Occupational Safety and Health organisations form historic alliance

Nine of the UK’s most prominent Safety & Health organisations have united to form the Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance. It will create a platform to offer a unified 360-degree perspective on critical Safety & Health issues for the first time.

The nine organisations are as follows:

• British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)
• British Safety Council
• British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF)
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
• International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM)
• Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
• Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
• National Examination Board for Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH)
• Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (CIEHF)

Collectively the Alliance members’ competencies span the full spectrum of OSH considerations, from education and regulation to policy creation, professional standards and thought leadership. It will provide a unified voice for the OSH industry, drawing on members’ collective expertise to inform and support OSH decision-making across government policy – maker, corporate and professional levels.

The Alliance is a “truly historic initiative” with the potential to have a far-reaching positive impact on occupational safety and health management in the UK.

It is a non-exclusive group that welcomes wider involvement in the delivery of its aims.

It is committed to supporting the good practice that already prevails in the occupational safety and health space and to developing and implementing programmes, initiatives and activities that enhance it. The group will leverage members’ influence to deliver joint messaging and facilitate continuous progress on crucial OSH issues. They will also work to increase the visibility and value of the Safety & Health profession and its wider set of disciplines and practices as well as highlighting its role in delivering OSH goals.

Mental Health

While the UK has an enviable record in safety there remains much to be done. Beyond safety, the subject of health and specifically mental health will be an immediate area of focus for the Alliance. Mental health issues associated with the workplace account for more than 50 per cent of all workplace “incidents” according to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). An early priority for the Alliance will be to prioritise, identify, develop and implement measures to equip the OSH profession to more effectively mitigate the risk factors giving rise to mental health issues in the workplace.