Editorial
Celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March 2021
A challenged world is an alert world! IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge
February 2021
Sheila Pantry OBE
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.
International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day, even in these challenging Covid-19 pandemic days!
We can choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequity.
We can choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Great examples have been shown worldwide during the 2020 pandemic and continuing now into 2021 … you will all know women who have responded to the challenges of surviving and daily striving to keep some “normality” for families, in workplaces and generally carrying on.
Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so let’s all choose to challenge…
Now… Strike the #ChooseToChallenge pose…
- Raise your hand assertively and show that you choose to challenge inequity.
- Show your solidarity in choosing to challenge and call out aspects that are unhelpful to women.
- Will you raise your hand high and pledge to #ChooseToChallenge?
To see how, visit: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/2021Theme
IWD sees a number of MISSIONS to help forge a gender equal world. Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.
Send in your #ChooseToChallenge images
Keen to show solidarity and support in choosing to challenge?
Individuals and organizations are invited to send in their #ChooseToChallenge images as we’ll be sharing images from around the world in the lead up to International Women’s Day 2021.
So, strike the #ChooseToChallenge pose with your hand high and pledge your commitment to choose to challenge inequality, call out bias, question stereotypes, and address all forms of gender inequity.
Please submit your #ChooseToChallenge pledge image as early as possible.
Have a Great IWD 8 March 2021
OSHWORLD and OSH UPDATE + FIRE
So, this is where this website OSHWORLD and the electronic services OSH UPDATE + FIRE will help you and your organisation to keep up to date. These services continue to bring you the latest information on Covid-19 and the workplace, health, safety, environment, fire and other subjects such as use of robotics in the workplace that you will find useful in your daily work.
Look at the latest additions to the Diary of Events and you will see plans have been made already worldwide up to late 2021 to have online webinars and training courses, symposiums, and conferences in many places in the world on a wide range of subjects. Don’t forget to budget for these events – make sure that you and your colleagues are up to date with the very latest knowledge – remember that all workplaces and those working in them change, so continue to do your risk assessments.
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 events so that I can add them to the Diary.
Your OSHWORLD – your portal to some of the best OSH web sites in the world
It is always good to review health, safety, chemical, fire and environment procedures on a regular basis. It is also important that the practices and systems in the workplace are constantly reviewed and if necessary, improved. This review may also indicate training requirements and updates and re-thinking how systems and services can be improved. This is where the free-of-charge OSHWORLD can help you.
Globally there are continually new titles, news items, new products so remember to look at the News to find the latest information from a number of authoritative sources such as the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, the UK Health and Safety Executive and US NIOSH. Use OSHWORLD as your portal to many hundreds of validated and authoritative web sites which you can find in the Country and Subject links we offer. New subject topics are constantly brought together on web sites, e.g. Covid-19, precarious jobs, well-being, mental health and stress.
FOCUS
This month’s FOCUS article is on the World Sleep Day and the Workplace.
OSH UPDATE + FIRE
Likewise, OSH UPDATE brings together 26 validated and authoritative databases and CONTAINS over 1,170,550 records containing full text and bibliographic information.
OSH UPDATE + FIRE electronic service
- is continuously enlarged as new information is published
- is so easy to use – subscribers continue to renew year on year
- this long-established service is used by organisations, consultants, government departments, universities, companies and others worldwide
- If you are NOT yet using OSH UPDATE + FIRE – then why NOT TRY IT?
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
Don’t work harder – work smarter! Be ahead of the game.
Are you hoping to have a zero accident, incident-free and healthy year in 2021 in your workplace? Some would argue that this is not possible! But keep on trying!
And do continue to make plans for your campaigns for 2021 and beyond!