and possibly kidney cancer in humans, mild steel welding fume was reclassified as a human carcinogen by the Workplace Health Expert Committee in February 2019. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS? OSH content developer Michael Edwards, who represents IOSH on the Industry and Regulatory Forum on Local Exhaust Ventilation, said: ‘Further efforts must be made to protect workers involved in welding as part of their roles. ‘IOSH urges employers in the UK to review current welding control measures to ascertain that they meet these raised control standards.’
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY, GE TTY
he UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its longawaited report on the safety failings that led to an explosion at Chevron’s Pembrokeshire refinery in south Wales in 2011. The report reveals the underlying causes of the incident, which killed four people and seriously injured one other. Shortly after the explosion, the HSE issued a safety alert to inform industry of the preventative measures required to avert a similar occurrence. A complex investigation followed, and the new report is intended to inform those in major hazard industries of what went wrong, and apply lessons to their own organisations Although a number of years have elapsed since the incident, the information contained within the report remains highly relevant today, the HSE confirmed.
WHAT HAS BEEN LAUNCHED? The UK HSE has warned it will be carrying out inspections to ensure employers are protecting their workers’ health by controlling the risks from welding fume.
MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
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NEWS
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
ROAD SAFETY
1 0-1 1 M ARCH
20-23 APRIL
Health and Wellbeing at Work
Occupational Hygiene 2020
BIRMINGHAM
BRISTOL
What will be covered? Positive psychology coaching Autism in the workplace GDPR Whistleblowing Staff surveillance
The BOHS Annual Conference will bring together researchers, practitioners and regulators from around the world to discuss the issues affecting those working in occupational hygiene.
bit.ly/hww-2020
bit.ly/oh-2020
Killer motorways?
25-26 MARCH
o-called ‘smart’ motorways hit the headlines recently after the BBC’s Panorama programme questioned how safe they really are. Smart motorways, where the hard shoulder is turned into a live lane, have been criticised because refuge areas are spaced too far apart and drivers who break down can be trapped in speeding traffic. According to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC to Highways England, 38 people have died on smart motorways in the past five years. It is the first time that the total number of deaths has been reported. The idea behind smart motorways was to improve the flow of traffic through the most congested parts of the network by using the hard shoulder as an extra lane. But some breakdown organisations have instructed roadside technicians not to stop on smart motorways amid increasing safety concerns after it was revealed a number of workers died last year. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced he wants to fix smart motorways because they are too confusing for drivers. A government review, the results of which are due to be announced shortly, is expected to recommend reforms to improve road safety.
Hosted by the HSE, this event will look at decarbonisation and the challenge of regulating this growing area of new technology.
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On smart motorways, refuge areas are too far apart and drivers who break down can be trapped in speeding traffic
Future of Gas III
28 APRIL
BIRMINGHAM
RoSPA Scotland Conference 2020
bit.ly/future-gas
EDINBURGH
Conference for the OSH community in Scotland to discuss key issues, as well as a range of case studies and interactive sessions. bit.ly/rospa-2020
1 AP RIL South Wales Safety Groups Alliance Annual Conference and Exhibition
28-30 APRIL The Health and Safety Event 2020
CARDIFF
BIRMINGHAM
Sessions will include: Proportionate OSH (keynote address) Occupational cancer Respiratory disease Musculoskeletal disorders Mental health first aid.
This three-day event attracts more than 16,000 workplace professionals to attend a range of seminars, practical workshops and an exhibition hall offering the latest products and services.
bit.ly/sww-2020
bit.ly/hase-2020
TELL US…
Heard about an event that would be of interest to IOSH members? Email kellie.mundell@ioshmagazine.com
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Seven ways to protect travelling employees n response to the recent coronavirus outbreak, IOSH has highlighted key steps that employers can take to manage the health, safety and wellbeing of travelling staff.
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PHOTOG RAPHY: ISTOCK
Ensure robust policies, procedures and controls are in place. And communicate them to all relevant parts of your organisation, providing training as appropriate. Consider if travel is absolutely necessary. Can you achieve the same result with video conferencing and spare the organisation and traveller the risk, time, cost and environmental impact?
If travel is necessary, carry out a travel risk assessment. This should incorporate not only the travel, accommodation and work itself but the traveller’s physical and mental capabilities.
Know where your employees are and where they’re going. Some travel management systems offer tracking and alert functions, while there are products and apps that use GPS to provide live location tracking.
Have a travel assistance scheme. Should an employee become involved in an incident or emergency situation, you need to provide support. Most
schemes and business travel insurance packages offer a 24/7 helpline that triggers assistance with medical treatment, repatriation and lost or stolen money and documents.
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Provide information, instruction and training to travellers. The risk assessment process should establish the type and extent of the relevant guidance that’s needed.
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Keep wellbeing in mind. Frequent international travel has been shown to have negative effects on both physical and mental health, with situations such as disease outbreak causing added concern among travellers. Help staff to stay healthy, balancing work with rest. For real-time updates on coronavirus, go to bit.ly/covid-map
R E S E A RCH ROUND-UP Firefighter study links back pain to insomnia Lower back pain exacerbated by challenging working conditions could be a significant cause of insomnia among firefighters, new research suggests. The study, by researchers at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in Iran and published by IOSH’s journal Policy and Practice in Health and Safety, examined the prevalence of
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musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in firefighters and its relationship with severity of insomnia. A total of 118 firefighters were asked to fill in a questionnaire. The study found that MSDs were present in over half of the participants, with lower back pain the most common complaint (30.5%). One in five of the firefighters assessed had
subclinical insomnia too, with 30% of them experiencing moderate to severe insomnia. The findings come as an estimated 498,000 British workers suffered from MSDs caused, or made worse, by their
current or past work in 2018-19, according to the UK Health and Safety Executive. Researcher Dr Zohreh Yazdi said the results highlight ‘the need for preventive activities to better protect the occupational health of this vulnerable group’. View the paper at bit.ly/PPHS-Yazdi and access IOSH resources for MSDs at iosh.com/ MSD-toolkit
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IOSH NEWS
E Y E S ON E V E N TS
Conference success in Lagos WHAT? Shaping the Future of Occupational Safety and Health in Africa – IOSH’s first conference in West Africa – took place in Lagos, Nigeria, in January. WHO? The event was organised in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Lagos State Safety Commission. Speakers included IOSH chief executive Bev Messinger and vice president Kayode Fowode, director general of the Lagos State Safety Commission Lanre Mojola, and representatives from the Nigerian Insurers Association and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria. WHY? The conference was designed to build safety and health competencies and capabilities in Nigeria. HOW MANY? The conference welcomed nearly 1000 delegates, while coverage of the event across 21 media outlets reached an audience of at least 18 million and generated over 37,000 organic impressions on the IOSH Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn channels. WHAT WAS LAUNCHED? The NCFE IOSH Level 3 certificate in Safety and Health for Business and the No Time to Lose campaign tackling occupational cancer, which gained the backing of nine organisations across West Africa. WHAT’S NEXT? IOSH is set to visit Ghana later this year to develop links and build a new network. bit.ly/IOSH-conference-Nigeria
No time for cancer Employers, OSH professionals and others showed their support for World Cancer Day in February. IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign, which raises awareness of occupational cancer, ran a dedicated webpage
43 seconds Global research estimates that one person dies on average every 43 seconds from a work-related cancer – that’s around 742,000 deaths a year. offering downloads and free resources to help businesses manage dangerous carcinogens including asbestos, silica dust, diesel engine exhaust emissions and solar radiation. The campaign reached more than 377,000 people via social media channels, while over 600 resources were downloaded. bit.ly/NTTL-get-involved
ISSA meeting on prevention WHAT HAPPENED? Two days of meetings in February, hosted by IOSH in its role leading the education and training section of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). WHAT’S ISSA? Based in Geneva, the world’s leading body for social security institutions, government departments and agencies has 330 member organisations in 158 countries. WHO WAS THERE? Martina Hesse-Spotter, chair of the ISSA Special Committee, led the meeting. It was also attended by ISSA secretary general Dr Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano. Delegates came from industries spanning education to agriculture, and mining to transport. WHAT WAS DISCUSSED? Prevention, IOSH’s WORK 2022 strategy and ISSA’s Vision Zero campaign. IOSH head of strategic engagement Alan Stevens said the meeting was ‘an excellent example of how we’re collaborating with international organisations to achieve healthier, safer workplaces for everyone’.
T RAILIN G T RAIN IN G
FIRST SHE APPRENTICES SET TO PASS The first cohort of safety, health and environment (SHE) technician apprentices is soon to complete the programme. WHAT IT IS: The Level 3 apprenticeship was developed by a ‘trailblazer’ group of employers over an 18-month consultation with IOSH. This was to ensure learners gain the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours required for technical membership of the Institution. WHAT ELSE: The apprenticeship typically lasts for two years, offering prospective learners up to £5000 in funding. WHAT ONE APPRENTICE SAID: ‘I would really recommend the apprenticeship, because of the level of support I receive from my tutors, as well as the knowledge and the tools to get you to where you need to be’ – Leon Axisa. Watch their journeys at bit.ly/1st-SHE-apprentices
CSCS APPROVAL FOR IOSH COURSE An IOSH-designed training course for construction workers has been approved by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. COURSE AIMS: ‘Safety, Health and Environment for Construction Workers’ was developed to equip employees with knowledge to keep themselves and others safe at work. With CSCS approval, the course can now support workers in applying for the Green Labourer card that allows them to work on sites in entry-level positions. It can be delivered in one day and tailored to suit the needs of an organisation. COURSE CONTENT: Health and safety issues, local law, risk assessments and method statements, site requirements, hazards and controls, and site environmental management. See more at bit.ly/IOSH-CSCS or contact courses@iosh.com
bit.ly/ISSA-prevention
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15 MINS
MODERN SLAVERY
odern slavery has many faces: from women forced into prostitution and workers coerced into back-breaking labouring jobs, to children exploited in garment sweatshops. And it is not confined to developing countries: in the UK the number of modern slavery cases rose by more than a third between 2017 and 2018. On 14 March, the #MyFreedomDay event used the power of social media to shine a light on these secretive practices, organise anti-trafficking events and remind the global community of the importance – and fragility – of freedom. No supply chain among the UK’s private companies and public bodies can rid itself
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY
M
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ryw Everywhere h in chains: end slavery #MyFreedomDay is a timely reminder that the UK needs to act more decisively to help eradicate the global scourge of modern slavery. WORDS NICK WARBURTON
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NEWS ANALYSIS
entirely from the risk of labour exploitation, notes deputy director of business change at the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Mark Heath. Potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking tracked through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK’s national helpline (see Resources, overleaf ) – suggest they are on the rise. The UK government responded in the form of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which rolled out important measures, including a requirement for business to report on actions to prevent slavery and human trafficking (see cover feature on page 28). However, critics have long complained the legislation lacks any effective punitive measures on transparency (see Slave detectors, right). Around 40% of eligible companies do not comply with the transparency requirements of the act, an independent review commissioned by the Home Office found, which only reinforces calls for more decisive government action (see Resources, overleaf ). Currently, under section 54 of the act, only a private company with an annual turnover of £36m or more must publish a slavery and human trafficking statement on its website, but there are no serious penalties if it fails to do so. And those who do report can even record merely that they have taken no action. The review’s final report, published in May last year, presented 80 recommendations to make the legislation more fit for purpose. The Home Office responded in July, agreeing with most of the amendments and launching a public consultation on transparency in supply chains. It has been proposed to extend the reporting requirements to large public sector organisations not currently captured by the legislation,
SUPPLY C HA N G E
IOSH CPD
Slave detectors
IOSH has developed a CPD course on modern slavery, which will run on 28 July in Cambridge (venue TBC) and 8 December (at The Grange).
Ian Sweet, former director of operations and strategy at the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, on slavery.
Attendees will gain a greater insight into:
When the Modern Slavery Act 2015 first came into force, businesses were encouraged to find slavery and remove it from their supply chains. However, we’ve given businesses a grace period on doing that. It’s got to the point where we’ve now got to say to big business: ‘If we find it in your supply chain, these are the unlimited fines you are facing.’ Our legislators haven’t really got to grips with that at the moment. If you wanted to take it to the extreme, you could say the legislation is giving cover to businesses to continue with slavery in their supply chains. I say that because these businesses produce a slavery and human trafficking statement once a year to say what they are doing as almost their insurance policy. That’s as far as they have to go. There needs to be a huge change in relation to eradicating it from the supply chain. It doesn’t matter what businesses say, if they are not compelled to take more decisive action, they won’t.
The different forms of modern-day slavery. The government strategy and legal framework for the Modern Slavery Act 2015. How and why victims become involved in slavery. Where victims could be located and identify the signs/risk indicators of how victims may present. The tools for assessing and managing risk, preparing a modern slavery statement, and responding to an incident of modern slavery. The National Referral Mechanism. bit.ly/IOSH-slavery-CPD
a move IOSH supports. The consultation closed in September and a Home Office spokesperson told IOSH that it is analysing the feedback with plans to publish its response later this year. Building on the Cabinet Office’s announcement last September of new measures to ensure central government supply chains are free from modern slavery, the Home Office has also said it will voluntarily publish its first modern slavery statement in the
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Slavery in the UK
coming months – it was originally planned for December – setting out the steps it has taken to prevent modern slavery. IOSH continues to advocate that government acts as an exemplar on procurement and has welcomed the Cabinet Office’s procurement The number of referrals of The number of modern slavery offences potential victims submitted policy note (PPN 05/19), which recorded by police in England and Wales to the NRM in 2018, a 36% in the year to March 2019, a 49% increase applies to all existing contracts increase on 2017 on the previous year and, from 1 October 2019, any new procurement. The government has also committed to creating a free, online central reporting service for posting The most common type of exploitation firms’ modern slavery statements. for both adults and minors was different nationalities of Work is in its early stages and will potential victims: the most focus on understanding user needs common were British, Albanian and Vietnamese to inform the service’s design. IOSH, which delivered its of these potential response to the consultation in victims (3128) were exploited as children September, together with its white paper on modern slavery (see Resources, right), welcomes the development. Richard Jones, IOSH head of policy and part of the Employment Bill to offer greater regulatory engagement, says: ‘Better transparency protections for workers. This augments an and due diligence on preventing modern slavery earlier public consultation that included RESOURC ES in supply chains is a key IOSH public policy call questions on extending GLAA licensing on the new government – urging implementation on agriculture to other high-risk sectors 2019 independent review of of the independent review’s recommendations and such as construction and hospitality, which the Modern Slavery Act: other improvements.’ IOSH has previously called for. The Home bit.ly/MSA-review In particular, IOSH would like to see the Office has said it will publish its consultation UK government response government lower the £36m threshold to response in the coming months. to the review: increase the number of organisations required So with #MyFreedomDay going viral this bit.ly/MSA-UKG-response to make disclosures. It has also called for better month, what can employers do to step up IOSH white paper quality disclosures and for the government to to the plate? As Mark at the GLAA notes, on modern slavery, drop the option for businesses to say they’ve it’s important to create an environment Tackling modern slavery taken no prevention steps. The government that encourages potential victims to together: iosh.com/ has said it will consult further in this area. talk to a colleague in confidence about modernslaverywhitepaper The Home Office has twice written to CEOs their concerns. 2019 UK Annual report of businesses identified as being in scope ‘One of the things gaining a bit of on modern slavery: of the legislation, outlining how to meet its traction and worth building on is looking bit.ly/UK-modernobligations. It is currently undertaking an audit at the way workers are treated holistically: slavery-report of compliance and told IOSH that it may publish worker welfare, wellbeing at work, good National Referral a list of non-compliant businesses or seek work and good recruitment,’ he says. Mechanism statistics Q3, injunctions against those that fail to comply. ‘All of those things tied together encourage 2019: bit.ly/NRM-Q3 In a further move, the Queen’s speech at a conversation in the workplace that might the state opening of Parliament in December be able to identify where people might be at mentioned a new ‘single enforcement body’ as risk or are even being exploited.’
6985 5059 45%
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EVERY PENNY WE MAKE, GOES INTO ENSURING WORKERS GO HOME SAFE Find out more: T. 020 3510 3510 www.britsafe.org
MC201
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98.6% 70.5% 46.5% said talking with colleagues made them happy
of sailors said they were very happy at home compared with just 10.5% who described themselves as very happy on board
of employers in shipping do not believe that mental health problems are increasing
The ratio of work and leave time recommended to be given to all ranks, with a maximum of six months on board
2:1Â
An IOSH-funded Cardiff University study reveals the prevalence of poor mental health among seafarers.
Suicide S uic rates among se eaf seafarers have more th ha tripled since 2014 than 16
55% of employers have not introduced any policies or practices to address mental health for 10 years
MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
16-17 Update - Did you know_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 16
28/02/2020 08:05
DID YOU KNOW..?
Read the full report at iosh.com/seafarerswellbeing
1 /5
A ďŹ fth of seafarers in relationships said their partners were able to sail with them, promoting happiness offshore
Fatigue
Bullying
Long tours
Home sickness
Bad food
Poor internet access
ARE AMONG THE BIGGEST CAUSES OF SADNESS ON BOARD
THE REPORT RECOMMENDS AT LEAST FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE FACILITATED ON BOARD:
Table tennis
Barbecues
Darts
Karaoke
Card and board games
Bingo with prizes
7.2%
TIREDNESS AND BOREDOM ARE THE MOST COMMON UNDERLYING CAUSES OF SHIPBOARD DEPRESSION Suicide rates among seafarers have more than tripled since 2014
$11 the feeding rate recommended per person
7employers in 10
1 5 07 SE A FA RE R S W E R E S URV E Y E D F O R T H E I O SH SE A FAR E R S R E PO RT
of seafarers said they never had shore leave
found at least one seafarer dead on board between 2006 and 2016. 109 seafarers died in this period, and a further 18 went missing from their vessels IOSH MAGAZINE
16-17 Update - Did you know_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 17
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UPDAT E
CA S E LAW
Flawed risk assessments lead to appeal Appeal judge finds for worker who suffered head injuries after falling from the back of a van. worker appealed against the dismissal of his claim for damages for personal injury and won. But his claim was subject to a 50% discount for his own contributory negligence. The claim was brought against his employer following an accident the employee suffered at work and highlights how important it is that an organisation’s risk assessments adequately identify the risks from the task in hand. The employee had fallen from the back of a box van or lorry while making deliveries. He had lowered the tail lift on the vehicle and shortly afterwards he either stepped backwards, or lost his footing, and fell approximately 1m to the ground, causing him to strike his head and sustain serious head injuries. A work activity assessment form had identified as hazards both working at height and operation of the tail lift. The activities were placed in a high-risk band. The employee asserted that the employer had breached the Work at Height Regulations 2005, in particular regulation 4 on organisation and planning of work at height, and regulation 6 on the avoidance of risks from work at height. He said that measures should have been in place to ensure that the tail lift was always raised if
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY ( IMAGE POS ED BY A MODEL)
A
18
a worker was in the back of the lorry. The judge found there to be no breaches of these regulations, and that it would not have been reasonably practicable to raise the tail lift when the back of the lorry was occupied. The employee submitted that the judge wrongly treated the test of ‘reasonable practicability’ as involving a simple balancing exercise, rather than one in which a measure was only not reasonably practicable if there was gross disproportion between the quantum of risk and the sacrifice involved in taking that measure.
Appeal and judgement At appeal, it was discussed that the work activity assessment form identified the risk of fall injuries from working at height and operation of the tail lift, but had wrongly assumed there was a safe system of work document in place for the loading of vehicles. The assessment had also identified a ‘toolbox talk’ for safe working with delivery vehicles, yet that was also not in place, and only implemented after the accident. The risk should have been addressed by the employer pre-accident, and failure to do so constituted a breach of
A ‘toolbox talk’ for safe working with delivery vehicles was only implemented after the accident the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was also considered whether the previous judge addressed the concept of reasonable practicality. It was found that the judge misdirected himself and wrongly decided that the measure was not reasonably practicable. The risk had been considered by the employer as high and the measure was implemented after the accident. It was also discussed how the claimant had lowered the tail lift and was therefore aware that there was a drop from the back of the vehicle. The judge allowed the appeal and found for the claimant, subject to the 50% deduction for his own negligence.
MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
18-19 Update - Legal_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 18
28/02/2020 11:34
LEGAL This sponsored content has been provided by Cedrec Information Systems, available at cedrec.com
L EGI SL ATI ON, GUI DANCE AND CON SULTAT ION
C O NST R UCT I O N
Review of combustible materials ban The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is seeking views on the ban of the use of combustible materials in and on external walls of buildings, including attachments. The consultation also covers the building types included, height threshold, list of exemptions, attachments such as blinds, shutters and awnings, and a proposal to specifically ban the use of metal composite panels in and on the external walls of all buildings. Any responses need to be made by April 2020. cedr.ec/6m8
HEIGHTS
New Safety Steps guidance New Safety Steps guidance on working at height has been launched by the Access Industry Forum. Developed by the Construction Industry Advisory Committee’s Managing Risk Well Working Group and leading industry organisations, the guidance seeks to keep safe those who need to carry out work at height. It covers general information on working at height that can be used to underpin more specific points for work at height.
It can also be used in poster campaigns, for the creation of flowcharts/infographics, provide structure for training materials, assist in toolbox talks and for rules and guidelines. cedr.ec/6ma
M E NTAL H E ALTH
CIOB: Don’t suffer in silence Anxiety UK and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) are offering a new initiative to support their members suffering from stress, anxiety or anxiety-based depression. The service will be free for users with costs met by the CIOB Benevolent Fund. It will be delivered by Anxiety UK and provide members in need with holistic wellbeing assessments, personalised treatment plans and access to psychological therapy services as required. Initiatives such as this demonstrate the progress being made within the construction industry to support the mental health and wellbeing of its workforce. cedr.ec/6mb
M A NUAL H AN DL IN G
HSE updates INDG143 The UK Health and Safety Executive has updated guidance booklet INDG143 – Manual handling at work: a brief guide. It is aimed at employers to help them carry
out their duties under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. This fourth revision brings the risk assessment process in line with L23 on manual handling, in order to help identify low-risk tasks. It now includes more information on simple risk filters for lifting, lowering and carrying operations; simplified advice on pushing and pulling; and a simple filter for manual handling when seated. cedr.ec/6mv
V E H ICL E S
STRE SS
HSENI helps release the pressure The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland has produced an innovative step-by-step guide that aims to help employers in effectively managing work-related stress. The guide is in the form of a Management Standards Wheel, and provides a framework for employers to effectively manage stress at work at an organisational level. cedr.ec/6m1
Green light for traffic management plan The Health and Safety Authority in Ireland has launched a new traffic management plan online tool for use in the construction sector. The plan has been developed to help construction stage project supervisors and contractors plan, manage and coordinate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on site. It will also allow users to meet obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, which establishes clear requirements for the safe operation of workrelated vehicles. In order to provide practical guidance, the plan is broken down into six sections: information, training, temporary works, hazards, controls and resources. cedr.ec/6mw
WE ATH E R
Beat the heat Working in the heat has a negative effect on health and productivity, but a research project funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 Heat-Shield programme aims to increase worker resilience. Researchers will look at the signs and symptoms of heat illness and best practice for protecting workers in the heat. The project is focusing on five major EU industries: manufacturing, construction, transportation, tourism and agriculture. Heat-Shield research will provide adaptation strategies for each of these industries to help protect workers and manage productivity. cedr.ec/6mx
IOSH MAGAZINE
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UPDAT E 3 1
Global news
2
WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?
1
1 3 A U ST R A LI A A ND TH E US SWEDEN
CLAMPDOWN ON SILICOSIS
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY, ISTOCK
A new code of conduct to help employers reduce the risks of workers contracting silicosis has been developed in Australia, while the US government’s respirable crystalline silica standard continues to take full effect. US safety regulator OSHA has beefed up its national programme to ensure compliance with the new, more stringent exposure standard. The 0.05mg/m³ exposure standard is twice as tough as the current UK standard of 0.1mg/m³ and six times more protective for the lungdestroying dust disease silicosis. Meanwhile, down under, Australia’s new code provides critical guidance to employers working with engineered stone, including how to comply with the prohibition on uncontrolled dry cutting of such stone and health monitoring requirements.
END ‘SCOURGE’ OF ROAD DEATHS 2 S IN GAPORE
FIRM SETS UP AGE-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE A ship parts manufacturer in Singapore has committed to train older workers in technology in a bid to grow its business by staying competitive with its progressive employment practices. SME Mencast Marine, which repairs and manufactures ship propellers, has been recognised for its exemplary hiring practices after it was revealed it has created an age-friendly workplace by redesigning labour-intensive jobs and training older workers in technology, including using 3D technology to create propeller prototypes. CEO Glenndle Sim said the push to adopt age-inclusive practices is mainly due to a growing number of skilled older workers approaching retirement age. ‘In the future, we will put in place other measures that create and sustain an inclusive workplace,’ he added.
Road traffic accidents take around 1.35 million lives globally every year and cost most countries 3% of their GDP, a recent road safety summit in Sweden revealed. Speaking at the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, a top United Nations health official described the millions of lives lost every year due to road traffic collisions as ‘an outrage’. The World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this was ‘an unacceptable price to pay for mobility’. The event also revealed that 93% of the world’s road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these nations have only 60% of the world’s vehicles. ‘Most road traffic deaths and injuries can be prevented using tried and tested strategies,’ he added.
20 MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
20 Update - Global Legal_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 20
28/02/2020 08:07
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25/02/2020 11:47
UPDAT E
EXETER
Lift-shaft fall lands Flybe with £100k fine
COVEN T RY
FIRM FINED £400K AFTER WORKER’S ARM SEVERED WHO HAS BEEN PROSECUTED? SaintGobain Construction Products UK, a division of the French glazing giant and based in Coventry, was taken to court by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a worker lost his left arm.
What’s the story? Europe’s biggest regional airline Flybe has been given a £100,000 penalty after a worker fell into a lift shaft at Exeter Airport.
P HOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY
How did it happen? The 34-yearold employee was moving a loaded lift trolley on the second floor when he fell into the shaft and landed on the ground 5m below, fracturing his upper arm and pelvis in three places. He spent 26 days in hospital, was in a wheelchair for a month and then confined to crutches. He also had post-traumatic stress disorder and was unable to return to work for nearly a year. What did the investigation reveal? UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Emma O’Hara found that the lift doors
had a fault. Use of the door release key meant that the lift doors could be opened with the floor of the lift in any place, so the safety sensor was over-ridden. ‘Busy workers who were moving parts and tools felt compelled to keep the lift in use,’ she said. ‘The lift should have been taken out of service or an alternative system of work should have been in place.’ What happened in court? Flybe pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act at Exeter Magistrates’ Court. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £9963 in costs. Judge Jo Matson said the starting point for a fine was £300,000 but took into consideration the guilty plea, the firm’s exemplary health and safety record and its full cooperation.
WHAT HAPPENED? On 13 August 2017, an employee was clearing rock that had built up around the belt with a colleague. The rock had become so compacted it was difficult to remove by hand, so both men went to the end of the belt that contained the start/stop button, which was protected by a local isolation safety measure. They removed the local isolation and pressed the button, but it failed to clear the blockage. One of the men went to the opposite end of the belt while the safety guards were still removed. The pair were no longer in visual contact, and one of the employees pressed the start/stop button again. His colleague’s arm was in close proximity to
the rotating drum and his arm was drawn in. WHY DID THE INCIDENT OCCUR? HSE investigators revealed there was no risk assessment or safe system of work in place for clearing rock safely from tail-end drums. WHAT HAPPENED IN COURT? Saint-Gobain Construction Products – which designs, manufactures and distributes construction materials – admitted breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The firm was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,945. WHAT DID THE INSPECTOR SAY? ‘This injury could easily have been prevented, had the risk been identified,’ said HSE inspector Michelle Morrison. ‘Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.’
22 MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
22-23 Update - Prosecutions_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 22
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LO N D ON
Company director jailed for four years What happened? Marian Lancu, a warehouseman, was killed instantly when he was crushed between two large glass panes and a forklift truck. How did it happen? The 39-year-old Romanian national was working with a colleague to break up large glass panels weighing 200kg. The panels were intended for the Leadenhall Building (or ‘Cheesegrater’) in the City of London but rejected because of damage. As Lancu went to untie the panes of glass, they toppled onto him. He suffered seven fractured ribs, a fractured breastbone, bruising, ruptured heart lining as well as damage to a major heart vein, his liver and spleen. Who was involved? The boss of TLW (UK), which employed Lancu, was Han Rao. The court was told he
‘had left his employees to get on with it and do the job as best they saw fit without any thought for health and safety’. What was the outcome? Rao was sentenced to four years after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey on 30 January. He was banned from acting as a company director for six years. For breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act he was sentenced to 15 months to run concurrently. The sentencing of his company, TLW, under the same act was adjourned until 3 April. What did the judge say? Judge Rebecca Poulet said: ‘The movement of panels that each weighed more than 200kg was a job that required careful risk assessment and supervision. You provided neither.’
IN COURT S A ROUN D T HE GLOBE
PROSECUTIONS
LOGGER CRUSHED TO DEATH IN NZ WHO? Export logging firm Guru NZ Ltd has been fined NZ$330,750 after a worker was crushed to death between a shipping container and the grapple of an excavator. HOW? The victim was helping a colleague to close doors on a container filled with logs for export. The majority of the containers were closed manually; however, when containers became distorted, an excavator was used to assist workers on the ground to shut its doors. WHY? WorkSafe’s investigation found no workers should have been within 7m of the excavator while it was in use.
SAFETY BREACHES IN AUSTRALIA WHO? Australian firm Mainline Developments has admitted safety breaches during the construction of a residential complex at Narre Warren. WHY? WorkSafe inspectors observed numerous and repeated safety breaches, including a lack of controls to prevent workers falling from the balconies, first floors and roofs of the townhouses under construction, and workers using sections of scaffolding with missing planks. Multiple trucks were seen reversing into oncoming traffic to enter the site via a busy single-lane road and unloading without any traffic management. The site had poor general housekeeping, including unhygienic toilet facilities without water or toilet paper and no area for meals or facilities for workers. WHAT? The court heard Mainline repeatedly failed to implement most of the reasonably practicable control measures identified in the 10 improvement notices issued by WorkSafe inspectors during the visits. It was ordered to pay A$50,000 for failing to ensure the means of entering and leaving a workplace was safe, $40,000 for failing to provide a safe working environment, $25,000 for failing to comply with improvement notices and $10,000 for failing to ensure persons other than employees were not exposed to risks.
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UPDAT E
BI G P I CT U R E
Forever in our hearts s the second stage of the public inquiry gets underway in the UK, and as we approach the third anniversary of the tragic events of 14 June 2017, the charred remains of Grenfell Tower are still covered in white sheeting, emblazoned with the poignant message, ‘Forever in our hearts’. The inquiry is now looking at why the London tower block was wrapped in flammable cladding during its refurbishment between 2012 and 2016. In her opening address to phase two, Stephanie Barwise QC, representing survivors and the families of those who died, said there were ‘epidemic levels of incompetence’ over fire safety at Grenfell and accused the architects, building contractors, suppliers of cladding and insulation material, and the Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation of ‘indulging in a blame game’ to avoid
PHOTOG RAPHY: GETT Y
A
criminal or civil responsibility. Those involved recently asked the inquiry for key witnesses to be given assurances that their evidence would not be used against them in any criminal proceedings. Recently appointed attorney general Suella Braverman said she had concluded the guarantee was needed to ‘enable the inquiry to continue to hear vital evidence about the circumstances and causes of the fire’. Without it, some witnesses would be likely to decline to give evidence, her office added, by claiming the legal right of privilege against self-incrimination. The immunity for testimony would not apply to evidence already given to the inquiry, which could still be used in a criminal investigation into the tragedy that claimed 72 lives. The Metropolitan Police is investigating a wide range of possible offences related to the blaze, including corporate manslaughter.
24 MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
24-25 Update - Big Picture_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 24
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GRENFELL
‘The behaviours of arrogance and complacency which caused the disaster still rage unchecked among many of the core participants’ STEPHANIE BARWISE QC
IOSH MAGAZINE 25
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28/02/2020 08:08
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THE UK’S FLAGSHIP EVENT FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY RETURNS TO THE NEC BIRMINGHAM
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n 28 to 30 April, The Health and Safety Event will return to the NEC Birmingham. It is the annual meeting point for health and safety professionals to share insights and discover the newest solutions to help them achieve their goals in creating a safer workplace. With a focus on promoting and improving health and safety standards, education will be at the heart of the event. With four theatres delivering expert-led, CPD-accredited content, the agenda will be packed with practical guidance, support and advice so delegates can come away with the tools they need to implement in their own workplace.
Accredited education programme The British Safety Council Conference will be opened by new HSE chief executive Sarah Albon. Her keynote will outline the regulator’s role in ensuring senior management
26-27 Advertorial-HSM_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 27
leadership on health and safety, as well as HSE regulators’ future focus and strategy. Sarah will also finish her keynote session to observe a minute’s silence at 11am to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day. Held on 28 April every year and officially recognised by the UK government, we will remember those who were killed and injured at work. The Knowledge Exchange, sponsored by Southalls, will feature a panel of industry experts to cover topical issues and challenges facing HS professionals today. Sessions include promoting health and wellbeing, working from height, mitigating the risk of mental ill health, the health implications of asbestos and hearing protections – to mention just a few. Working in partnership with Lone Worker Safety Live, the Lone Worker Theatre will be hosted by Nicole Vazquez and will address the key issues of safety, security and wellbeing. Learn about the challenges faced by lone
workers and come away with practical strategies on assessing and managing the risks. New and re-edited, the Safer Logistics and Machinery Safety Theatre will offer expert advice and guidance on this vitally important area. The content programme will tackle the key safety hot spots in the world of warehousing, logistics and machinery.
New for 2020 The Machinery Safety Zone, supported by Premier Partners Pilz UK, Machine Safety and Turck Banner, is new for 2020. It will showcase the latest technologies and solutions around this vitally important area and offer specially curated CPD-accredited content. Another new feature is the Professional Development and Career Zone sponsored by HSE Recruitment Network, whose consultants will offer expert industry advice. Their knowledge extends beyond the identification, attraction and assessment of HSE talent to genuine subject-matter expertise. The British Safety Industry Federation will also be hosting a networking lounge that offers the opportunity to learn about procuring personal protective equipment from reputable registered safety suppliers and see demonstrations of quality control and testing. Exhibitors already confirmed include Access, Beeswift, Diadora, DuPont, Ergomat, Evaccess, Specsavers, Southalls, Toyota Material Handling, Polyco Healthline, Uvex and more.
A must-attend The Health and Safety Event is the most interactive and informative exhibition in the UK and a must-attend for anyone with responsibility for protecting people or premises. Co-located with The Fire Safety Event, The Facilities Event and The Security Event, it will boast 450+ exhibitors and 16,000+ attendees, it the most comprehensive offering dedicated to improving the safety and security of people, property and assets.
For more information, visit the website at healthandsafetyevent.com
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C OOVER V E R SSTO T O RRYY
G N I K C O L B UT O 40 S MIN
nd f a ng ist o o l e do l eas h t g to- x ar ed n o ted , si ne m A glec licy e in tion ne K po H ar tten . This U OS ent a tion sto in urg isla nife d of leg ma ic an e. d r an is ou ystem hang s g c EN r o f stin B E C K Y A L L la W O R D S
28 MAR MARCH/APRIL ARR CH C H/APR CH/ P IL 202 PR 2020 0200 | IOS 02 IO IOSHMAGAZINE.COM HMA MAA GAZ A INE AZ N .C NE .COM .CO M
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28/02/2020 08:10
OSH PRIORITIES
E H T
N
E S I O
A
s th thee UK U C Conservative onse on nseerv rvat ativ at ivve gove go veern r me m n nt b e in eg inss wo w ork r o rk n government begins work on a fr ffresh res esh es h le egi gisllat a ivve ag agen en nda d , legislative agenda, IOSH IO IOSH H iiss ur u rgi g ng g tthe h n he ew w urging new ad dmiini n st stra raati tion on tto o tu urn n iits t ts administration turn atte at tent te ntio nt ion io n to ow orkp or kpla kp l ce la attention workplace he eal alth th aand nd d ssafety. afet af etyy et health IOSH H wants wa IOSH to see rapid prog p pr ogre o og gre ress ss iin n six key areas of progress OSH, from fro om mental m nt me ntal al health heaalt lth h and healthOSH, base ba ase sed modifi sed m di mo difi fica fi caati t on onss at w based cations work to the gig econ ec onom on omy and omy om an nd post-Grenfell post po st-G st -Gre -G renf re n nf economy building regu re gu ula lati t on ti n ((see s e th se tthee fu ulll llist, is right). regulation full Brex Br exxit has has been bee een n a sticking stic st ick ic k Brexit point, d aiiniing much dr muc uch h attention atte at tent te ntio nt ion io n from UK draining dome do mest me stic st ic policy polliccy (see ( ee What’s (s Wh h domestic the impact Breexi xit? t??, overleaf ovver erle leaf le aff ). ‘These ‘ Th of Brexit?, are all areas t at h th avee be av b en nn e le eg lect cted ct ed d for far too long,’ that have been neglected says Richard Ric icha hard rd Jones, Jon ones es,, IOSH es IOS IO S head of policy says and regulatory reegu gula lato la tory to ryy engagement. eng n ag agem em and
The neglect negl ne gllec ectt is i amplifi amp m The ed by rapid e on ec o om o ic ic and and demographic dem emog ogra og ra ra economic changes n the the UK’s UK’ K s workforce. work wo rkfo rk f rc fo rce. e.. An A ageing in popu po ula lati tion ti on,, te on ttechnological tech ech c no olo logi gi gi population, change and moree insecure insseccur uree gig gii working plus larger g more nu umb m er erss of small- and medium-sized numbers en nt enterprises (SMEs) and self-employed all contribute to the pressing need for better workplace health management. IOSH has prioritised the six areas for several reasons. They reflect IOSH’s six global priorities: fatal injuries, occupational cancer, wellbeing, rehabilitation, musculoskeletal disorders, and sustainability and human capital. They also align with the IOSH manifesto, making the case for health and safety, occupational health (OH), designing-in safety and health, developing competent workforces and championing social responsibility. Crucially, the six areas are also rooted in ongoing discussions between
IOSH’S SIX AREAS FOR URGENT PROGRESS IN THE UK
1
Occupational health service reforms and subsidies
2
The right to request health-based modifications at work
3 4 5
Mental health at work improvements
6
National ‘postGrenfell’ reforms on building regulation and fire safety.
Modern working practices reform Better transparency on preventing modern slavery in supply chains (see article on page 12)
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C OVER STO RY
government and the OSH community. ‘These are all areas that government has already consulted on or reviewed, or were in the Conservative manifesto,’ Richard explains. ‘We want to make sure that the UK government follows through on improvement work already begun or committed to. That’s why we are highlighting them – and will keep highlighting them.’
1
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH REFORMS
During 2019 in the UK, there were 1.4 million cases of work-related ill health, 600,000 cases of work-related stress, anxiety and depression, 500,000 cases of musculoskeletal disorders, and 13,000 deaths caused by past workplace exposures to chemicals or dust. The economic impact is massive too: 23.5 million working days were lost to work-related ill health and an annual cost to the UK economy of £22bn. Driving down this ill health depends on universal access to high-quality OH services, yet access remains the preserve of too few. ‘Access to OH services is very patchy,’ says Richard. ‘In the private sector, only 39% of workers have access. Research shows that the UK is short of more than 40,000 OH professionals, a major shortfall that we must address.’ SMEs and the self-employed face particular challenges, with small firms five times less likely to invest in OH services than larger firms. The government’s 2019 consultation on reducing health-related job loss, Health is everyone’s business, acknowledged that OH advice is effective in supporting a return to work, but that cost can be a barrier for SMEs. It’s an issue that IOSH has raised with the UK government, both in its response to the consultation and in its current call to improve
access to OH services. According to Richard: ‘IOSH commissioned a survey of SMEs in 2012, and 40% told us that tax breaks would help them do more on OH. That’s why we’re asking the government to introduce economic incentives like tax breaks and vouchers or subsidies to help SMEs and the self-employed access high-quality OH services.’ Increasing demand, however, must go hand-inhand with boosting capacity. The General Medical Council reports that the number of specialist OH physicians declined by 20% between 2012 and 2018. The Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) says: ‘Funding models for training and developing the OH workforce – physicians, nurses and allied health professionals – should be designed to meet population health needs, as is the case with other health specialities.’ The FOM is also concerned about low levels of provision in SMEs, but views innovative delivery models, such as access to OH advice via the NHS, as the best remedy: ‘Subsidies to employers or individuals may have a place but should be linked to access to competent, quality-assured OH advice and prioritisation of access to NHS interventions,’ it says.
2
RIGHT TO REQUEST HEALTH-BASED MODIFICATIONS
In tandem with OH market reform, the UK government consultation Health is everyone’s business discussed the need for a clear legal framework for employers, mooting the possibility of introducing a legal right to request workplace modifications for people not covered by the Equality Act 2010. IOSH is calling on the UK government to introduce a right to request health-based
‘THE UPCOMING EMPLOYMENT BILL NEEDS TO INCLUDE A RIGHT FOR ALL WORKERS TO REQUEST A MORE PREDICTABLEbCONTRACT’
WHAT’S THE IMPACT OF BREXIT? ‘Brexit is a long-term strategic project; the act of leaving is only the start,’ says Richard Jones. ‘It must now run in parallel with domestic priorities. The UK’s domestic situation – which includes many pressing workplace issues – can’t continue to be put on hold. Failure to prioritise a safe and healthy workforce would be a mistake in our view. It’s short-sighted, counterproductive and a false economy.’ Sajid Javid, the former chancellor, poured cold water on expectations of a level OSH playing field in January: ‘There will not be alignment, we will not be a ruletaker, we will not be in the single market and we will not be in the customs union – and we will do this by the end of the year.’ But the EU has said one of its priorities in negotiation is to prevent the UK from easy access to the single market without maintaining similar labour and environmental standards. It is unlikely non-alignment will occur for its own sake, so the scope for reducing any health and safety protection is narrow, but the Brexit process has been unpredictable and that shows no signs of changing.
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OSH PRIORITIES
modifications, which would, for example, give women going through the menopause the right to ask for a desk nearer a window or have a fan nearby, allow flexible working or a change in tasks. ‘It’s about recognising the need for workplaces to be more worker-friendly and accommodate individual needs more,’ says Richard.
3
MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
In 2017, Thriving at work – the independent review on improving mental health and supporting workers with mental health problems to remain in work – found that 300,000 people in the UK with long-term mental health conditions fall out of work each year, and that poor mental health costs employers up to £42bn a year, with an annual cost to the UK economy of up to £99bn. Thriving at work concluded that, with the right support and adjustments, many people with mental health conditions could remain in work. It set out a framework to enable all UK employers to address workplace mental health. And it called on the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to do more on mental health during inspections, revise its guidance on the duty to manage work-related mental ill health, and widen its management standards for stress. The 2019 Conservative manifesto reiterated the party’s commitment to parity of treatment between mental and physical health and promised legislation to ensure that patients with mental health conditions have greater control over treatment. But despite increasing public discussion around mental health – from campaigns such as Time to Change and Heads Together to awareness programmes such as Every Mind Matters and Mates in Mind – IOSH wants to see more education about the nature of ‘good work’ and its importance in supporting mental health so that employers can do more to create healthier workplaces. IOSH is also concerned about rising levels of workplace stress. ‘Last year, Britain had over 600,000 cases of work-related stress. That’s the largest number for 18 years. It’s worrying,’ says Richard. ‘We would like to see financial incentives for SMEs to better support mental health at work, and we would also like the government to support the “right to disconnect”.’ Workers at French firms with more than 50 staff have had a legal right to disconnect since 2017, and Italy
‘DIGITALISATION HAS CREATED AN “ALWAYS-ON” CULTURE. WE WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER A RIGHT TO SWITCH OFF TO PREVENT THIS INTRUSION’ followed suit in 2019. Companies such as Orange, VW and Axa have introduced similar policies. ‘Digitalisation has created an “always-on” culture,’ says Richard. ‘We want the government to consider a right to switch off to prevent this intrusion.’
4
MODERN WORKING PRACTICES REFORM
As well as being good for mental health, a right to switch off and greater focus on what makes work good are also central to modern working practices and the gig economy. With more than three million people in the UK facing insecurity at work and 1.4 million contracts lacking a guaranteed minimum number of hours’ work, many modern working practices can adversely affect safety and health. In 2017, the government-commissioned Taylor review of modern working practices found that despite record levels of employment in the UK, the quantity of work needed to be matched by its quality. The report, Good work, called on government to ‘adopt the ambition that all work should be fair and decent’ – a view echoed by IOSH. ‘The report found problems with one-sided flexibility and insecurity in the growing gig economy. The government is committed to taking action on this and has already legislated in some areas, like protecting agency workers and extending the right to a written statement for all workers, but IOSH is keen to see further progress,’ says Richard. ‘The upcoming Employment Bill needs to include a right for all workers to request a more predictable contract and make flexible working the default unless employers have a good reason not to.’ As well as taking forward recommendations of the Good work plan, the report’s author and chief executive
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C OVER STO RY
IOSH IS CALLING FOR A BAN ON COMBUSTIBLE CLADDING ON ALL HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS, MORE ACTION ON SPRINKLERS, AND THE HACKITT REVIEW’S SAFETY CASE REGIME of the RSA Matthew Taylor wants to see progress made towards an integrated single enforcement body. Matthew says: ‘Economic successes must be enjoyed by all workers – should the labour market not deliver good work, then we stand little chance of boosting our national productivity in the long run. ‘The government should focus on creating the conditions for good work for all. Those in lowskilled jobs ought to have greater control over their working hours, an awareness of their rights, a sense of progression and lifelong learning. Good work will restore the link between hard work and fair pay.’
5
PREVENTING MODERN SLAVERY
Few people will forget the 39 bodies of Vietnamese nationals found in a container lorry in Essex last year. For professionals, the changes required to prevent a similar incident are happening too slowly. The Home Office estimates around 13,000 people in the UK are victims of modern slavery, and while the Modern Slavery Act 2015 was world-leading when it was introduced, the crucial clause on transparency in supply chains (TISC) is failing to work as intended. ‘Forty per cent of organisations are failing to comply with TISC, and of those that do disclose, the statements are often of poor quality,’ Richard explains. ‘We want to see a central, government-run repository of statements, standard core content requirements for disclosures; we want TISC extended to the public sector and organisations with a turnover below £36m; and we want the government to remove the ability of organisations to say they are taking no steps to tackle modern slavery – we think that’s wrong. ‘Everyone should be acting to eradicate modern slavery, and it’s only through transparency that stakeholders can hold organisations to account for the actions they take to tackle it.’ Read more about slavery and supply chains in our news analysis on page 12.
6
BUILDING REGULATION AND FIRE SAFETY REFORM
Another graphic illustration of health and safety failings was the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people. Here too, progress has been painfully slow. Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety revealed extensive problems and a system not fit for purpose. The government accepted the recommendations in full, as well as those from the first phase of the public inquiry by Sir Martin Moore-Bick. It plans to set up a new building safety regulator within the HSE. But it has also threatened to name and shame organisations that don’t improve their buildings. IOSH is calling for a ban on combustible cladding on all high-rise buildings – both residential and non-residential – more action on sprinklers, the introduction of building and fire safety competence requirements and the safety case regime recommended by the Hackitt review, and clarification of the regulatory reform fire safety order to ensure everyone understands that it now applies to external walls, cladding and fire doors in residential premises.
IN CONCLUSION There is much at stake: changes will reduce harm significantly. ‘Realistically,’ says Richard, ‘IOSH expects all six to be delivered in this parliament. The Queen’s speech included bills on employment, building safety and fire safety. These can set the UK legislative framework for much of what IOSH wants done, so there should be nothing stopping them.’
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Collaborate SUPPORTING A SHARED VISION OF A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORLD OF WORK
IN THIS S E CT I O N
Climbing the career ladder and the challenges ahead from five of the OSH profession’s female leaders P34 | Dr Christa Sedlatschek reflects on EU-OSHA’s collaborative work P38 | What are the dangers for under-18s of trespassing on the railway? P40 | Fighting fatigue feedback and the latest ‘must-read’ P44 | Workwear predictions from industry providers P47
CASE ST UDY
ON THE RIGHT TRACK P40
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C O LLA B O RATE
STEPPING UP After celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March, IOSH talks to five women who have risen to the top of the OSH profession about climbing the career ladder and the biggest challenges ahead. DIANE CHADWICK-JONES, human performance director, BP
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY
‘There were times early in my career where I felt disrespected or marginalised as a woman,’ says Diane. ‘I think we’ve moved on from that era by showing that women are front and centre in the workplace through our actions, and companies are emphasising inclusive behaviours.’ Most discrimination stems not from attempts to harm anyone, but from selective helping, she adds. ‘When we go out of our way to help someone who is similar to us, this is unconscious selective privileging that reinforces the status quo. That’s why conscious inclusion through mentoring is so important.’ Diane already mentors others: ‘I walk in their shoes to see different perspectives and learn how I can be more inclusive. The more inclusive we are, the more trust is built. The more that people feel able to speak about issues, the more we understand the hidden safety risks and the complexity of our problems and how to fix them.’
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WOMEN AT WORK
DEBBIE COUSINS, head ESD operations, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ‘I am constantly impressed by the women who are working within organisations raising awareness and ensuring safe practices on- and off-site,’ says Debbie. ‘I applaud those women who speak up for change or challenge the norm on safety – whether it be a female street cleaner, crane driver, construction manager or board director.’ But there’s more work to be done, particularly in the construction sector: ‘Sadly, I still find a lack of basic welfare provisions on some projects, such as a lack of separate toilets and changing facilities, so suitable facilities for women also need to be addressed.’
Debbie points to the need for employers to adopt anti-harassment policies (including a policy on gender-based violence), a code of conduct and a system for workers to get redress for grievances, and to support them with training and awareness-raising activities. ‘While provisions to address sexual harassment are often included in legislation, businesses’ redress mechanisms and structures are often lacking, so sexual harassment cases can often go under-reported.’ ‘Employers should seek more gender balance in their staff composition and promote female role models in their visual media and training,’ she adds.
DR JUDITH GRANT, director of health and wellbeing, Mace Group As a teenager, Judith was all set to begin an economics degree. She ended up changing direction after she lost six stone, graduating instead in sports science and becoming a personal trainer. Then injury struck and prevented her from working some of the time. ‘My experience of being off sick for a long time and unable to walk shaped my career. As much as I enjoyed personal training, I had all these people coming to me with back pain and stress from their work. I had seen just how health and work interact, and that is one is the main reasons I made the transition.’ For Judith, stress risk assessment and upskilling line managers to have conversations when they know someone is struggling is critical. ‘We know stress is rising, and the UK Health and Safety Executive says that stress and mental health have overtaken musculoskeletal disorders as the biggest risk. Burnout and stress go hand in hand with our 24-hour society and technology.’
CHAMPION IN G W O MEN
On our way to the top ‘Believe in and champion yourself,’ says Dr Judith Grant. ‘You have to be your number one supporter, and that is not always easy. Have a look at how other people have progressed through their careers and talk to people who can help you.’ Finding your goals and objectives should be the first step, and continually moving towards them should come second, according to Yuka Ujita. ‘The road may not be straight and making side stops is not a bad idea,’ she adds. ‘If you do not lose your direction and stick to it, eventually you will be back on the right track. Third, absorb and utilise everything you get on your way.’ Diane Chadwick-Jones says that how we respond when things go wrong matters, and building trust with colleagues is the key to success. ‘It is easy to think that accidents are usually caused by human error – but it’s often less of the “who” and more often a case of the “why” and “how” it happened,’ she says. ‘It’s about recognising that often people are just doing their best in difficult circumstances.’ Debbie Cousins is ‘a great supporter of learning on the job, so ensure that you seek out opportunities to observe or shadow OSH professionals at work in a broad range of situations. Don’t forget you can gain opportunities by offering your services on a voluntary basis.’ She also advises understanding the application and use of risk assessments, being flexible, and finding a good sponsor. Those starting out should spend as much time in the field as they can, agrees Mirai Chatterjee. ‘Public health is all about getting your hands dirty. You get insights from the field and the grassroots,’ she says.
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C O LLA B O RATE
MIRAI CHATTERJEE, director of social security, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India ‘On construction sites in India, I often see women balancing between nine and 12 bricks on their heads, climbing up three floors and wearing flip-flops,’ says Mirai. ‘The women engaged in the informal workplace have OSH issues yet they work day after day, year after year, with no day off, and they also come up with creative alternatives, in terms of their work environment and safety.’ As part of SEWA, the national union for women in the informal economy in India, Mirai has seen first-hand the extreme difficulties working women face. ‘One woman harvesting wheat and having to look after her baby did what many Indian women do when there is no childcare service. She administered opium to her daughter
so she would sleep. Unfortunately, she gave her too much, and the child went into respiratory distress. At SEWA we essentially crowdfunded in the village to send the child to hospital. That baby was fine and is now an adult – but it demonstrates what women have to balance to be able to work.’ However, progress has been made in understanding the OSH challenges women face in global supply chains. ‘The 2013 Dhaka garment factory fire opened the eyes of the world,’ she says. ‘As a result, many organisations like ours have been in dialogue with large brands. Consumers are asking questions, which we are grateful for. But issues remain with contractors and middle agencies who do not ensure safe and fair working conditions.’
YUKA UJITA, OSH specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO) Under the ILO’s Vision Zero Fund, many female workers, especially those in agriculture and textiles, have been equipped with OSH knowledge and control measures through participatory, actionoriented training,’ Yuka says. She points out that the key challenge in the OSH sector is developing a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and multi-level approach. ‘Safety and health at work cannot be fully achieved only by preventive activities in the workplace but beyond. The safety and health of female workers are affected by multiple factors – including their social, economic and sometimes educational backgrounds – more so than for male workers. Therefore, we have to engage all stakeholders.’ Employers need to know what support women need, says Yuka, which can vary. ‘The first step is social dialogue at the individual level between worker and employer. It should be followed by the social dialogue at the workplace level since some of the matters can/ should be solved with the support and cooperation of peer workers.’
SPEAKIN G UP
The biggest challenge I faced 1
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‘I'm fortunate in that I don't believe that my gender has held me back or that I have experienced any discrimination. The only times that it's played a part is people's gender perceptions of occupational health, and I have had a strong network of men and women who have helped me to overcome that.’ DR JUDITH GRANT ‘Joining an oil company, I found that often I was the only woman in teams and meetings. I felt intimidated and scared to speak up. My pivotal moment was reading an article which explained that one of the greatest burdens people place on themselves when trying to find their way in a company is when they act out of a selfimposed fear of what others may think. I changed overnight to prioritise my home life more, and be more outspoken at work.’ DIANE CHADWICK-JONES ‘Childcare was a very real issue for me. But I managed with a supportive partner, and I was fortunate working in an all-women union. And I was in a more favourable position because I could afford childcare.’ MIRAI CHATTERJEE ‘There is never enough time, and sometimes I’m constrained and conflicted – just as for any working mum, it is a continual balancing act. I have a supportive husband and parents, who enable me to put in the hours and travel as I do, plus the bank allows me to routinely work from home, so I know I am in a lucky position.’ DEBBIE COUSINS ‘The family/work balance has always been a challenge. But I love and want both professional work and housework. Consequently, I try to do everything I can do. As a result, I am a bit overworked and the housework I accomplish is far from complete.’ YUKA UJITA
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C O LLA B O RATE
THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS After a decade at the helm of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), executive director Dr Christa Sedlatschek will retire in 2021. She reflects on EU-OSHA’s collaborative work and its campaigns in the pipeline.
E
U-OSHA has established a strong collaboration with an extensive network of partners, including IOSH. Through this ever-growing network, we are able to reach more workplaces with useful tools and information tailored to their needs, and make them aware of OSH risks and prevention measures. These achievements have helped significantly improve working conditions across the EU. Highlights during my term of office include projects we carried out for the European Parliament, the launch of our online encyclopaedia OSHWiki and our participation in the EU Roadmap on Carcinogens.
Propping up the pillar Another welcome milestone – the European Pillar of Social Rights – delivers enhanced welfare and employment rights for the people of Europe. Some principles directly concern OSH, namely the right to safe, healthy and well-adapted workplaces as well as a healthy work/life balance. Clearly, EU-OSHA has an important role to play in supporting the pillar’s values and putting its principles into practice, for
example through our Healthy Workplaces campaigns and by providing practical tools for OSH management in the workplace, such as OiRA (the Online interactive Risk Assessment platform). As part of anticipating the risks associated with new and emerging technologies and ways of working,
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO CARCINOGENS CAUSES 80,000 DEATHS A YEAR EU-OSHA has embarked on a series of foresight studies. Issues addressed by EU-OSHA’s foresight projects include, so far, the impact of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and robotics in OSH and the potential risks for workers in ‘green’ jobs. As an important follow-up, the Healthy Workplaces campaign due to start in 2023 will focus on digitalisation. A specific highlight of our 2018-19 campaign, Manage Dangerous Substances, was carcinogens and work-related cancer,
which accounts for the highest proportion of fatal occupational diseases in the EU. The number of people who develop cancer in the EU as a result of occupational exposure to carcinogens is estimated at 120,000 per year, causing nearly 80,000 deaths annually. EU-OSHA continues to serve as an active partner of the EU Roadmap on Carcinogens. We are also in the preparatory phase of a survey to collect comprehensive data on workers’ exposure to cancer risk in Europe. IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign ties in well with the objectives of our exposure survey, as the aim is to better target awareness-raising campaigns and preventive measures and to contribute to evidence-based policy-making.
Tackling MSDs Our preparations are now in full swing for the launch of EUOSHA’s 2020-22 campaign Healthy Workplaces: Lighten the Load. The campaign aims to raise awareness of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and how to prevent them.
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EU-OSHA CAMPAIGNS
RESOURCES The EU Roadmap on Carcinogens is at roadmaponcarcinogens.eu For more news and information about EU-OSHA, visit bit.ly/EU-OSHA
Lighten the Load is based on a threeyear OSH overview project on workrelated MSDs. The overview’s aim is to investigate the issues associated with work-related MSDs and related policies, improve our understanding of this topic and identify effective ways of preventing work-related MSDs. The project also looks into workplace measures to help prevent work-related MSDs and manage chronic MSDs, including supporting workers’ return to work and rehabilitation.
Campaign season This next campaign phase will be the first Healthy Workplaces campaign to span a new, longer cycle, from October 2020 to November 2022. The campaign will address these priority areas in relation to MSDs: Chronic conditions Facts and figures Future generations Prevention Psychosocial risks Sedentary work Worker diversity. Ahead of the campaign launch during European Week for Safety and Health at Work at the end of October 2020, EU-OSHA will publish on the campaign website a selection of publications such as the campaign guide and other general information materials for the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April 2020.
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C O LLA B O RATE
30 MINS
ON THE
RIGHT T What are the dangers for under-18s of trespassing on the railway? And how did the You vs Train campaign help to raise public awareness and reduce fatalities? WORDS CARINA BAILEY
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CASE STUDY NETWORK RAIL
F
ew people truly understand the terrifying power of the electricity used on the railways or the dangers it poses to the unwary. Neither did 16-year-old Tom Hubbard, until one warm summer’s day in June 2014, when he trespassed onto railway land and was maimed for life by 25,000 volts of electricity. Tom was playing football beside a railway line with friends when an overenthusiastic kick sent the ball sailing over the chainlink fence. Unaware of the danger, he scaled it and, while walking on top of a stationary train,
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY
RACK suffered life-changing injuries when a shock from a nearby overhead cable arced through the air and hit him – he didn’t even have to touch it. His story is told in a powerful short film created for You vs Train, a Network Rail public awareness campaign that won the 2019 IOSH International Railway Group Award for Improvement within Health and Safety. Incidents like the one that harmed Tom had been increasing for about five years before the campaign was launched. That’s why, when British Transport Police wrote to industry leaders about the problem, Network Rail listened and worked with partners to create You vs Train (youvstrain.co.uk).
The project Last year, the UK rail network recorded 13,500 trespass incidents. The exact reason for each incident isn’t always known, but can range from using the railway as a shortcut, fare evasion and criminal intent, to mental health issues or simply being lost. No matter the reason, Steve Longden, senior programme manager at Network Rail, describes all incidents as dangerous with potentially tragic consequences. ‘Trespassers are not thinking about the great risk they are undertaking and the consequences of their actions,’ says Steve. ‘They are not thinking about their safety and the impact that any incident could have on their lives and their friends and their family.’ While there is no average age for trespassing, Steve cites research that shows nearly 30% of trespass incidents involve under-18s, with many involving more than one person and the vast majority being male.
Trespass causes enormous disruption to the railway. On average, more than 440 trains a day are delayed by trespass incidents. Steve says: ‘Trespass affects the whole rail industry, impacting safety, performance and reputation. There were 22 trespass-related deaths in 2018-19 compared with 35 the previous year. Although the death toll has fallen, the number of incidents is still increasing.’ Congestion on the network means that reactionary delays caused by trespass soon affect many passenger journeys. ‘It’s not a victimless crime,’ says Steve. On average, 20 to 30 people are killed each year after being struck by a train or electrocuted. Those who survive often suffer lifechanging injuries. Trespass increases substantially when the clocks go forward, with around 60% of all incidents recorded in spring and summer between 4pm and 7pm, and at weekends.
FAST FACTS According to Network Rail, on average each year, trespass in the UK causes:
30 700,000 minutes delay
fatalities
13,5
incidents
440 train delays each day IOSH MAGAZINE
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CENHA O LLANC B OERATE
DO NO HARM
Everyone Home Safe Every Day Allan Spence, head of corporate passenger and public safety at Network Rail, explains the company’s vision. At the heart of Network Rail’s Everyone Home Safe Every Day strategy is the mindset of not harming anyone – whether a worker, passenger or member of the public. Since the development of the strategy in 2012 we now – to put it simply – harm far fewer people than ever before. This vision where we don’t harm people at all raised the bar. Rather than argue why we can’t or shouldn’t implement a particular safety improvement, the focus shifted into working out how we can make any aspect safer. You vs Train is a practical example of applying our strategy – to discourage ill-informed or casual trespass. It’s no use us preaching from a position of authority; analysing the various at-risk groups led us to recognise that teenagers, particularly males, listen to their peers. They don’t fear death as much as disablement, and they really want to avoid hurting female members of their families. We reflect that in our communications campaigns. So far, we are really pleased with its results. By keeping our focus on everyone getting home safely every day, continuing our progress in reducing accidents and progressively improving safety culture, we will enable further progress, keeping Britain’s safety record the envy of railways across the globe.
Objectives When You vs Train – which targets 11- to 18-year-olds – was being planned, Steve and his team knew three things were typically true of young trespassers: The railway isn’t seen as a dangerous environment Peer pressure drives risky behaviour Emotion trumps logic. You vs Train campaign launched in July 2018, as part of cross-industry initiative the Trespass Improvement Programme. You vs Train has two main priorities: to communicate the hidden dangers inherent in the modern railway network, and the consequences to both the individual and their friends and family if they were to step on the track. The videos produced are very powerful and emotive, concentrating on the human stories rather than horrific consequences. ‘We needed the campaign to be frank and honest, while also being mindful of the audience that we were targeting,’ says Steve. ‘A graphic representation may have worked for the older part of our target audience, but it wouldn’t have been appropriate for the younger end (11-year-olds).’ The programme launched with a
one-minute video based on Tom’s story. Steve says it was well received from the beginning and quickly gained high-profile support on social media. In 2019, the plan was for it to be even larger and more local. An evaluation of the project’s first phase led to the inclusion of Dan’s story, a fictional account based on many similar, real-life injuries involving the railway’s third rail. New case studies showing reallife incidents and their aftermath, and a video portraying the effects that Tom and his family faced years after the incident were also produced, along with a regional toolkit for partners on the You vs Train resources website (youvstrain.co.uk/resources).
E xec u t io n In 2018, the campaign focused on 27 hotspots for four months, a hotspot being any area where more than 12 incidents were recorded in 12 months. In 2019, this was extended to 51 hotspots throughout the year. The campaign worked with Learn Live as their educational partners, English Football League Trust clubs and StreetGames’ local trusted organisations to engage
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The campaign reached 225 million people by the end of summer 2019
with local communities and spread the rail safety message using face-toface briefings, social media such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and local media.
Results The campaign had a reach of 225 million by the end of summer 2019. In addition, campaign partner Learn Live briefed more than two million people at more
than 3500 schools using an online interactive system. Nationally, the trend for the number of incidents is still increasing, but by a much smaller percentage than previously, while the targeted hotspot areas have seen significant reductions – by 25% for the number of overall incidents, 33% for under-18s’ trespass, and 14% for train delays. ‘The number of fatalities is also significantly less since July 2018,’ adds Steve. ‘We had one under-18 fatality in 2018-19 compared to six the previous year. [In 2019-20] after nine months, we have had five fatalities, of which one is under 18 years old.’ A full testing report was carried out by Kantar on the 2018-19 campaign, which showed that more than twothirds of parents were motivated by the film and likely to act. After seeing the campaign, 92% of children and 95% of adults surveyed said they were motivated to take some positive action to improve rail safety, while 61% of adults said they will warn their children about the dangers around the track. However, the reductions seen since the campaign began can’t all be attributed to You vs Train. Steve says Network Rail is also undertaking physical works and other measures to reduce trespass, while British Transport Police are conducting extra patrols. So what does the future hold? The programme is now entering its third year. Steve says: ‘Our plan is to continue with the under-18s campaign, but also look to address the over-18s problem.’ The team is looking to share the message across the entire rail industry, as well as talk with other countries’ railways, such as ProRail in Holland. The next stage of the campaign will launch on 23 March. ‘We want all the rail industry to get behind us to ensure the message gets out. Only by all of us working together will we succeed.’
CASE STUDY NETWORK RAIL
DAN GER AH EA D
WHAT DO YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT RAIL SAFETY? Network Rail and British Transport Police surveyed young people and found that:
37% of youths consider the railway to be extremely dangerous
18% believe there is no risk of being electrocuted unless they touch the main rail track or overhead power cable
17% consider that retrieving a dropped/lost item, such as a phone or football, from the railway track is relatively safe as long as they leave again at once
17.7% think it’s safe to walk on the railway line as long as they are careful
JUDGES’ COMMEN T S : WHY NETWORK RAIL WON ‘The project’s diverse approach captured the attention of a vast audience in a sustained way with the focus on prevention of the fatalities on the railway infrastructure.’
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C O LLA B O RATE
The wider view GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT
LEXICON
A few years ago I was key witness for the defence in a trial essentially about risk assessments. Counsel for the prosecution suggested that a shambolic risk assessment file meant a shambolic risk assessment – but though I conceded that there is certainly a correlation, the two things aren’t necessarily always related. It’s possible to have done a worldclass risk assessment but have awful paperwork (as in this case). Reviewing the latest edition of Risk-led safety by Chris Jerman and Duncan Spencer reminded me how many times I quoted the words and wisdom of this excellent, practical book during this trial – most specifically while describing a risk assessment as just a bit of paper when an
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Fighting fatigue F
MUST example READ of shambolic paperwork was flourished. (The verdict: not guilty, unanimous, both counts in less than 2.5 hours including lunch.) You won’t agree with everything the authors say – they admit they aim to be provocative – but you’ll not disagree with the many practical, realistic assertions about risk management without careful consideration and the authors will settle for that. As Professor Ragnar Löfstedt says in the preface: ‘Essential reading’.
Last month’s cover feature on driver fatigue, as well as a recent column by OSH content developer Chris Burro Burrow on sleep deprivation, got members talking. For Former police officer Andy Knight said tiredness is a daily issue in the force, citing shift patterns, poor diets a and lack of breaks as a real problem in the emerge emergency services sector. Bill So Sowerbutts, who worked as a sales rep, knows what it’s like to be targeted by the number of physical face-to-face meetings, and to be driving more than 1000 miles a week. Part of the problem he sees is that ‘driving is not regarded as working’, while Andy believes driver training is subjective with no real codes of practice and laws that have grey areas. Chris’s observation that employers could do more to raise awareness of the importance of getting enough sleep among staff prompted Nana KwartengAbabio to comment online. As a keen campaigner of effective fatigue management policies and plans within his organisation, Nana was grateful to learn some more insights around the subject. However, health and safety officer Serena Merry was hoping for suggestions or ways of thinking towards helping to get a good night’s sleep. To that end, Chris has promised to write a followup article focusing on ways to obtain quality sleep, so watch this space.
Tim Marsh CFIOSH
IS FOR GENERATIONS X, Y AND Z We’ve heard it all before: millennials are lazy, baby boomers are mega-rich and as for Generation Z, they see more of their phone screen than their own family. Our latest Lexicon article (see bit.ly/IOSH-lexicon-x) says that there is no evidence for the arbitrary classification system that characterises individuals by when they were born, any more than there is for saying that Aquarians are more compassionate than Scorpios.
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WORKWEAR PREDICTIONS
PPE GETS
SMART Demand for more comfortable and effective personal protective equipment continues to grow. Industry providers share their thoughts on the key trends, including artiďŹ cial intelligence, sustainability and ergonomics. WORDS NICK WARBURTON
W
hether it is eye protection, gloves, helmets or safety footwear, the market for personal protective equipment (PPE) is predicted to grow as manufacturers invest billions in R&D for the latest innovation and extend winning product ranges. The 2016 report, Personal protective equipment market in the UK 2016-2020, predicted that the UK would see around a 3.5% growth in PPE during this period. The drivers behind this trend include growth in sectors such as construction, where a knock-on effect of UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspections, which encourage compliance with legislation (see PPE timeline overleaf ), has arguably been a greater awareness of workplace hazards among employers. Under the Management of Health
and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required to follow a hierarchy of prevention and control measures and, in theory, only supply PPE as a last resort after engineering controls and safe systems of work have been applied. Many adhere to this. However, others have unwittingly contributed to the growing PPE market by failing to adopt earlier control measures. One of the most glaring has been the provision of PPE designed for men when increasing numbers of women are entering sectors such as construction. As the Trades Union Congress noted in Hazards at work: organising for safe and healthy workplaces, the provision of this same PPE to women can introduce serious hazards. With close to 300,000 female workers employed in the UK construction sector and the number rising, one of the major innovations in PPE has been a greater provision of culturally appropriate safety wear. But what other industry trends can we expect in the next few years?
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C O LLA B O RATE
SIMON ASH, UK sales manager, HAIX: ‘Product design is increasingly focusing on introducing features that improve worker wellbeing, including smarter material choices at the production stage, such as working in carbon or composites instead of traditional steel that decrease overall boot weight and ensure consistent comfort without compromising on protection. ‘We’re also seeing trends in working with human biology in new ways, like design elements that stimulate foot fasciae to reduce wear fatigue or correct and improve posture, which will reduce longer-term detrimental health effects. We’re seeing companies adapting to
view the employee as an individual, with individual requirements from their PPE. If this will help to make sure that workers actively want to wear PPE, rather than feel like it’s something forced on them, then that is a very positive step.’
ADAM YOUNG, marketing director, Arco: ‘The introduction of 5G, the decreasing cost of sensors and the data-crunching power of artificial intelligence will bring in a new wave of connected safety solutions that will help safety professionals to address some of the behavioural aspects of safety that are difficult to control. This will be invaluable for businesses employing
E T H I CA L C H O I CES
VEGAN-FRIENDLY FOOTWEAR V12, a manufacturer of safety footwear, has developed a vegan-friendly range of boots to meet demand among employees. Andy Turner, managing director of the Chippenham-based company, says: ‘For a product to be considered vegan-friendly, it cannot contain animal material – fur, hide, hair or even shell.’ In V12’s case this also extends to the adhesive that holds the shoe together. Typically, this contains gelatine, but the manufacturer says it uses a vegan-friendly
glue made without any animal ingredients, although still offering the same strength. Turner adds that V12’s range has been constructed from a breathable leatherfree material. ‘If the label mentions “other materials” as opposed to “leather” followed by a symbol, this would usually indicate they are made from a synthetic material, but you should always doublecheck with the company if you are unsure. ‘Also, look out for symbols that categorise products as part of a vegan range.’
1992
PPE timeline Over the years, regulations other than the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) have been introduced to cover PPE and areas such as hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
PPE at Work Regulations (as amended) PPE should be supplied and used in the workplace wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be eliminated or managed in any other way. Employers must properly assess the PPE to ensure it is suitable.
isolated workers such as technicians and security officers, allowing them to remain updated on their exact location, and to receive alerts in the event of an accident. Wearable devices can also monitor the external environment of the user, collecting and analysing data on aspects such as noise, helping to monitor for unsafe levels and reducing harmful exposure levels. ‘Other new technologies such as drones and augmented/virtual reality will mean that workers will not have to carry out some higher hazard activities such as inspections at height or under water.’
DR MOHAMMAD OSMAN, materials and PPE specialist, Elis: ‘There will be a wider range of PPE solutions that are multi-functional, complying to multiple safety standards, with more durability, sustainability and prolonged lifespan. We also expect to see a wider range of options for the growing number of women working in industry. ‘It is likely that more suppliers will build radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into all PPE workwear, to reduce missing PPE, achieve better stock control and to monitor the cleaning quality of garments. There is also a growing awareness of the importance of the correct laundry of PPE to ensure that protection qualities are not compromised. This will help to improve wearer safety.
2002 Control of Lead at Work Regulations (as amended) Use PPE where adequate control cannot be achieved solely by application of operational or engineering measures, appropriate to the activity and consistent with the risk assessment.
2002 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (as amended) Risk assessments should ensure employees are not exposed to hazardous substances. Where exposure cannot be prevented, they must provide suitable PPE and control measures.
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WORKWEAR PREDICTIONS
‘Ongoing developments in materials and design, coupled with improved maintenance of PPE workwear, will help to achieve a safer working environment.’
STUART THORNE, managing director, U-Power: ‘Demand for safety footwear continues to grow, as awareness of the positive role it plays in health and wellbeing, increases. ‘Products include work shoes with highly slip-resistant anti-fatigue inserts in the outer sole, made from a revolutionary new material that stimulates the foot to continually revitalise blood flow and energy through the legs and feet. This eases fatigue and relieves neck, back, leg and joint pain, increasing circulation, and provides comfort and safety. ‘The use of memory foam in insoles also brings augmented comfort, while enhanced materials with higher levels of abrasion resistance add to durability and improved grip leads to reduced risks of slips, trips and falls. ‘Footwear will generally be lighter, more breathable and more comfortable. ‘These innovations will lead to reduced fatigue and injuries and work absences and to a generally happier, safer and more productive workforce, more accepting of the need to wear PPE. Finally, the demand for fashionable, sporty footwear will continue an upwards trajectory.’
20 0 5 Control of Noise at Work Regulations (as amended) Where employees are exposed to noise, employers must provide them with adequate ear protection. They must also make sure any equipment provided is carefully maintained and used.
STEVE MARNACH, EMEA training specialist and pharma specialist, DuPont Personal Protection: ‘The awareness of chemical risks in the workplace and the long-term health problems from daily exposure to hazardous substances has increased significantly. The tightening of UK government regulations and the expansion of markets that require PPE are also a driving factor. At the same time, every workplace is different, with unique risks and requirements. Companies developing PPE must innovate in line with these trends. ‘Manufacturers continue to invest heavily in R&D to develop market-leading materials and products that meet stringent government standards.’
RESOURCES Personal protective equipment market in the UK 2016-2020: bit.ly/PPE-market-report TUC guidance from Hazards at work: bit.ly/TUC-PPE-guidance IOSH article on culturally appropriate safety wear: bit.ly/IOSH-PPE-appropriate
2012 Control of Asbestos Regulations A person working with asbestos would, where necessary, have to use RPE and protective clothing. Employers are required to carry out fit testing of RPE that incorporates a tightfitting face-piece.
EXIT ST RAT EGY
Will Brexit lead to potentially dangerous PPE? Some politicians and commentators view EU withdrawal as the opportunity to ‘take back control’ of UK laws, which could mean putting a red line through some or all of the laws that derive from EU directives and regulations such as PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425. The intention of the legislation is to give organisations and their employees confidence concerning the safety and efficiency of PPE placed on the market. It makes no sense to push the UK down the road of ‘regulation lite’. All we know is that the act provides for an ‘implementation period’ until 31 December during which EU laws and treaties will continue to apply while current arrangements are reviewed. The government and HSE websites are remarkably quiet on what legal options are under consideration, including the possible revocation of EU-derived health and safety legislation. The evidence is clear: the economic and social benefits of having health and safety laws that align to our main trading partners in the EU are indisputable. Neal Stone is head of policy and governance at McOnie
2017 Ionising Radiations Regulations Employers must ensure that any RPE used with ionising radiation conforms with agreed standards. They must also ensure that any PPE and other controls are regularly examined and properly maintained.
2018 PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 This regulation covers the design, manufacture and marketing of PPE. Importers and distributors, in addition to manufacturers, must take measures to ensure that PPE meets standard requirements and make available on the market only compliant products.
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Influence EMPOWERING HEALTH AND SAFETY PROFESSIONALS AROUND THE WORLD
IN THIS S E CT I O N
Organisations need to take fatigue management seriously, says Thames Water’s chief health, safety and security officer, Karl Simons P52 | DOSH’s director general talks about Malaysia’s commitment to OSH improvement for the country’s workforce P56 | Compliance with ISO 45001 – what is IOSH doing? P62
OSH AMBIT ION S
Master plan for Malaysia P56
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30 MINS
Dropping off into
DANGER? Fatigue significantly increases the risk of incident when not effectively controlled. Karl Simons, chief health, safety and security officer at Thames Water, explains why organisations need to take fatigue management seriously.
Q
What prompted Thames Water to look at the risks posed by fatigue?
We were always looking at the psychological impact mental health and state of mind can have on concentration levels, which can lead to slips and lapses in concentration and judgement, and ultimately end up in incidents and injuries. Errors often arise because someone is not focused on the task at hand, because of worry, tiredness or exhaustion.
Q
What is the industry picture?
Businesses have changed their practices governing the control of working hours to prevent excessive fatigue. The Working Time Directive 2003 tells us that companies must have shift patterns in place to keep working hours to an average of 48 hours per week over a 17-week period and ensure more stringent controls for night shift and vulnerable workers. As working hours are generally implemented with a great deal of thought and approval, businesses keep within the rules.
However, there are hidden risks and the key to understanding this is first to ask the right questions. For example, when did you last run a check on overtime hours from a health and safety perspective, not a cost control measure? There are a number of routes a company can take – including vehicle telematics, reviewing work scheduling devices and sifting through clock-on/clock-off cards – to understand its exposure to fatigue risk, however some of these can provide an inaccurate picture, for example someone might forget to clock off a device and this leads to a false sense of risk control. Arguably the best mechanism for understanding exposure to fatigue risk is setting robust working hours or shift pattern control and then analysing the overtime hours worked in a department or a company.
Q
What is the position of the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on fatigue?
The HSE has undertaken extensive fatigue management research; this tells us that the risk of incident can escalate as
fatigue levels increase, which may have devastating consequences. Controls need to be implemented because of the risk escalating in such an extraordinary manner, the HSE insists. Shift patterns are a simple starting point for asking the right question: for example “How many of our people are working in excess of 12 hours in a 24-hour period?” When you start to ask that question, you can start to put in controls. From what I’ve seen, the water industry collectively has been very good at asking this question, understanding the fatigue risk and implementing controls.
Q
Are there any warning signs employers should be looking out for of employees potentially putting themselves at risk?
There are two ends of the scale. Some employees will speak up and say, ‘I’ve been working hard all week, I am really tired’ and then at the other end of the scale some will say, ‘I worked 16 hours yesterday and 80 hours this week.’ This sort of bravado
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FATIGUE MANAGEMENT
KEY FATIGUE TAKEAWAYS EMPLOYEES SHOULD: Carefully manage and monitor the following areas where the incidence of accidents and injuries is highest: workers on night shifts, those who do successive shifts – especially night shifts – those who do shifts over eight hours, those who do not have enough breaks.
1
Manage fatigue risks, regardless of an individual’s willingness to work extra hours or preference for certain shift patterns.
2
Risk assess changes to working hours, using the HSE’s ‘fatigue risk index’ tool (see Resources overleaf).
3 4
Consult employees on working hours and shift patterns, but remember that they may prefer certain shifts that are unhealthy and likely to lead to fatigue. Develop a policy that sets limits on working hours, overtime and shift-swapping to guard against fatigue.
5 6
Implement the policy, monitor it and also ensure it is enforced. This could include developing a robust system of recording working hours, overtime, shift swapping and on-call monitoring.
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conversation does happen and are the ones you’ve got to look out for. As much as someone may feel proud and boast that they have worked 60, 70, 80 hours in a week, that can be very dangerous. It’s about listening out for those conversations and setting the tone within your organisation that says: ‘You’ve got to speak up, call that out and say “That’s not all right, that shouldn’t be happening.”’ This is going to be tough because there may be some organisations where many of the staff live off the money they get from their overtime hours. But it doesn’t detract from the fact that they will be at risk when they are working those long hours and then perhaps operating heavy industrial machinery or driving home at the end of a long shift. That adds to the danger, so factoring in commuting into your fatigue management programme is really important.
As much as someone may feel proud and boast that they have worked 60, 70, 80 hours in a week, that can be very dangerous
Q
What subsequent key controls should organisations be putting in place?
Prevention is always better than cure. From a very complex perspective, I have seen and worked in companies that applied a fatigue risk management index type of system. I have also seen those that have applied a more simple and easier-to-manage control: for example, stop, engage and assess at certain trigger points, such as after 12 hours. Finally, there are firms that have management intervention at the point of overtime approval before work proceeds. Whichever model is implemented by a company, the important thing is that it has been thought through and can then be applied consistently, protecting the individual and company alike. For example, if an individual hits a trigger point for intervention or feels that if they continue working they may begin to feel tired and makes a call to their manager, this enables mitigation measures to be put in place. It could be:
COUN T IN G T HE COST
How big a problem is fatigue? The HSE estimates that more than 3.5 million people in the UK do shift work across sectors including the emergency services, healthcare, the utilities, transport, entertainment and retail. Caused by excessive working hours or poorly designed shift patterns (as well as sleep loss and/or disruption to the body clock), fatigue leads to a decline in mental and physical
performance and results in slower reactions, a reduced ability to process information, lapses in memory, decreased awareness and an underestimation of risk. The HSE says fatigue has been implicated in 20% of UK accidents on major roads. It estimates that fatigue costs the economy between £115m and £240m in workplace accidents.
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FATIGUE MANAGEMENT
‘We’re going to down tools and get a new team out.’ Alternatively, it could be: ‘You’ve half an hour’s work left’, in which case continue working but with restrictions in place on the type of work they can do. If a task must be finished, a risk assessment could include continuing work but with mitigation measures applied, such as an additional person sent out to keep an eye on the technical specialist who must complete the work. But there needs to be a conversation and a risk assessment before the individual continues working because the risk of incident is now increasing. Due to the complexities of managing fatigue and perhaps the sheer volume of extended hours worked in major 24/7 businesses, many organisations have now begun applying a cap on maximum working hours. This is an effective way of forcing steps to be taken at an earlier stage to ensure an individual gets home safe and well. A key consideration often missed is to factor in workers’ commuting time. Research tells us that, following long working hours, the drive home can become the most dangerous part of the working day.
Q
In effect, these systems are there to allow the individual to make that call?
In the water industry, there is good consultation and debate, and an alignment towards implementation of controls. For example, in addition to the working hours, shift patterns and trigger points to management intervention controls, the majority of water companies have capped working hours to a maximum of 16 hours in a 24-hour period, with some going so far as to set that cap at 14 hours. There will always be minuscule differences in the specifics of policies for areas such as commuting and breaks, but generally I see an industry working together to effectively control risk and protect people.
Q
How do you manage this in smaller organisations that may not have the resources to enforce these controls?
The challenge is that you are balancing cost and value and that you must also factor in risk. Yes, you can make money – but at what expense in terms of escalating risk, the potential incident to the individual and potential risk of prosecution to the organisation. Companies have to take
up on you over time when an employee works repeatedly for a long period over many days. HSE research tells us that fatigue adds up. That’s why we always feel more tired on a Friday than we do a Monday or Tuesday when we are getting on with work. You naturally, progressively become more tired. It is important the leadership tone is clear. The starting point for this is the moral message from the top, which then
There will always be minuscule differences in the specifics of policies for areas such as commuting and breaks this on board because it should be a factor in any investigation. All organisations are responsible for putting in safety measures that prevent individuals from failing. Why would staff want to work excessive hours? It may be because they have financial difficulties or because they are trying to please their boss. Whatever it may be, the company needs to implement the controls, which help staff not to place themselves in a position of risk, in turn placing the organisation in a position of risk.
Q
How do you create the conditions with the worker to have that conversation? It can be a sensitive issue both because of the pressure to work long hours and to earn more money.
The internal culture may be one of open dialogue and the manager may be supportive if the worker says they are tired, but not all organisations are like that. In an organisation where it’s all about working excessive hours, that can lead to a detrimental impact on individuals. Fatigue not only happens within the 24-hour period, it also creeps
echoes throughout the business, that the priority is to keep everyone safe at work and send them home safe and well at the end of every day.
Q
Should companies apply the same principles throughout the supply chain?
Yes. At Thames Water, we have for many years worked collaboratively with supply chain partners so we have the same level of robust controls for anybody who works on behalf of the organisation. You have got to have a healthy and open debate with your contracting partners around health and safety risk management and this includes fatigue.
RESOURCES HSE report on fatigue: bit.ly/HSE-human-factors-fatigue HSE fatigue risk index: bit.ly/HSE-fatigue-risk-index HSE on managing shiftwork: bit.ly/HSE-shiftwork-guidance
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IOSH magazine spoke to Haji Omar bin Mat Piah, director general of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health in Malaysia, about how a commitment to improving OSH in an economy at full throttle is steered by the national administration.
MASTER PLAN FOR
Malaysia T
he evolution of health and safety laws and culture is usually a gradual process, going hand in hand with economic and social progress. But the fast pace of economic change in Malaysia – on track to achieve its Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 of increasing incomes – has required an acceleration in the development of its safety policies and practices. Malaysia’s economic ambitions are matched by its OSH ambitions. The regulator, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), is clear that quality of life relies on quality of working life, and that prioritising people’s work wellbeing is a mainstay of productivity and economic success. As DOSH director general Haji Omar bin Mat Piah explains, this commitment to improving OSH is led from the very top. ‘Early last year, the prime minister launched our national policy for OSH,’ explains Omar. ‘To have the policy signed off by him was a big achievement in terms of promoting the preventive culture we want to inculcate.’ But with a legislative framework still in development, and with hard-to-reach small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounting for more than 90% of businesses,
there are real challenges in gaining the buy-in needed to ensure employers see investment in health and safety as an essential ingredient in their success.
Preventive culture DOSH is clear-sighted about its role in supporting Malaysia’s economic development, and in recent years it has set out its aims and expectations in ‘Master Plans’ – five yearplans, each with a theme or focus, which detail OSH objectives and measurements of success. Previous Master Plans have concentrated on ownership and self-regulation. The current plan, which was launched in 2016 and concludes on 31 December this year, has sought to bring about a ‘preventive culture’. The plan contains three key objectives: to reduce the rate of work-related deaths by 10%, reduce the rate of occupational accidents by 10% and increase reporting of occupational diseases by 30%. ‘The results of the current Master Plan are yet to be fully evaluated,’ explains Omar, ‘but we monitor results against each objective and report to the minister at the end of every year, and we are making progress.’ Omar is aware that, however effective its activities, DOSH can’t drive change on
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OSH AMBITIONS
STATE OF THE NATION POPULATION: 32.6 million WORKING-AGE POPULATION (15 TO 64 YEARS): 70% of population CAPITAL: Kuala Lumpur ADMINISTRATION: federal constitutional monarchy made up of 13 states and three federal territories ECONOMY: newly industrialised, with GDP growth among the highest in the region.
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OSH AMBITIONS
its own: ‘We need support from workers, employers, employers’ associations, OSH practitioners and the government – there are many parties involved. If we want to bring about a preventive culture, where everyone actively participates and understands their right to a safe and healthy working environment, that goal needs to be respected at all levels, from the top management all the way through to individual workers.’
Design mentality The challenges DOSH has encountered in seeking the improvements in health and safety performance needed to support Malaysia’s economic ambitions will be familiar to OSH practitioners anywhere. ‘Standards in construction are alarming in comparison to the national average, with a fatality rate three times higher than the cross-industry average,’ Omar points out, ‘so the construction sector will be a focus for us.’ DOSH has introduced guidelines for construction, based on the UK’s Construction, Design and Management (CDM) Regulations, to clearly define responsibilities to clients, contractors and designers – rather than just contractors, as per the current regulations. ‘The process of taking care of health and safety should begin at the design stage. That is very important, because after the design stage it’s much more difficult to make changes. But changing how we work requires a change of mindset, so we have to engage designers and developers.’
SME focus With SMEs making up the vast majority of businesses, reaching out to this section of employers has been a priority for DOSH. ‘We understand they have limited resources, and often have to work hard to stay in business,’ Omar acknowledges, ‘so we want them to be on board.’ Omar sees training as a key lever in engaging SMEs and persuading employers of the value of implementing an effective health and safety management system.
FAST FACTS
OSH in Malaysia Work-related accident and fatality rates are on an established downward trend, while reporting of occupational disease is rising as awareness increases.
51,829
41,467
38,753 2015
2010
2005 The total number of industrial accidents declined 25% between 2005 and 2015
The accident rate was 5.16 per 1000 workers in 2005; 3.68 in 2010; and 2.81 in 2015. In 2018, under the current Master Plan, the rate had fallen to
2.40
14,186 DOSH received 1198 reports of occupational disease/poisoning in 2011, and 5960 reports in 2015. A total of 14,186 reports were made between 2011 and 2015, but DOSH believes these figures do not yet reflect the true picture
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In Malaysia, many SMEs – which make up 90% of businesses – fail to buy into health and safety
Last year, DOSH introduced a programme to encourage SMEs to employ a trained health and safety person: an OSH coordinator. The department developed a module for SMEs to help ensure the nominated person has the skills and knowledge to carry out their function. ‘Training is so important if businesses are to understand how to deal with risk and the principle of prevention; everyone needs to understand risk assessment and how risk controls work.
Health agenda There has been an effort in Malaysia to correct the imbalance between the attention given to safety and that given to health. Omar acknowledges that health risks often lack the immediacy of safety risks: ‘Many illnesses can take 10 to 15 years or more to develop, so it’s quite difficult for industry to prioritise health management.’ But he says that DOSH ‘can’t run away from the challenge’. The under-reporting of occupational diseases and poisonings is an accepted problem in Malaysia, and there has been an effort under the current Master Plan to encourage employers – in consultation with occupational health practitioners – to report when they identify cases of occupational illness so that DOSH can investigate and take action as necessary. The target set out in 2016 was a challenging 30% increase in reporting, which seems within reach. But Omar is encouraged by signs that employers and employees are slowly gaining a better understanding of the risks they may encounter day to day.
Bright future Despite the variety of obstacles to overcome, Omar is optimistic about Malaysia’s ability to embed health and safety in work culture. The nation has embraced new technology and ways of working to support its progress to developed status, and Omar already sees evidence of how technology is supporting efforts to improve OSH performance
WORKIN G TOGET HER
IOSH makes partnership progress in Malaysia This year will see our partnership work in Malaysia move forward in positive ways. IOSH has been working with the Malaysian government’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health, actively assisting in the process of enhancing OSH standards, including the development of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2025. Last November, we established a new collaboration with the Malaysian Board of Technologists. And we are working closely with key OSH organisations, including the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health Practitioners’ Association, to enhance OSH competencies. Plans for 2020 include involvement in Malaysia’s hosting of the 35th Asia-Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation (APOSHO) event in August. We will supply more detailed updates in future editions of IOSH magazine.
– from analysis of chemicals to online data management and analytics. ‘Technology is also helping with inspections,’ he notes. ‘For example, we can use drones when we are inspecting construction sites: they can zoom in and capture footage of areas that may be difficult or unsafe for people to access, so that we can detect any unsafe acts and conditions.’ Omar is keen to benchmark Malaysia’s progress against that of other countries: ‘We welcome professionals from overseas; we want to take advice. We also benefit from help from international auditors, so that we know where we are and where there are gaps. ‘We will look to develop good cooperation with IOSH, to ensure our inspectors and other practitioners are competent. Positive collaboration with international associations will help us raise standards; it’s about mutual relationships. For example, the programme with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, where we gain knowledge from each other.’ Priorities for the next Master Plan will be finalised between now and September, but one objective will be to encourage as many organisations as possible to migrate to – or work towards – ISO 45001. Omar sees the standard as aligning perfectly with DOSH’s overarching aims: to see OSH at the heart of every workplace and central to Malaysia’s strides towards becoming a high-productivity, developed economy.
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1 Leadershi p and commi tment – th e b u y-in Senior management must demonstrate leadership and commitment. Within ISO 45001, there is a list of specific responsibilities that senior management must personally direct or be engaged in performing. For example, they must ‘lead and promote a culture’. At IOSH, not all staff are health and safety professionals. Therefore, we have a role to play in supporting and enabling senior management
Regime change Ruth Wilkinson, IOSH head of health and safety, discusses her lead in developing IOSH’s own occupational health and safety management system to compliance with ISO 45001. IOSH is currently developing its occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) in compliance with ISO 45001:2018. Our formal gap analysis and certification audits will take place later this year. We have just under 200 employees, and we engage with approximately 1000 volunteers to support the delivery of our strategy, WORK 2022. We own one building, our headquarters at The Grange in Leicestershire. The majority of our employees are based here; however, a small proportion are contracted home workers, mobile workers, flexible workers and those who travel for business. Our journey to implementation has highlighted both challenges and useful approaches along the way.
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ISO 5
Workers Under ISO 45001, a worker is defined as one who undertakes work that an organisation controls: employees as well as non-employees, such as volunteers, contractors, selfemployed and agency workers. A worker for ISO 45001 purposes is not to be confused with a worker as defined in employment law. IOSH volunteers make a valued contribution to our strategy and our wider membership. We engage with many volunteers who undertake a
to do this and evidence it. One way we’ve approached the promotion of this culture is to make good health, safety and wellbeing practice one of our organisational values and behaviours. Likewise, we embedded health and safety into core business, demonstrating commitment and supporting changes in behaviours. Providing training (including IOSH Leading Safely) to our senior management
Competence variety of roles, including networks, panel interviews, broad trustees and council members. Colleagues within IOSH have developed a new volunteer agreement that details our commitments to volunteers and includes our duty of care for health and safety. Our OHSMS also includes a process for volunteer health, safety and wellbeing as well as guidance and risk assessment for volunteer activities.
We are not an organisation made up solely of health and safety professionals. To ensure health and safety competence, a training needs analysis was undertaken. This coincided with a review of our learning and development; therefore the health, safety and wellbeing training was embedded within the overall programme. We used our own IOSH training products such as
Working Safely, Managing Safely and Leading Safely and provided other training/learning outcomes. I also delivered the IOSH course Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing to all our managers; this focused on the management of health in the workplace, of both work-related and non-work-related ill health. I am also looking to introduce the new IOSH Corporate Governance course for senior management.
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has also supplied clarity on responsibilities, the integration of health and safety into business management, and consideration of assurance measures, the maturity model and continual improvement. We have taken a ‘whole person’ approach, with physical and mental health and wellbeing fully integrated into our OHSMS. I also work closely with our head of people to further develop and evolve our health and wellbeing agenda.
ISO 45001
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Identifyin g the gaps To start the journey to ISO 45001, I procured a copy of the standard and carried out a gap analysis. An action plan was then developed. This was a huge undertaking, so I recommend the use of project management tools and techniques such as Gantt charts.
Context To comply with ISO 45001 and develop the OHSMS, there must be an understanding of the organisation and its context. This provides an understanding of the entire environment – internal and external – the organisation operates within. This goes back to the space IOSH inhabits as a professional body, charity, employer, collaborator, and so on. To provide some structure, I initially applied the PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats) analysis techniques. In the interest of continual improvement, our analysis technique is now a STEEPLE-M (adding ‘ethical’ and ‘media’ to PESTLE). Involving key colleagues within this process is essential, as different parts of the business bring different pieces of knowledge, understanding, threats, opportunities and strengths. One tip is to create a onepage overview of key findings – especially useful when presenting to senior management.
45001 6
Performance evaluation Measuring and reviewing performance is vital, so we reviewed our existing key performance indicators and identified a list of new ‘workforce indicators’. The head of people and I developed these together to ensure a focus on personnel, with the indicators being a blend of leading and lagging indicators. This balance is really useful in demonstrating the benefits and outcomes of health, safety and wellbeing action, so it is worth reviewing your indicators to ensure you achieve a similar balance and focus on outcomes. IOSH’s The healthy profit can help support an argument for investment in health and safety and measuring its returns.
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Integration of OHSMS into business processes Our approach at IOSH has been to actively integrate health, safety and wellbeing into core business activities such as procurement, travel, learning and development offerings, business continuity, values and behaviours and the volunteer agreement. This has been aided by my membership on the Business Management Group, which is the operational decision-making body within IOSH.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Implementing ISO 45001 Keep implementation proportionate and relevant to your business Simplify – if you are not there yet, use it as a continual improvement opportunity Have robust investigation processes in place so root causes of failures are identified and resolved Play a leadership role within the OHSMS and the use of business skills will aid you.
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Connect the dots to keep your people safe. Lloyd’s Register (LR) oȂers organisations a tailored path to successful ISO 45001 certification through our range of training courses and assessment services, designed to help you improve your OHS performance and simplify your journey to compliance. Gap Analysis and Certification LR’s ISO 45001 Gap Analysis service oȂers an overview of your OHSMS certification readiness. You will receive a report, analysing your understanding of ISO 45001, including the areas that will require the most attention to achieve compliance and certification to the new standard. Certification to ISO 45001 with LR is typically a two-stage process, consisting of a system appraisal and an initial assessment, the duration of which is dependent on the size and nature of your organisation. For more information visit info.lr.org/45001-certification or call our assessment services team on 0800 783 2179. Training LR oȂers face-to-face, eLearning and blended training for ISO 45001. Our face-to-face courses are delivered at venues around the country or at your premises by our expert trainers who facilitate participation and discussion to get the most from the group experience. With our eLearning options, delegates access the course online and study at their own pace, at a time and place convenient to them. Our blended courses combine eLearning modules for self-study with face-to-face training where interaction with other delegates will help to embed the learning. Secure your place at info.lr.org/45001-training or call our training team on 0800 328 6543.
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Enhance DEVELOPING THE SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES OF ALL OSH PROFESSIONALS
IN THIS S E CT I O N
Seven tips on recruiting OSH influencers P66 | How to... be the best mentor P68 | Delivering safety at a fulfilment centre for online retail giant Amazon P70 | We talk to one of the profession’s future leaders on the challenges she’s faced and the lessons she learnt P75 | Ghana’s first female Chartered IOSH Member describes her difficult journey P78
PHOTOGRAP HY: AMAZON
EN GAGEMEN T TOOLS
DELIVERING SAFETY AT AMAZON P70
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H OW TO. . .
Wield influence in the workplace Step out of your comfort zone a little bit: get involved in projects outside of your normal day job that aren’t directly involved in safety.
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Do a secondment to a different part of the business, even if it’s only for a day or a week. Get time out on the shop floor, do work shadowing or job sharing – really get a feel for how the different parts of your business work so you can actually understand the impact of the decisions you make.
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Take a management training course. Management accounting or anything that is on the MBA syllabus is worthwhile.
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If you can’t take a course, read management theory books and watch YouTube videos such as TED talks. These will help you use the language of business rather than the language of safety.
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COM PETEN CIES
YOUR NEXT DREAM HIRE Neil Lennox, Sainsbury’s group head of safety and insurance, supplies seven tips on the skills you need, and which to look out for, when recruiting OSH influencers.
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ith 69 competencies divided into 12 areas in technical, core and behavioural categories, the recently updated IOSH competency framework covers all the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed by OSH professionals. In the first of a series, we look at influencing, and how to attract the best influencers of the future.
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Sales skills
I have a degree in engineering, but I started my career in sales and marketing and I see safety as an extension of that. As OSH professionals, we’re selling a concept or an idea: a way of working for people at shop floor level, or a way of risk management for people at board level. That means technical knowledge alone isn’t always enough. In our last few rounds of recruiting, I’ve taken people from inside the organisation who know it well and who have some passion for safety. They might not know
everything, but they have the right kind of skills to engage people in our business. It’s often easier to give them the underpinning knowledge through safety qualifications and training than it is to teach somebody how to coach, influence or really couch things so they fit into the business framework.
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Look beyond the answers
By themselves, interviews can be a relatively poor indicator of people’s ability to do the job. How can you gauge somebody’s suitability for the job for the next 40 years when you interview them for just an hour? Like most businesses, we use a competencybased framework for our hiring processes. We will formulate open-ended questions such as ‘Tell me about a time when you...’ But beyond the answers that candidates give, we look at the way the answers are given, how candidates present themselves, how animated they become, and what language they use.
A B O UT O UR EX PERT NEIL LENNOX is Sainsbury’s group head of safety and insurance, and a nonexecutive director of the Parliamentary Safety Advisory Board. Neil also represents the CBI as a judge on the RoSPA Awards panel.
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COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
IOSH COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK The recently updated IOSH competency framework has been designed to help OSH professionals build capability and keep pace with rapid change in the workplace. It’s a useful reference tool for recruiting and developing individuals or a team. To find out more, visit iosh.com/competencyframework
might have. It’s easy to be dismissive of those doing the job who don’t understand safety, but they understand how the job is done.
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Understand persuasion
There is a need for people to acquire commercial skills and deliver their message in business language. So when recruiting, I look for people who can persuade me about something: can they sell an idea? And then, when challenged, they must be able to make the argument for why things are done that way. They must be able to consider things, adapt and come from a different angle.
ILLUSTRATION: IKON
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Provide options
Of course, there is a danger in being too agreeable and you have to know where you draw the line. However, the vast majority of safety legislation these days is riskand judgement-based. We are often asked by business leaders: is it okay for us to do this? We then have to make a judgement call and share the pros and cons of any potential decisions. If it means they are taking on a risk and should something go wrong they might end up being prosecuted or fined, then that’s a
business risk they have to weigh up. We shouldn’t necessarily say: ‘No you can’t do that.’ We should be able to appreciate that saying ‘no’ might also come with a cost at a business level, then provide information to help leaders understand the risks.
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Right language, right time
There is a difference between being an influencer on the shop floor and in the boardroom. In the boardroom, we have to be able to explain why it’s important that we invest or change the way we do things. It’s about selling a message and being able to answer questions. Then, if you get told ‘no’, think about repackaging the argument differently. On the shop floor, OSH professionals are usually trying to overcome a barrier that means somebody isn’t doing something. We need to be able to explain, simply and succinctly, why it’s important that staff follow the rules. At that level, it’s more of a coaching role, trying to explain why it’s important something is done that way. But we must also listen to the challenges staff
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Tact and diplomacy
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Empathy, experience and authority
Using language carefully is vital; it’s worth developing a coaching style or skill-set. Instead of telling people off, try asking why they are doing things the way they are. What is it that they expect to happen? Why aren’t they following procedures? Do they understand the risks? It’s also worth looking at the way they’ve done something and, if it’s not causing extra risk, think about taking it on board.
Only in the past 10 years perhaps have people started to make OSH their career choice. While that is great, the direct link of people going from the shop floor into OSH is becoming lost. There is a real benefit in being able to say: ‘I’ve operated that, I know what the pressures are like.’ I make a point of including ex-store or department managers on my team because they know what it’s like to run a shop and the pressures that colleagues are under. Then, with the right OSH training, they can support their case with technical authority.
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in a supporting leadership role like that of the OSH practitioner who must balance their independence of professional advice to lay managers and colleagues – and thus discharge their legal ‘advisory’ duty – with their position of increasing seniority within their organisation (and among their peers), which comes with its own challenges. Forcing a path through this nuanced minefield is difficult enough for us all – so why do it alone?’
Let’s get talking
H OW TO. . .
BE THE BEST MENTOR It’s not just about sharing experiences and passing on skills: mentorship is a reciprocal relationship that benefits both parties and the industry as a whole. WORDS LÉA SURUGUE
F
our years into his OSH career, Blake May, compliance manager at Transport for Wales can count on the support of not one, but two mentors. He has kitted himself out with guidance and dependability in a profession where instability can be the norm. Starting out as a graduate trainee at Virgin Media, Blake credits the support and experience of these mentors with helping him transition into his subsequent roles. They have allowed him to progress in his career, whether in gaining new technical skills or navigating political and social situations in the workplace. In a rapidly changing work environment, the skills required from OSH professionals are diverse and complex, and increasingly so. Lorenzo Vinsentin, group head of environment, health and safety at Arriva Group, and one of Blake’s mentors, says: ‘Mentoring is an activity that is relevant to all areas of work, be it manual, technical or professional. None more so than
However, a mentoring relationship is not merely about working on specific skills with a more senior professional and navigating the complexity of OSH issues. It’s also about getting the right person to talk to about challenges that can’t always be addressed with colleagues. Blake’s second mentor, Donna Cleaton, group environment, health and safety policy and assurance manager at Arriva Group, points out: ‘When I started my safety career 22 years ago, mentoring wasn’t really discussed and it was pretty much seen as a line manager role. I was typically the only OSH professional in my organisation for the first 10 years of my career so my line manager, while a great line manager, wasn’t a great safety mentor. IOSH is a great place to start to link up with other likeminded professionals.’
Reducing the isolation This idea of ensuring that OSH professionals are not isolated is echoed by Alex Shannon, a Chartered IOSH Member living in Dubai and working in Oman. With 25 years’ experience, he is now mentoring an IOSH technical member, an Italian professional in London, allowing him to benefit from his in-depth knowledge of health and safety as
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HOW TO... MENTOR
‘ONCE YOU START TALKING AND REFLECTING ON WHAT YOU DO WITH A FELLOW PROFESSIONAL, YOU BECOME LESS ISOLATED AND MORE CONFIDENT IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE’ well as his international background. He explains: ‘Mentoring is particularly beneficial because our work can become quite isolating at times. Having a mentor can reassure you that you are on the right path while being a sounding board for your ideas. I am at a point in my career where I want to give back and share my experience. ‘Once you start talking and reflecting on what you do, with a fellow professional, you become less isolated and more confident in your professional practice and thus better able to help those you advise. A great part of being a mentor is that I’m also learning a lot from my mentees.’
PHOTOG RAPHY: GET TY
Making the right match To reap the benefits of a mentoring relationship however, matching up the right individuals together is crucial. Donna adds: ‘Mentoring is extremely important to a new or less experienced OSH professional, but it’s vital that the mentee is matched appropriately to the mentor. We all have our different styles and experiences, so the mentee should consider their long-term plan and find a suitable mentor that can assist with that goal.’ Personality tests – such as the Myers-Briggs type indicator – can be useful to make sure individuals can work together. However, having an honest conversation about the needs and expectations of both parties may be even more important. This is exactly why Alex always plans a first session with his potential mentees to get to know
them first: ‘This conversation is to see if their needs match what I can offer. I first ask them to use the IOSH competency framework, together with the SWOT tool on the IOSH mentoring portal to prioritise the areas they want to focus on so I can appropriately help them identify their improvement areas. Coaching is non-directive where mentoring can be quite directive; I combine mentoring and coaching techniques to help mentees dig a little deeper during the learning process to help them achieve their objectives.’
Starting a partnership Organising an initial conversation about the purpose of mentoring was also an important step for Blake and his two mentors. ‘When I first asked Lorenzo to become my mentor, he didn’t accept at once,’ explains Blake. ‘First, it was important we met up to discuss my expectations. It’s not about gaining a mentor but about starting a mentoring partnership, so both parties must be clear about what they want from it, their time commitment, and what they can bring to the relationship.’ Mentors should have shareable experience and technical skills, but it’s equally important they know how to respond to their mentee’s doubts by displaying soft skills, including empathy and an ability to listen. What is clear is that if the partnership is carefully set up and thoughtfully developed, and if both personalities match, the mentor also stands to benefit. ‘If you have both negotiated, sold and procured well,
N EW SERVICE
Come together with IOSH Mentoring IOSH recently launched IOSH Mentoring, a new platform-delivered service to support OSH staff with their professional development, matching members who need skills or knowledge together with those offering these skills or knowledge. IOSH is thus providing the technology and the resources for people to come together. Matthew Rockley, IOSH head of customer service and experience, says: ‘The platform is built around the IOSH competency framework, allowing members to consistently describe their needs and expertise and matching people together based on what they require.’ Bite-sized videos explain each stage of the process and how the mentoring relationship should be conducted to the best advantage of all participants. Matthew says: ‘The platform is free for members to use, and there is no limit to how many mentors an individual can call on for support.’ bit.ly/IOSH-mentoring-FAQs
you will be a great mentoring match – and that has immeasurable benefit for the mentor,’ says Lorenzo. ‘Not least the satisfaction of seeing your protégé grow as a practitioner, but also (and this goes to the concept of reverse mentoring) the challenge of fresh ideas, new theories of practice and just sheer inquisitiveness, keeps your practice reflective, relevant and fresh. If it doesn’t or you’re not receptive to the idea, maybe you’re not quite ready to become the best mentor that you could be.’
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DELIVERING SAFETY AT
40 MINS
WORDS KELLIE MUNDELL
AMAZON Building positive interactions at all levels and generating discussion about safety is crucial, say staff at the online retail giant.
PHOTOG RAPHY: AMAZON
T
he average workplace has changed dramatically in recent years, and nowhere is this epitomised more than at online retail giant Amazon. Amazon’s workforce now works side by side with new technologies every day, which bring a unique set of challenges. Tasked with keeping its employees safe, Rob Burnett CMIOSH, the UK regional health and safety manager, oversees Amazon’s 17 fulfilment centres (FCs) in the UK as well as being part of the EU safety team contributing to safety projects worldwide. Cutting his safety leadership teeth at grocery giant Tesco followed by a stint at high-street chain Wilko, Rob believes a culture of engagement is the key to a safe and successful workforce. With a team of more than 100 safety professionals across the UK, Rob and his team look to engage employees in every aspect of their day-to-day operations. ‘Culture is absolutely critical; everyone needs to play an active role, so driving engagement is a big part of our
focus as a team,’ he notes. Open dialogue and regular communication with associates (the name given to FC operatives) help to ensure alignment with the safety-first culture. Building positive interactions at all levels and generating discussion about safety is crucial, says Rob, as it helps the safety team hear from everyone. ‘Every team member in our buildings can support us on safety by sharing ideas and suggestions. We encourage employees to provide feedback, which in turn encourages engagement. Recognition is vital and we always take the time to praise the best ideas that are submitted.’
Collaboration is key This type of feedback loop is critical for any business and keeping teams engaged is the key to success, adds Rob. ‘If you don’t have systems in-house for everyone to contribute ideas and then act on them, that collective ownership is lost and we no longer perform as a team.’ Amazon has various ways people can get in touch with the safety
team to ensure everyone’s preferred method, be it face-to-face, public or private, direct or indirect, are offered and promoted as engagement tools. Ideas from every part of Amazon help the company to improve every day, says Rob, and workplace safety is no exception. In addition to the basics you might expect – providing safety training for all FC associates and tracking workplace injuries (Amazon UK follows the OSHA framework, all injuries are reportable, and not just over-seven-day injuries) the firm stays ahead of safety issues by interacting with associates through multiple channels, including regular stand-up meetings and feedback systems. The Safety Leadership Index, for example, is an online tool that regularly measures associates’ perceptions across the company’s operations. ‘We always work collaboratively – many of our projects need to engage all the stakeholders directly and indirectly, which include collaborative inputs from the safety
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‘IT’S LIKE PLAYING CHESS: YOU JUST CONSTANTLY MOVE YOUR PEOPLE BASED ON THE CHALLENGES YOU SEE’ team to ensure these projects are delivered in a safe working environment,’ says Rob. The Associate Safety Committee (ASC) meets on-site every month with the general manager. If issues are identified that are beyond the scope of the site, they are escalated to the higher-level safety meetings within the business. ‘Each ASC member is a volunteer, and we rotate members to ensure we get fresh perspectives and thoughts. Our ASC members are involved in discussions, with workstreams being introduced to the site – for example, if changes are planned regarding safety, we will use ASC members to discuss this in the meetings.’ Safety Solvers is a system that was introduced in 2018, and this is linked to the safety suggestion schemes on site. Rob identified the importance not only of the suggestions from associates, but also of recognising the responses from managers, for putting the time and effort into researching and fixing the issue. ‘Simply saying “well done” to both and calling out the best examples weekly helps us share the successes from sites where we have found a problem and then fixed it.’
Feedback loop Rob’s team is constantly testing and refining safety processes, and associates are central to this approach. ‘We ask every one to give us daily feedback,’ he explains. But this is by no means a box-ticking exercise: ‘It is central to the safety success of our operation and means we can be responsive, making real-
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time improvements. This feedback loop forms the foundation of our safety programme.’ There are multiple ways for associates to raise safety concerns, recognising there is a no one-sizefits-all approach. ‘The easiest way is to speak to a manager or the safety team, but we have systems to support each person’s personal choice, and if they want to stay anonymous they can. They can also write, email, or flag directly to me.’ The Voice of the Associate Board is a key engagement tool. ‘Any associate can flag an issue, leave their login and the management team will reply within 24 hours,’ says Rob. ‘This can be a question, comment or specific request for support. Associates can see the comments or replies and look up previous questions and answers.’
Amazon insists it is a safe place to work, and its fulfilment centres are open for public tours
Amazon also runs a ‘Safety Saves’ competition each week. Associates submit suggestions at each FC. The associates with the best ideas each week win a prize. ‘Thousands of safety ideas, concerns, and suggestions have been shared by Amazon associates since the programme started,’ says Rob. ‘Using this invaluable and real-time insight, we’ve implemented many changes as a result of this feedback.’
Transferable skills Darren Egerton is an environmental health and safety specialist at the Tilbury FC but, like many OSH professionals, he didn’t take a traditional path. He started his career in the Metropolitan Police Service, serving for 13 years, but he swapped catching criminals for a career in health and safety two years ago as an associate and was soon presented with the opportunity to take on the role of health and safety coordinator. It became immediately clear to him that many of the skills honed in his police career would be transferable to his new safety role. ‘You could say that investigative work is still very much a part of my
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ENGAGEMENT TOOLS
BEH I ND T HE HEADLIN ES
ACCIDENTS AT AMAZON
job: a safe working environment is our absolute priority,’ he explains. ‘My role requires a forensic eye for detail, the ability to listen carefully, and respond quickly. Like police officers, we also have to communicate with our community. We instil a safety-first culture, where everyone constantly provides feedback so we can test and refine our processes.’ With a number of safety qualifications under his belt, Darren has been promoted and is getting stuck into his new role. He says that the foundation of Amazon’s safety programme is the team’s focus on driving continuous improvements. ‘To be honest, I absolutely love a safety walk. It is very similar to community engagement on the police beat. Every day, I make a conscious effort to get away from the desk and ensure I am around the fulfilment centre speaking to colleagues, making observations, listening to feedback and trying to find ways to make improvements, big and small.’
Strong leadership The ability to solve problems is a key skill every safety professional needs. Being able to influence is crucial, and it’s about engaging
Hundreds of people have been injured or narrowly escaped harm at Amazon in the past three years, Freedom of Information requests from the GMB union show. And annual accident rates appear to be rising: from 152 in 2017 to 240 in 2019, although the number of FCs has increased between 2015 and today. This raises questions about how far organisations are willing to push employees to increase production. However, Rob Burnett sought to underline the positive safety systems Amazon employs. Amazon said: ‘We benchmark against UK national data, published by the HSE, confirming we have over 40% fewer injuries on average than other transportation and warehousing businesses in the UK.’ In addition, Amazon hasn’t been prosecuted for any safety breaches in the past four years. The firm encourages anyone to go and see for
themselves its dedication to safety by taking a tour at one of its FCs. IOSH magazine did just that and was encouraged to see a number of associates call out safety concerns throughout the tour – for example, when entering an area leading to a loading bay, a worker approached to explain we didn’t have the correct safety footwear for that area. Leaders were visibly inspecting the floor to evaluate safety measures and working conditions. ‘Schoolchildren aged six and up are invited to the tour – it’s that safe,’ says Rob. So is Amazon a victim of its own success, and a press intent on scrutinising it? ‘Whether it’s exciting and newsworthy or not, Amazon is a safe place to work,’ says Rob. What do you think? Have your say at bit.ly/ IOSH-Amazon
with the right stakeholders at the right level. Rob’s approach is to learn as much about a situation and its challenges as possible. ‘You can only develop knowledge in a process, and this will only continue to help you make better decisions and become a subject matter expert within the business you work in. Anyone can present some numbers or data – but forming a solution that helps support the business shows consideration around the needs and demonstrates a practical approach.’ It’s not just about quoting regulations, says Rob. You need to break them down, simplify them and tell people what they need to do and why. ‘Don’t present people with a problem: a good safety professional should be able to think and suggest ideas on what to do to resolve the issue at hand. If you can find a solution by utilising stakeholder relationships and peers, you’re far more likely to be successful.’ He warns that it’s easy to get into the habit of dealing with the day-to-day safety issues and not look back and ahead. Building time in to plan and learn from your experiences as a team helps to identify the common problems that arise, the opportunities that may exist, and to design a road map to guide us on how to successfully and efficiently complete a task. ‘A frequent question I ask myself is, what are the things I want to change in terms of process? I then use that as a starting block to make changes. I enjoy planning and try to get the UK safety leadership team together often, as it’s a great chance for us to share our successes and talk about what we’ve learned.’ For Rob, leadership is about building and equipping a team, as well as others around you, in order to trust and have faith in
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Management skills The need for safety practitioners to have wider skills and behaviours beyond technical ability, and to understand what that means for business is vital, warns Rob. ‘It all comes down to each person’s toolkit and day-to-day roles,’ he says. ‘You have to be able to manage yourself as a first step. Determine where you can add value and what scope you want to take on, and consider where to find the team members you think will perform the best. One of my management mentors once said to me: “It’s like playing chess: you constantly move your people based on the challenges you see.”’ Rob has tried to find passion projects to balance alongside the day to day. ‘This pushes me into learning something new or allows me to use my skill-sets beyond the traditional aspects.’ As a leader, the important thing is to continue developing. ‘At Amazon, we have a phrase: “It’s always day one.” There is always something new to learn as the business grows. If you continue to build your toolkit in terms of skills and learn from the managers and leaders you have been exposed to, including the ones that were not effective, you will develop those skills to be successful.’
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Amazon has also introduced Career Choice, an education programme that pays 95% of tuition and associated fees for permanent employees to undertake nationally recognised courses and funds up to £8000 over four years. Another programme to upskill the workforce is Amazon’s safety apprentice scheme, which is about to enter its second year with 31 applicants. ‘We are working with an external provider to help build the skill-set of safety coordinators at entry level, building a developed skill-set that contains not only OSH entry-level knowledge, but the built-in bespoke skills a safety professional needs,’ explains Rob. Feedback on the course has been positive, particularly the mix between classroom and sitebased study. Emma Horton, an OSH coordinator at Tilbury FC, joined the scheme last year. ‘[The mix] allows me to apply my study to my day-to-day work activity. I enjoy the case studies as it makes you dig into safety law and then apply it practically.’
AMAZ ON I N N UMBER S
12 HOURS The average amount of annual OSH training per person in UK Amazon FCs
100
managers, and it is something you have to always work on. ‘I am always looking at leaders within Amazon who have come from different backgrounds and experiences to see how they approach problems and situations,’ he explains. ‘Benchmarking your leadership style against others is a great way to identify and build a better toolkit for yourself. You have to be able to adapt and learn as you go.’
health and safety professionals work across Amazon’s UK network
Through the safety lens ‘We walk the walk and talk the talk on workplace health and safety, every day,’ says Rob. ‘We strive to deliver safety by design a lot at Amazon.’ What does he mean? ‘As we consistently explore new technologies and look to innovate, when we build a new facility we think through the safety lens from the very start – at the design stage. ‘This safety-first approach, accompanied by smart use of Open dialogue technology and cultivating a and regular feedback culture, means we can communication with associates are work together to improve and deliver aimed at building a safety-first culture workplace safety excellence.’
260 meetings start each shift across the entire UK FC network with a daily safety tip Amazon has
400
qualified first aiders working across its UK FCs
238,000 The total number of hours of health and safety training given to staff working across UK FCs in 2018
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FUTURE LEADER CHLOE HUGHES
Q&A
CHLOE HUGHES, ROLLS-ROYCE
After completing her first degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Chloe switched her studies to an MSc in occupational health, safety and wellbeing. Although she was in the final stages of completing her dissertation, in 2018 Chloe managed to secure a 10-week internship at Rolls-Royce, which has since been extended to a graduate role. She is also part of IOSH’s Future Leaders Programme and attended IOSH’s first Future Leaders Conference in 2019.
Q
Your first degree covered public health nutrition. What prompted you to continue your studies with an MSc in OSH and wellbeing?
I have always had a passion for helping others, so I knew that is what I wanted from my career. When I found the prospectus for the master’s course, it looked like the perfect role for me. My course director encouraged me to undertake a certificate to see if I liked OSH and I absolutely fell in love with it as a profession.
Q
As part of your degree, you looked at behaviour change. How has this influenced your thinking?
Behaviour change is an integral aspect of any OSH professional role. A significant part is challenging core beliefs and the classic ‘but this is how we have always done it’ attitude. Most people don’t like change, and challenging that can distress individuals. I am a strong believer in employee-led approaches, engaging and providing a platform for them to give their thoughts and ideas on health and safety issues. They know their role better than anyone.
Q
What is your current role at Rolls-Royce?
I am in my first of three six-month placements, which is then followed by a final 12- to 18-month placement before I move into a permanent role. The health and safety graduate scheme is a leadership development scheme. Currently, I am working within
‘Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t hold back if you have some insight to add. If you are offered opportunities, take them!’
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the occupational health and wellbeing team. I have developed nutritional resources for the LiveWell framework, in addition to supporting our contractor safety conference and presenting on health and wellbeing topics.
Q
Tell us more about LiveWell…
LiveWell is our programme designed to help and support health and wellbeing throughout Rolls-Royce. I have been designing nutritional infographics, researching nutritional provisions globally, gaining a greater understanding of employee perceptions of nutrition, and engaging with our caterers. Nutrition is often overlooked as a health and safety issue; however, there is significant research to support nutrition with general health and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. Nutrition also has a significant impact on employee cognitive function, including memory, mental health, ability to concentrate and energy levels. In a safety-critical environment, that can have a significant impact on the ability to act safely.
Q
What has been the most challenging aspect of moving to OSH?
There has been so much from my degree that is transferable to my OSH role now. An OSH role is a very caring role, which links back to public health, counselling skills, supporting behaviour change and health promotion. That is something that I have brought forward into my MSc dissertation where I am exploring the experiences of women undergoing the menopausal
transition in the workplace, which can be distressing if you have an unsupportive workplace.
Q
What lessons have you learnt from your career so far?
Be bold. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t hold back if you have some insight to add. If you are offered opportunities, take them!
Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, senior business partner, mental health, and Louise Craig, programme executive are amazing mentors who have provided me with advice, support and growth opportunities. They have helped push me out of my comfort zone, and that has really helped develop some of the skills I didn’t realise I had.
IOSH PROGRAMME
Calling all future leaders The Future Leaders Programme is one of IOSH’s key objectives under WORK 2022, and the Future Leaders Community – essentially a network for new professionals – is one part of this interconnected, multi-strand five-year programme designed to help young OSH professionals, such as Chloe, develop their careers. ‘I think the Future Leaders Programme is a great step in the right direction,’ Chloe says. ‘So many young OSH professionals are focused and passionate about developing their careers and the programme provides a platform to
share our enthusiasm and passion, as well as best practice. ‘I think the whole community is only going to get bigger and bigger and the more we engage and support one another, the greater our chances of developing a next generation of health and safety professionals who can make the most of the experience, the qualifications, the leadership skills, and the passion that we have.’ Specialised support for new and aspiring OSH professionals at bit.ly/Future-Leaders-Community
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Join IOSH at the Safety & Health Expo 2020 19–21 May 2020 ExCel London Register for your free place www.safety-health-expo. co.uk Visit our stand, located next to the VIP Lounge, to discover what IOSH membership can do for you Join a global community of safety and health professionals We can help you choose the level of membership that’s right for you Get involved in our global campaign to tackle occupational cancer Learn about our No Time to Lose campaign and sign up to the pledge Boost your career prospects Explore our many Continuing Professional Development opportunities to boost your knowledge and enhance your career
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Enhance your professional journey Find out more about our new member resources, including IOSH Mentoring, practical guides and tools
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F I N T E RVI E W
ew people have faced the same hurdles as Florence Anyane has in her OSH career in Ghana. She has had to prove her worth in highly dangerous industries and among workforces that have sometimes shown little respect for her gender.
UNCHARTERED WATERS Florence Anyane became Ghana’s first female Chartered IOSH Member in September 2019. But her journey was littered with obstacles.
‘I started with a degree in environmental management studies, so my national service was spent doing environmental monitoring in mines,’ Florence says. ‘An old mine site needed to be backfilled, and I asked to observe the hazards involved as it was done. One of the contractors doing the backfilling needed a safety officer and, as I’d already done a diploma in OSH with the ICM [Institute of Commercial
Management in the UK], I was qualified. I had an idea of risk and how to identify it. So that was my first role in OSH.’ For Florence, it was a tough place to start. ‘It was a male-dominated industry. This type of environment is unlike anything you can imagine. I was disrespected by the guys, which is something that makes a lot of women drop out of the OSH profession in Ghana. The guys would say: “What is a woman doing here? You should be at home cooking for your husband. Those are the only technologies that you know about.” It takes a strong person to stick with it.’ Florence says her bosses weren’t much better: ‘I realised I was not being seen as a change-maker in safety. Some bosses would never give me credit for anything while my male colleagues were praised as being the bright sparks. I went through a lot of embarrassment and insults and shaky moments in my career. There were times when
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MEMBER INTERVIEW FLORENCE ANYANE
I would go home and cry, but I still woke up the next morning and went to work. You have to have courage, you have to be confident – because without confidence you can’t get your message across.’
PHOTOG RAPHY: GETT Y
The power of snacks After working in the mines and as a senior safety officer in construction, Florence became a projects health, safety and environmental (HSE) manager at JVC on Offshore Cape Three Points, an integrated oil and gas deepwater project. Not only did this have all the dangers of offshore work, but Florence also needed to certify the company with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, as well as OHSAS 18001:2007. ‘I didn’t have anyone to coach me and I didn’t have a consultant to direct me. My boss just said: “I trust you Florence, I know you can help my company”,’ she says. ‘On each standard, I followed the document step by step. I finally got that done, but starting the implementation was another thing because it was another maledominated industry. I had to find a way to enforce all these policies and procedures that I had written.’ But Florence had spotted one area that she could exploit to get staff on her side. ‘I realised the staff loved training,’ she says. ‘If I provided them with food and I gave them a nice office to come for the training, then they were okay with that. ‘I had five safety officers and four safety representatives working under me on that project, who I had to train up, but as long as I gave them tea and snacks, they were happy to listen to me. Our initial audit was excellent, the observation was great, and the interview went well. So we were successfully certified OHSAS 18001 by DNV GL in 2017.’
Encouraging others In 2018, Florence became a training HSE manager with Rigworld Training Centre in the capital Accra and a certificated auditor. Then in September last year, she became the first Ghanaian woman to become a Chartered Member of IOSH. Hopefully, she says, she’s just the first of many. ‘Some women give up too easily, but I won’t – that’s my spirit,’ she says. ‘Now I see a lot of women entering the OSH profession in Ghana and I’m so happy. On my route to Chartered status, I was very privileged to have some excellent coaches. So I would advise any female trying to achieve Chartered status that you need to have mentors. ‘You also need to network, attend conferences, and be on the same page as other safety professionals. You need to know what other industries are facing. Are there other companies that are doing better and what can you learn from them? ‘We have to spread the message that it’s not just a career for men,’ she says. ‘If we could get the message across that women are working in safety and doing a good job, then we can start changing perceptions. ‘One way to do that would be if IOSH released details on the
CLIMBIN G T HE LADDER
Florence’s three top tips to achieving Chartered status 1
2
3
You must practise professionally in the field. That might sound obvious, but experience was crucial for me to pass my initial professional development (IPD). Achieve a level 6 or required IOSH certification. If you don’t pass these, you can’t sign on as a graduate member. But if you’re able to get to that level, you should be practising enough to pass an IPD audit. Prepare for your peer interview and be confident. I was very nervous, but the panel helped me relax and I was able to answer the questions.
number of women who had registered for its courses. It took time for me to establish myself as a Chartered Member of IOSH because people didn’t believe me initially. But if those details about everybody’s status were made a bit more public, that would really help us get respect and recognition.’
Inspiring safety
And for Florence, what’s next? ‘I’d like to be an HSE director or an HSE president and have some platform where I can get health and safety messages across, and a position where my voice will be heard,’ she says. ‘I want to reach out to my fellow women and my fellow human beings and warn them about the dangers of what can go wrong. At the end of the C HART ERED MEMBERSHIP OF IOSH day, my priority is to save lives, and that is still my ultimate inspiration. If you need advice about Chartered ‘I’m not done with just being a membership or changing membership categories, call 0116 257 3198 or Chartered Member of IOSH – I want to email the IOSH membership team at do more. My country and the women in professional.development@iosh.com my country in this profession need me to do more. I want to reach out to them and show them that they can be better.’
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IOSH REC RU I T M E N T
jobs
IOSH’s Health and Safety Jobs website is changing.
THE OFFICIAL CAREERS SITE OF IOSH
From April 2020, Health and Safety Jobs online (currently healthandsafety-jobs.co.uk) will be known as IOSH jobs. ioshjobs.com − the new home for health and safety jobs online.
IOSH
jobs
THE OFFICIAL CAREERS SITE OF IOSH
IOSH
IOSH
jobs
jobs
THE OFFICIAL CAREERS SITE OF IOSH
THE OFFICIAL CAREERS SITE OF IOSH
IOSH
COMING SOON
jobs
THE OFFICIAL CAREERS SITE OF IOSH
Recruit skilled and dedicated safety and health practitioners from assistant to director level to fill any vacancy, or take the next step in your own career by posting your CV or browsing our unrivalled list of vacancies.
The new official careers site of IOSH
io s hj o bs . c o m
@i o s hj o bs
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TO ADVERTISE YOUR VACANCY, CONTACT IOSH-RECRUITMENT@REDACTIVE.CO.UK
HSE RECRUITMENT
In partnership with The Health and Safety Event 28th - 30th April, NEC, Birmingham
How can you gain a strategic edge in a competitive market place? Are you looking for your dream job, or perfect next hire? Do you want tips on how to secure that promotion? This April HSE Recruitment will be hosting the Professional Development Theatre at The Health and Safety Event 2020, the UK health and safety event dedicated to improving workplace safety standards. At the Professional Development Zone, HSE Recruitment Network’s team of advisors will be on hand to offer expert advice to advance your career, support your future growth as a health and safety professional,
or help you hire the perfect person for your team. Featuring live onstage interviews and a series of training, workshops and content sessions, this interactive zone will equip you with the tools and techniques to unlock your potential. https://www.healthandsafetyevent. com/professional-development-zone
To book a career consultation, please contact info@hserecruitment.co.uk or join the conversation on social media, by tweeting @hse_jobs or by following us on Linkedin!
CONTACT US:
0121 454 5000 info@hserecruitment.co.uk
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IOSH MAGAZINE
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ILO REPORT
TA LK I NG S H O P
ANG GRAY
MICHAEL EDWARDS MI
Significant demographic shifts are re er our main challenge. We no longer distinguish between what were oles. traditionally ‘male’ or ‘female’ roles. ation What about age profiles and the variation tion in risk perception this brings, not to mention are? the extremes we have regarding duty of care? art We have migrant workers playing a big part in our business economy, bringing issues with language and differences in values, ust beliefs and attitudes towards OSH. We must r, also consider agency or temporary labour, home-working, flexible working and zero hours. And what about generational attitudes to company loyalty? People are much more likely now to ‘job hop’ in search of positions which better meet their personal values.
THE ONES TO WATCH
Tech Technology and demographics will both cont contribute to an organisation’s sustainable deve development, but if you don’t consider the overa overall strategy behind investment in human capit capital, there will be no long-term gain. Our work workforce is our most important resource; with without investing in their future, an organisation will u ultimately fail. Robust investment in health and ssafety will lead to workers that live longer, enjoy a better quality of life, commit to an or organisation and ultimately be more productive. There is a strong rel relationship between investing in training and education and economic growth. With skills and knowledge, human capital can help boost the economy and provide for the future.
Four IOSH content developers discuss technology, demographics, working patterns and sustainability: hot topics analysed in recent ILO report Safety and health at the heart of the future of work.
JO FRAPE
RYAN EXLEY
We now live in a Employers are technological age, and seeing changes in advancements come quicker Read the full report at bit.ly/ILO-future-of-work working patterns that than buying an ice cream. How are bringing new risks to workers. will that benefit the world of work in With new advances in technologies, global the future? Safety is already evolving. We financial crises and other events affecting the world now have drones, so surveyors no longer need to of work, employers are turning to restructuring the work at height – the drone does all the work for them. organisations along with downsizing, subcontracting and Another amazing development benefiting the safety even outsourcing, making it much harder for workers to industry is virtual reality. Training no longer needs have a healthy work/life balance, and often increasing to be done on PowerPoint: workers can now see work-related stress and other forms of mental ill health. and smell real working situations to put their Computers were supposed to reduce workloads and make understanding to the test. Where will we be in working life easier. But in reality, people work longer and two years? Will we have drones with the ability need to be switched on for 24 hours a day. With advances in to fix equipment or change lightbulbs? I don’t technology every day, do we understand the effects they will know, but I’m excited at the prospect. have on safety and health in the next five years?
HAVE YOUR SAY…
We have had our say, but what do you think will have the biggest impact on the future of safety at work? Let us know
TWE E T: @I O S Hma ga zi n e
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TO ADVERTISE YOUR VACANCY, CONTACT IOSH-RECRUITMENT@REACTIVE.CO.UK Featured Job
Head of Health & Safety | London | £Competitive We’ve been exclusively engaged by a globally recognised sports brand searching for a Head of Health and Safety. Based in London, this is a truly exciting and varied role where you’ll be working in a fast moving, lively environment. Along with providing health and safety advice across various property types, you’ll be tasked with developing and delivering the H&S strategy, policies and procedures to take overall responsibility for H&S compliance across the organisation. You’ll lead, manage and develop a small team of H&S professionals to help you achieve this. You must have an in-depth understanding of current legislation and best practice as well as great commercial awareness and the ability to form valuable working relationships. To be successful, you’ll need to hold a level 6 H&S qualification, such as the NEBOSH or NCRQ Diploma, and ideally be a Chartered Member of IOSH (CMIOSH). A background in property, leisure or facilities is essential. You’ll have a naturally engaging, enthusiastic and dynamic approach, with the ability to influence others, including senior stakeholders and internal colleagues, and enjoy developing talent within your team. Please get in touch to learn more about this exciting opportunity. FOR A CONFIDENTIAL DISCUSSION CONTACT LIAM SQUIRES LIAM.SQUIRES@SHIRLEYPARSONS.COM 01296 611329 REF: LSQ 14654
Liam Squires Lead Consultant at Shirley Parsons UK
PERMANENT
JOB OF THE MONTH
CONTRACT
QHSE Manager
CDM Consultant
CDM Consultant
UK wide plus Middle East travel up to £55,000
Essex up to £55,000
Kent up to £320 per day
A leading manufacturer and supplier to the global energy industry is seeking an experienced QHSE Manager to ensure continued accreditation to a range of ISO standards and to lead a team of Quality Engineers and Inspectors. You’ll need strong planning skills plus a background in petrochem or oil & gas.
We’re working with a leading independent consultancy within the property, infrastructure and construction industry who is seeking an experienced CDM/H&S Consultant to be based on their client’s site. You’ll hold the NEBOSH Construction Certificate and ideally be a member of IMaPS.
A construction consultancy is seeking a CDM Consultant/Principal Designer to support their wide and varied client base. You’ll need previous CDM 2015 experience gained from a variety of projects, including demolition and large scale construction. NEBOSH Construction Certificate / CMaPS is desirable.
To apply, please quote EB 14713
To apply, please quote ST 14709
To apply, please quote SD 14616
Visit www.shirleyparsons.com for our latest vacancies GLOBAL LEADERS IN HSEQ RECRUITMENT
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