EDITOR’S NOTE EDITOR’S NOTE Hello and welcome to the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety Yearbook 2024/5.


At the time of writing, the country is getting ready to head to the ballots as the date of the hastily called summer election looms. It’s a fair bet that we will have a change in leadership with YouGov and all opinion polls predicting a landslide victory for Labour.


What exactly a new government will mean for our sector remains to be seen as the Labour Party’s list of pledges have made little reference to workplace health and safety. However, with an ambitious plan to get Britain working again, boosting employment is at the top of Starmer’s priorities. A strong emphasis has therefore been placed upon improving workers’ rights and wellbeing.


This aligns closely with the Health & Safety Executive’s current Working Minds campaign calling for employers to prevent work-related stress and step up their mental health support. Indeed, it could be argued that this shift in focus onto the ‘health’ in health and safety has been a long time coming but can be partly attributed to the ongoing downward trend in UK workplace fatalities. On the other hand, the latest statistics from the HSE reveal that 1.8 million workers reported that they were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with approximately half of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety.


Since 2019, the total annual cost of poor mental health has increased by 25%, costing UK employers up to £56bn a year. It’s clear then that shifting the focus to tackling work-related stress can provide significant benefits, not only to employees but also employers, with improved productivity, turnover and staff retention.


The HSE is encouraging everyone to look at the Working Minds campaign by visiting its website where there are a range of interactive resources, including online learning and Talking Toolkits, to help businesses and workers.


https://www.workingminds.org.uk/


This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, providing an opportune moment to reflect on the changing landscape of the health and safety sector. There have been drastic changes to industry in the last 50 years: moving from manufacturing to the technology boom and the recent shift to hybrid working patterns. This means the health and safety sector is in a constant state of flux as it has to adapt to ever-evolving working practices, regulations and protocols.


In his article on page 6, Nick Henderson-Mayo, Director of Learning and Content at VinciWorks, offers his perspectives on emerging trends in the industry for the year ahead.


As always, I look forward to keeping you updated with all of the changes taking place across the sector in our regular issues.


Stay safe and keep up the good work.


Registered in England & Wales No: 06786728


Opus Business Media Limited Zurich House, Hulley Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 2SF


E: info@opusbm.co.uk


T: 01625 426054 ISSN: 2055-4737


www.tomorrowshs.com This publication is copyright Opus Business Media Limited and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Opus Business Media Limited. While every care has been taken during the preparation of this magazine, Opus Business Media Limited cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein or for any consequence arising from it. The publisher does not necessarily agree with the views and opinions expressed by contributors.


THE TEAM


Editorial Editor Sarah Robinson sarah@opusbm.co.uk


Editor Ryan Lloyd ryan@opusbm.co.uk


Advertising Account Manager Paul Turner paul@opusbm.co.uk


Production Production Director Hannah Wilkinson hannah@opusbm.co.uk


Designer Daniel Etheridge daniel@opusbm.co.uk


Designer Nigel Rice nigel@opusbm.co.uk


CEO Mark Hanson mark@opusbm.co.uk


Sarah Robinson, Editor


Ryan Lloyd, Editor To receive regular copies, register your details online at www.tomorrowshs.com 4 | Tomorrow’s Health & Safety Yearbook 2024/25 www.tomorrowshs.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48