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Carly Peter Richard
Hughes Kelly Jones
CMIOSH Director and CFIOSH
Health and safety founder, Being Real Former IOSH
consultant, The next 12 months head of policy
SHE Advises will be a challenging The OSH professional’s
In the ever-evolving landscape of the time for the world of work. The current role has never been more vital, valued and
construction industry in the UK, my fi rst trajectory of mental ill health continues varied, with worsening climate change,
prediction for the next 12 months, naturally, to rise. We must act early to reduce the geopolitical conflict and global inequity

will be the lessons learned as a result of the probability of a generational impact on following the pandemic.
implementation of the Building Safety Act. people’s mental health at work. We must seek Fifty years on since the pioneering UK
As we navigate the challenges of adjusting to promote prevention as the main conduit Health and Safety at Work Act, the ever-
to the new act, it is really important to for change, rather than waiting for people changing work environment requires wider
invest in continuous education and training, to become ill before we act. This is why OSH risk management: for example, to
ensuring all stakeholders are well versed and the World Health Organization’s ‘prevent, address increased workforce diversity and
competent enough to guarantee the highest promote, protect and support’ model of use of technology, as well as a growth in
level of safety in construction. workplace mental health should be our climate-related risk, informal and insecure
Ethics and setting industry standards are calling card for this generation of workers. work, and modern slavery.

also gaining prominence. Safety practices And for those starting off in the workplace, This means that professional expertise,

and sustainability will be instrumental in who find themselves coming into a very risk intelligence and technology are

ensuring trust and long-term success. different world of work, we will have to adapt increasingly turned to as both enablers
I also predict a sharp rise in gender to their needs and support them. and solutions. So, during 2024, the OSH
diversity within the construction and STEM profession needs to accelerate continual
sectors. Women remain under-represented development and collaboration to help
FIFTY YEARS ON SINCE
in these fields, and there is a growing deliver these.

awareness of the need to empower and Organisations will need professionals
encourage more females to pursue careers in THE PIONEERING UK who can champion ethical practice and
these industries. HEALTH AND SAFETY are able to provide OSH advice on topics

Raising awareness and offering support AT WORK ACT, THE such as technology (artificial intelligence,
digital transformation, wearables, virtual/
to women in these sectors is essential for
ILLUSTRATION: SHUTTERSTOCK progress in this area and is something that EVER-CHANGING augmented reality, data analytics, drones
and advanced manufacturing); health and
I personally will be striving to achieve in
WORK ENVIRONMENT
wellbeing across diverse workforces, work
the next 12 months and beyond, through
mentoring platforms in particular.
REQUIRES WIDER OSH arrangements and geographies; and horizon-
scanning for OSH opportunities and threats.
We need to lead improvement and
RISK MANAGEMENT help more employers to tackle violence
and harassment at work and adopt the
free BS 25700 (modern slavery), PAS 1948
(diversity, equity and inclusion), BS
30416 (menstruation/menopause) and
the forthcoming ISO/PAS 45007 on
OSH risks from climate change and
climate action.
The coming year’s OSH requirements
will be great opportunities for the OSH
profession to further develop and support
safe and healthy transitions to brighter
futures for all.

IOSH MAGAZINE 29

28-30 Predictions for 2024_Jan-Feb 2024_IOSH.indd 29 12/12/2023 09:52