COVER STORY
This is clearly something which will be at the forefront of many people’s thinking as we negotiate what the UK position will be post-Brexit. For BSI the message is equally as clear, since the premise for our standards is that they will provide a structure for managing risk within a business, or provide guidance for anyone wishing to manufacture and sell products related to health and safety.
“HOW WILL WE APPROACH EU
DIRECTIVES ONCE
WE ARE NO LONGER A MEMBER OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION, AND WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE HUNDREDS
OF STANDARDS WHICH HAVE BEEN WRITTEN WITH COMPLIANCE TO A PARTICULAR
DIRECTIVE IN MIND?”
does this mean for the hundreds of standards which have been written with compliance to a particular Directive in mind? Following the result of the referendum, we will continue to help organisations achieve their goals as we have done for the past 115 years. For BSI it is therefore business as usual, however as the political situation develops and our discussions with the UK government and other relevant authorities evolve, we will continue to keep our customers and stakeholders informed on progress.
As can be seen by last month’s edition of THS, the health and safety industry is similarly trying to establish what the impacts will be. Organisations such as IOSH, BSIF, BSC, IIRSM and BOHS all made statements of intent that they would continue to work with UK government and champion the importance of health and safety on behalf of UK businesses. IOSH commented that they will ‘continue to promote agreed international standards and to defend against any erosion of health and safety protections’.
www.tomorrowshs.com
Underneath this ‘policy crust’ lie areas of standardisation which often have to balance the old with the new. In our Safety of Machinery standards portfolio for example, we find that the general publications such as PD 5304:2014 (‘Guidance on safe use of machinery’) are still important and have been widely implemented since its introduction back in 1975. Clearly this guidance remains a real help for companies who require a level of protection for employees that work in dangerous environments. More recently we have seen the appearance of proposals for new international standards in innovative and emerging technologies, such as ISO 21260 (currently entitled ‘Safety of Machinery - Mechanical safety data for physical contacts between moving machinery and people’). This new work item, led by the UK in partnership with Japanese experts, begins to move the standards landscape more towards the robotic systems being employed in modern manufacturing processes.
The engagement of stakeholders in the standardisation process is essential and the earlier that stakeholders can be engaged in new work items and new fields of activity at a national level, the more effective the consultation on the proposals for new work will be. Early information on proposals for new work will allow public review of proposed standards. This will enable all stakeholders to learn about new ideas for standards and provide valuable feedback to national standards bodies such as BSI. Ultimately, the aim of such a system is to enable us to publish standards that cater exactly to stakeholder needs and promote best practice where it’s needed. The engagement of stakeholders at the new work proposal stage will have a positive impact on the stakeholder engagement throughout the standard development process.
This is something we’ve had success with in recent times. The revision of BS 8484, Provision of Lone Worker Services, covered developments made in that industry, including the introduction of safety apps and devices. Organisations such as the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) were represented on the committee, and their extensive knowledge and input was vital in ensuring the standard sets a benchmark for those companies who provide lone worker safety services.
Therefore, BSI’s strategy, as a publisher of what we call ‘knowledge solutions’, is that we strive to help customers to build business performance, innovate, and be compliant. We also help to improve workflows, processes and methods, and embed best practice. The aspiration being that this will enable organizations to build bridges, reduce emissions, keep people safe, and even save lives.
If you’d like to find out more about BSI’s Health and Safety standards, download our brochure here.
To comment on draft standards go to
drafts.bsigroup.com
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