EDITOR’S VOICE


Hello and welcome to the November/December issue of Tomorrow’s Health & Safety.


The latest figures on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25 released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) this November offer a sobering reminder that while the UK remains one of the safest places to work, progress is far from guaranteed. Workplace fatalities have plateaued, ill health related to work continues to rise, and preventable incidents still cost employers billions each year in lost productivity, claims and operational disruption. In an era of tightening budgets, heightened public scrutiny and increasingly complex working environments, the challenge for safety leaders is clear: how do we not only maintain standards, but meaningfully improve them?


This issue of Tomorrow’s Health & Safety takes that challenge head-on, exploring practical solutions, emerging technologies and cultural shifts that can turn today’s statistics into tomorrow’s success stories.


We begin with one of the most time-critical scenarios any organisation can face: a cardiac arrest. Claire Vaughan of St John Ambulance asks whether workplaces are truly equipped to respond within the crucial first minutes: an area where preparedness can be the difference between life and death. Her insights underline a recurring theme of this edition: readiness is not optional.


Technology’s expanding role in risk management also features strongly. From confined spaces to lone working,


smart systems are reshaping how organisations monitor hazards and protect their people. MSA Safety outlines how cloud-connected gas detection programs are streamlining safety in some of the most demanding environments, while Peoplesafe demonstrates how automation is enhancing the protection of lone workers and providing teams with clearer, faster information when it matters most. Similarly, the team at Ideagen Reactec looks at whether technology holds the key to more robust and compliant management of hand-arm vibration risks.


In high-risk industries, cost pressures can threaten to erode safety investment. Neil Shepherd of Dräger Safety UK examines the “new economics of safety” and why, even under financial constraint, strategic investment remains vital, particularly for offshore oil and gas operations.


Finally, we turn to people; how they work, how they’re protected, and how culture shapes outcomes. From Geobear’s SHEQ Manager Malcolm Mearns’ perspective on the life-saving value of mature safety cultures to deep dives on PPE fit, function and gender equity from ABUS and Red Wing, we explore why protective equipment only works when it truly works for everyone.


As the HSE figures remind us, safety is never static. But with insight, innovation and intent, the path forward is clear – and it begins here.


I hope you enjoy the read.


Sarah Robinson, Editor


Ryan Lloyd, Editor


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