Occupational hazards - June 24

WE’RE FACING an uncertain future, where there will be adaptations to how we work, when we work and where we work. This will be driven by factors such as advancements in technology and climate change.

So, what does this mean for the occupational safety and health (OSH) profession? How will it be impacted and how can the profession respond and ensure it leads the way in protecting workers? As part of that responsiveness, how does the profession ensure it is aware of, and considering and actioning new and emerging OSH risks, opportunities and challenges. 

Much of this is covered in IOSH’s new report, Towards a safe and healthy future of work, jointly published with sustainable development experts Arup. The report asks a number of ‘what if’ questions which are designed to get stakeholders thinking about how changes to the world of work could impact on people.

• What if the application of new technologies to improve worker protection creates other health, safety and wellbeing risks?
• What if deregulation leads to a reduction in OSH standards and makes it more difficult for OSH professionals to influence discussions?
• What if gig work overtakes secure employment, leading to far fewer social protections for workers?

These are just some of those questions. While they are speculative, they are based on considerations about what could happen. To take the final one as an example, the gig economy has been on the rise for many years now. In the USA, more than 10% of workers rely on it for their primary income, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The gig economy has a labour market that relies heavily on short-term, temporary and part-time positions where work is filled by independent contractors and freelancers rather than full-time permanent employees, meaning that there may be gaps in social protections for these workers. 

Given the changing world of work, collective action is needed to ensure worker protection, worker rights, and worker health and safety. The report therefore goes on to make calls to action for governments, businesses and OSH professionals. There are some action areas that apply to all stakeholders. These include:

• Driving forward social sustainability by removing structural inequality and enhancing diversity and inclusion.
• Developing appropriate responses to new and emerging hazards and risks, such as the growing risks linked to climate change, new technologies and mental health.
• Building national OSH capacity. This includes ensuring OSH professionals and workers have the right levels of awareness, skills and knowledge to prevent workplace accidents and work-related ill health.

All of these stakeholders have a role to play. To focus on the OSH profession, there is going to be a need to gain awareness, adapt and to stay on top of the changes that are happening. 

As is made clear in the final bullet point on the above list, OSH professionals must continually develop their knowledge and skillset to be able to respond to new challenges. They are best placed to work across businesses, working with other specialist teams/functions, as well as managers and workers. It’s therefore also crucial they can communicate and influence at all levels of an organisation on OSH, worker wellbeing and social sustainability matters, so they can get buy-in for whatever they put in place to prevent harm, manage workplace OSH risks and opportunities, and create positive cultures.

This of course is nothing new and will not be nothing new to OSH professionals. However, our profession will continue to be called upon for guidance on protecting workers across a multitude of occupational risk factors. We must be able to respond to ensure that the workers of tomorrow are safe and healthy.

Now is the time to come together as a profession and work with other stakeholders, including governments and businesses, to ensure all changes to ways of working do not cause harm.

Ruth Wilkinson is head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. For more information, visit www.iosh.com