Ian Richardson

One of the key parts of my job as a standards publishing manager at BSI (the UK’s National Standards Body) is to make sure we are listening to, and engaging with, our customers and stakeholders with regards to the issues the industry is facing.

For health and safety there are numerous ‘hot topics’ which are constantly in the news at the moment... Brexit, EU Directives and Regulations, workplace wellbeing and safety, and even the effectiveness of new world leaders (well, maybe there’s not much a standard can do about that!).

But outside of these much talked about subjects and issues, what does the future landscape look like in terms of health and safety? What do you as key players in your industry believe are the main challenges when it comes to conducting your business effectively, successfully and ethically? Is there a product or piece of best practice which you believe would not just help you but also your peers, customers and supply chain?

This is where BSI has been instrumental in helping businesses overcome their challenges. Not just by ensuring the UK voice is as strong as it can be when it comes to European and International standards development, but also by helping to produce UK specific documents which get to the market quicker and enable you to respond to emerging needs within your sector.

There are currently almost 8,000 standards projects under development and last year there were approximately 5000 comments made on the standards we were developing. What’s vital is that we give you the platform you need to tell us what the next generation of standards should be, and then work with you to create the content. Through organisations such as the BSIF and by working collaboratively with us on ideas, content generation and promotion of the benefits of standards, we stand the greatest chance of UK PLC continuing to go from strength to strength… regardless of what the future may look like.

To get in touch, please email me at [email protected] or telephone 0208 996 7721.

Ian Richardson, board director, British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) & standards publishing manager, BSI