Editorial

Editorial Archive

US NIOSH Future of Work Initiative

November 2019
Sheila Pantry OBE

“The future is not predestined; it is influenced by the choices we make today.

No one knows for certain what the future holds for occupational safety and health. What is exceedingly clear, however, is that we must take proactive steps now to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of the workforce.

Now is the time to evaluate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by future of work advances by developing evidence-based research solutions for the future workforce.

There is no launch date for the future; it starts now.”

In today’s modern world, technological innovations, digital transformation, and globalisation accelerate the speed at which we live and work. Indeed, the nature of work is changing more rapidly than ever before. Workers and jobs are impacted by the combined pace of automation and globalisation, requiring a forward-thinking approach to occupational safety and health. These forces have an impact on workers and organisations in the U.S. and around the world as they confront complex, emerging workforce issues, such as shifting employment relationships, recruiting and retaining workers in highly competitive labour markets, an aging workforce, gender pay and employment disparities, and the uncertainty of how best to manage new technologies entering into the workplace.

While progress has been made, some existing work-related challenges will likely continue to subsist. However, shaping processes that address these challenges can promote new and positive changes so that the workplace and work are better able to meet the needs of the workforce. The careful balancing of all these issues has the potential to favourably impact the safety and health of workers, their families, communities, employers, and society as a whole.

Future of Work (FOW) at NIOSH

Because of these new realities, NIOSH has launched the Future of Work (FOW) Initiative. To more broadly address future worker safety, health, and well-being, the FOW Initiative applies the Total Worker Health® framework by encouraging collaboration across the spectrum of organizational policies, programs, and practices. The Initiative is a collaborative effort of multidisciplinary research, communication, and partnerships throughout NIOSH, other agencies, and organizations that aims to identify novel research solutions, practical approaches, and partnership opportunities to address the future of work.

The goals of the NIOSH FOW Initiative are to 1) compile studies on the future of work; 2) feature current research projects related to the Initiative; 3) promote research among new industries, technologies, organizational designs, job arrangements, risk profiles, and ways to control risks; and 4) connect trends in workplace, work, and workforce changes to prepare for what the future holds for occupational safety and health.

More details: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/future-of-work

Help in keeping you up to date is near to you…

To help organisations – managers, directors, supervisors and workers and especially those teaching in colleges and universities there is OSH UPDATE + FIRE – the long-established electronic collection of 26 databases of full text and bibliographic authoritative and validated information on all aspects of working life. OSH UPDATE + FIRE is constantly updated with worldwide information.

If you need information on all aspects of workplace health and safety and much more – then have a look at OSH UPDATE + FIRE which is a unique collection of information sources collected together in one place.

Information seekers will find a wealth of authoritative and validated advice from these global sources. Full text documents and references on research results, best practices, case studies, journal articles, reports, advice and guidance, legislation and much more are in OSH UPDATE + FIRE.

Information seekers will find a wealth of authoritative and validated advice from these global sources. Full text documents and references on research results, best practices, case studies, journal articles, reports, advice and guidance, legislation, accidents and incident reports and much more are in OSH UPDATE + FIRE.

Why not try OSH UPDATE + FIRE for yourself? Why be without quality OSH and fire information?

Contact Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd. for 15-day FREE trials for all services that are very cost-effective and easy to use. Why pay more for information? Go to: www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

OSH UPDATE + FIRE

You will find many examples of good practices, information, guidance and advice, research reports, leaflets and much more that has been brought together in OSH UPDATE + FIRE www.oshupdate.com – THE key tool to all your health, safety, fire and information requirements!

OSH UPDATE + FIRE is:

• easily searchable by keywords, titles, journal names, standard number, authors, organisations, and will keep you and your colleagues alerted to hot topics such as occupational lung disease, musculoskeletal disorders and work-related stress air pollution, robots in the workplace, stress, wellbeing and aggression in the workplace, workplace health risks, lone workers, preparedness and business continuity, risk assessment, bio-terrorism, management of road risks, all aspects of fire and related fire topics, workplace health and safety and much more.
• long established from mid 1990s with some of the databases in the collection having information going back over 80 years or more so useful for researchers.
• arguably the largest electronic collection in the world covering very wide subject areas from worldwide sources. There is a special collection of OSH legislation, guidance and advice within OSH UPDATE and FIRE!
• The 26 databases and contents are from worldwide class organisations such as the US NIOSH, the UK Health and Safety Executive, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and many more similar organisations in the world.

This time of the year is a good time for all organisations worldwide to review their health and safety goals for 2020 and decide on the training or re-training that is needed for all levels of staff and update their information resources, in the Diary of Events

• It is always good to keep researching and finding out if there are services and other ways of keeping up to date in this fast-changing world of ours.
• Time is precious and many people are really stretched in their jobs and find it difficult to keep ahead in current knowledge that they should have for their jobs.
• So help is at hand for those working in health, safety and fire and fire related industries which are brought together in an easy to use web service entitled OSH UPDATE + FIRE www.oshupdate.com that is constantly updated.

Then try these long established Practical, Affordable Solutions for your health, safety, fire and environment information needs from Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd.

For a 15 DAY FREE NO OBLIGATION TRIAL contact: Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd | email: sp@sheilapantry.com | or fill in the Interest form www.sheilapantry.com/interest.html

Update your 2019 and now 2020 diaries with training for workers at all levels

Whether you are a manager, director, safety representative, supervisors or worker it is time to

• check out the training needed in your workplace.
• look at the latest additions to the Diary of Events and you will see plans have been made already worldwide well into 2020 offering training courses, symposiums, webinars and conferences in many places in the world on a wide range of subjects.
• make sure you 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 accidents and ill health in the workplace is costly.

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 these can be added to the OSHWORLD Diary.

FOCUS

This month’s OSHWORLD FOCUS is entitled The future’s bright: new approach empowers young people to enjoy healthy working lives.

OSHWORLD – your portal to some great OSH and FIRE 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). Also visit www.sheilapantry.com/memorial

Don’t work harder – work smarter! Be ahead of the game.

Well did you have a zero accident, incident-free and healthy 2018 in your workplace? Some would argue that this is not possible! But keep on trying again in 2019.

And do continue to make plans for your campaigns for 2020 and beyond!