Health and Safety Predictions for 2019
ETD
Training MD Phil Gutteridge peers into his crystal ball to predict the health
and safety trends emerging in 2019…
Focus
on employee wellness
Mental
health, stress, and psychological risk will continue to top health and safety
agendas. In recent years workplace
stress levels have risen to epidemic level. According to the World Health
Organisation, stress is in fact the health epidemic of the 21st
Century. Chronic stress can damage an employee’s mental, and physical health,
making them less productive and leading to long term absenteeism.
So it’s hardly surprising that, faced with many employees
in danger of completely ‘burning out’, employers are waking up to the fact they
need to place more focus on employee wellness.
This year there will be concentrated efforts to stop workplace stress
spiralling out of control. While the previous debate around mental health has
focused on the subject as an individual issue, sparking a raft of initiatives
ranging from office yoga and ‘Wellness Wednesdays’ to free counselling and mental
health first aid provision; in 2019 the narrative will broaden with more
awareness of the workplace triggers that put employees at risk.
We could see a shift in our perceptions of mental ill health as an individual
response to how the workplace can avoid creating harmful stress and
psychological risk.
Smaller businesses may need to increase training, as larger businesses are
likely to have more awareness and understanding of the tools and interventions
that can be put in place as preventative measures.
More workplace safety occupations
With more of a focus than ever before on workplace health
and safety, we can expect to see a vast increase in the number of safety
personnel employed by businesses and organisations. New roles will emerge, such
as: safety manager, safety consultant, safety engineer, risk manager,
occupational health specialist.
Transition to ISO 45001
Take up of ISO 45001, the new international standard for occupational health
and safety, has so far been slow. Migration to the new standard is likely to
speed up in 2019. Worldwide, more than 100,000 organisations are certified to
OHSAS 18001 – the existing British standard that will be withdrawn – and they
will need to migrate to ISO 45001 by March 2021. A key difference in the new
standard is the emphasis on the role of senior managers in health and safety.
Previously it was ok to have the necessary documentation at their fingertips,
but now they face the possibility of being interviewed and audited about their
personal knowledge of what is going on in their organisation.
Smart PPE devices
Wearable
technology is becoming more available in everyday work life and with more
products coming to the marketplace we are likely to see more workers reap the
benefits. Smart, or “intelligent” PPE, with digital technologies, apps, and
smart sensors worn close to the body improves workplace safety from head to
toe. Compared to tradition PPE, smart PPE’s advanced features boost protection
by communicating with the wearer. Smart PPE leads to a reduction in errors, which results in fewer accidents and
injuries, and therefore a more profitable business with improved performance,
productivity and efficiency.
The possibilities are endless. Chips or sensors can be programmed to do almost
anything to make the user safe. For example, helmets can have detectors on them
that warn the wearer with an alarm if they get within range of potentially
hazardous equipment. Chips in gloves could be scanned to bring up data showing
which chemicals they can safely be used with, and smart safety shoes can be
programmed to detect and evaluate the risk of slipping. The industry is rapidly
evolving to meet the new requirements of the future working environment and its
workforce.
A rise in robots
We can expect to see more autonomous robots in factories and on construction sites, therefore businesses will need to make workers aware of the risks. There will be a stronger focus on designing health and safety measures to control any new risks to the workplace introduced by robotics and AI.
This year the UK’s universities will be working on the development of robots used in workplaces to keep people safer. The Government has granted £26.6m in funding to develop robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to replace humans in hazardous or confined environments. Machines will be developed to undertake maintenance and inspection work in high-risk environments, such as offshore wind farms or nuclear facilities. Miniature robotic devices will be developed to fund and mend cracks in pipes and cut down on disruptive roadworks, which are estimated to cost the economy more than £5bn.
Health and safety compliance is not an option, it’s compulsory. Breaches can
result in prosecutions leading to fines, custodial sentences, and damaged
business reputation. Online health and safety training is an excellent option
to keep employees safe and well. ETD Training are based in Clun, Shropshire, and
are specialists in online health and safety training provision to all
organisations, large or small, nationwide.