Editorial
Did you have a successful OSH year in 2016?
January 2017
Sheila Pantry OBE
May we wish you A Very Happy, Safe, Healthy and Successful 2017 wherever you are in the World!
New Year Resolutions abound at this time of the year so it is a good time for all organisations worldwide to review their health and safety goals and decide on the training or re-training that is needed for all levels of staff.
I am inspired by the recent awards from UK organisations such as IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), British Safety Council and other organisations worldwide to companies and individuals who have gone beyond the norm to produce very successful training courses, services, campaigns and ideas to help make all workplaces safer, healthier and more productive.
If you are making some New Year’s resolutions – you may wish to think about how you can help to achieve less accidents and fatalities in the world’s workplaces. Wherever you are and whatever job you hold – for example – whether you are a managing director, director, owner, supervisor, line manager, trainer, manufacturer, worker, self – employed, journalist, TV or radio producer you can play your part in helping to reduce needless accidents and deaths that still occur in all workplaces in the world. You can make sure that all workers are trained and have the competence to carry out their jobs safely and healthily and that their workplaces meet the highest standards of safety and health.
The International Labour Office (ILO) in Geneva stresses the importance and the need to give higher priority to preventing accidents and ill-health at work. The ILO acknowledges that an estimated 2.34 million people die from work-related accidents or diseases each year. Such a high number is simply not acceptable today – it equates to an average of more than 6,300 work-related deaths every day, around the world.
This represents a colossal social and economic burden for enterprises, communities and countries, not to mention an appalling human and financial problem for workers and their families.
The need for prevention is both obvious and urgent. The great majority of workplace accidents and diseases are preventable, but good intentions have not always been implemented or sustained. While some may be tempted to cut back on occupational safety and health (OSH), especially during an economic downturn, it remains true that “good safety is good business”. Prevention is part of a survival strategy; those who sustain their efforts to prevent occupational accidents and diseases will find their efforts rewarded.
Do whatever you can to ensure that all workers have a safer and healthier workplace in 2017.
Update your 2017 diary with training for workers at all levels
As you start your New Year’s diary think about the training, which perhaps has not been carried out for you and others. Look at the latest additions to the Diary of Events and you will see plans have been made already worldwide for 2017 and beyond to have training courses, symposiums, webinars and conferences in many places in the world on a wide range of subjects.
Do not put off training for yourself and your staff. In these days of tighter budgets perhaps training may be put on the “back-burner” – but think again how you can keep up with the latest techniques and training opportunities.
Remember that even if you cannot attend these many events, speakers and organisers are often willing to share their knowledge. Look at the details – where possible, we add in the web sites of these events so you can request further information. And do let me know if you are organising any OSHE events so that I can add them to the OSHWORLD Diary.
FOCUS
This month’s OSHWORLD FOCUS is entitled Helping Great Britain work well in 2017.
OSHWORLD – your portal to some great OSH web sites in the world
Wherever you are in the world have a look at your health, safety, chemical, fire and environment procedures in your workplace and update them. Your review may also indicate training requirements and re-thinking how systems and services can be improved. This is where the free-of-charge OSHWORLD can help you.
Resources
In addition to the above we hope that you find the information in OSHWORLD useful in your daily work. Globally there are continually new titles, news items, new products so remember to look at the News to find the latest information from a range of worldwide sources.
Use OSHWORLD as your portal to many hundreds of validated and authoritative web sites that you can find in the Country and Subject links we offer. New subject topics are constantly brought together on web sites, e.g. nanotechnology and the workplace.
Most information services have a reference shelf where you can quickly check the reference sources – so OSHWORLD brings you a collection of Reference sources and also teaches you how to Search the Internet.
Visit the various Bookshops to order any new document as they are being published. Many of these Bookshops have a constant stream of new titles available.
Please send any suggestions or comments about OSHWORLD – your portal to validated and authoritative information. Remember also to look at our other really useful sites – www.sheilapantry.com and why not make a free entry about your company’s products in www.shebuyersguide.com.
Don’t forget to learn from history – visit www.historyofosh.org.uk – an invaluable resource for students, lecturers, trainers, health and safety professionals and others with a general interest in industrial history, the site sets out developments from the 1802 Factory Act all the way through to the most recent regulatory changes made by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Don’t work harder – work smarter! Be ahead of the game.
Well did you have a zero accident, incident-free and healthy year in 2016 in your workplace? Some would argue that this is not possible! But keep on trying again in 2017!
And do continue to make plans for your campaigns for 2017 and beyond!