Alliance formed to promote better safety, health and wellbeing for all

Prominent safety and health organisations have united to form the Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance, which will offer a 360-degree perspective on critical safety and health issues for the first time.

IIRSM, together with the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), British Safety Council (BSC), British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), signed a memorandum of understanding on 12 May 2023 to create the alliance.

Collectively, the members’ competencies span the full spectrum of occupational safety and health (OSH) considerations, including education and regulation, policy creation, professional standards and thought leadership. The alliance will provide a unified voice for the OSH industry, drawing on members’ expertise to inform and support OSH decision-making at a government policy maker and corporate level.

The alliance members are delighted to be announcing its formation. This is a truly historic alliance with the potential to have a far-reaching positive impact on OSH 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 OSH 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 OSH profession and its wider set of disciplines and practices as well as highlighting its role in delivering OSH goals.

Many members of the alliance have already been engaged in lobbying with government departments to safeguard key UK safety and health legislation that is EU derived and covered by the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. This will continue to be a focus area.

While the UK has an enviable record in safety, there remains much to be done. But 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 statistics from the Health and Safety Executive.

The UK is less well advanced regarding the mitigation of mental health issues than many of our EU counterparts. The consequences of this go far beyond the direct impact on individuals and their employers, including an already-stretched NHS. 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.

Notes to editors

About the OSH Stakeholder Alliance

The Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance is a collaboration of prominent health and safety bodies dedicated to uniting OSH expertise to ensure better occupational safety, health and wellbeing for all.

Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM)

The Institute of Risk and Safety Management is a UK-based professional organisation with a global footprint. We help individuals and organisations around the world to feel safe, supported and empowered to identify and mange risks, protecting their environments and lives. By collaborating with a variety of organisations, we have developed an unparalleled understanding of the challenges and opportunities they face. Joining our community is an investment in the resilience of your organisation and in the future of your people.

British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)

The British Occupational Hygiene Society is the definitive voice of occupational hygiene in the UK. BOHS has strong national and international alliances with other health and safety organisations, the HSE, trade unions and business. With a multi-disciplinary membership from industry, health education and research, we are the most prominent hygiene society in Europe and now form a single focal point to promote and drive forward the profession on behalf of all practitioners, regulators, academics and students.

British Safety Council (BSC)

BSC is a registered charity and believes that no-one should be injured or made ill through their work. We campaign to protect worker health, safety and well-being, believing that a healthy and safe work environment is also good for business. BSC offers a range of services and products working with organisations, charities and individuals who share our vision of ensuring that every worker goes home at the end of the day as healthy as they were when they went to work.

British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF)

The British Safety Industry Federation was established in 1994 ‘to serve and represent businesses who help keep people safe and healthy at work’. The Federation was preceded by the Personal Safety Manufacturers Association and now includes more than 350 manufacturers, importers and distributors of personal protective equipment and safety products as well as providers of specialist services such as Approved Bodies and accredited test houses. The Federation works to shape UK legislation and strives to influence national, European and global standards relevant to our market.

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)

CIEH is the professional voice for environmental health representing over 7000 members working in the public, private and non-profit sectors. Building on its rich heritage, CIEH ensures the highest standards of professional competence in its members, in the belief that through environmental health action people’s health can be improved. Environmental health has an important and unique contribution to make to improving health and reducing inequalities. CIEH campaigns to ensure that government policy addresses the needs of communities and business in achieving and maintaining improvements to our environment and our health.

Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF)

CIEHF is a professional membership organisation which believes in maintaining the highest professional standards and ethical behaviour in research and practice. We are a scientific, creative and industrious network of professionals putting people at the center of everything we do.

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)

IOSH, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, is the global Chartered body and largest membership organisation for health and safety professionals worldwide. Since 1945 we have supported our members in their efforts to create workplaces that are safe, healthy and more sustainable. As a charity with international NGO status, a qualifications Awarding Organisation, a developer of training and advocate of positive transformation, we seek to build excellence in our profession, drive action from everyone who can influence occupational safety and health standards and keep protecting people at the heart of sustainability.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. (RoSPA)

RoSPA is a leading voice in health and safety that campaigns to reduce avoidable accidents. Our vision is to create a life free from accidental injury, and with the support of our members, this is at the core of everything we do. We lobby Government on issues that matter, pioneer the world’s largest health and safety awards and provide a suite of RoSPA qualifications that help learners and employers keep their colleagues safe from accidents and ill health.