A Conversation With Andrew Sharman – President of IOSH

Professor Andrew Sharman is the head of a risk-consultancy, and president of IOSH (The Institute For Occupational Health And Safety). As one of the leading lights in health and safety, Andrew has been instrumental in promoting competency and behavioural safety in the workplace, and has joined Colin today to talk about the challenges he’s faced so far in ensuring we’re all kept safe in our jobs, as well as his vision for the future. KEY TAKEAWAYS IOSH has been looking to the future for some time now, utilising a strategy called Work 2022, which leverages on three key points:  How practitioners influence people  How they enhance the work that’s being done  How to collaborate to gain success    Vision Zero is a proposed strategy to keep all of the world’s employees out of harm’s way whilst at work. The Dupont Corporation founded this principle in the 18th century.    Zero Harm is the proposed strategy that looks to eliminate work-based injuries by implementing safe work systems. The ffectiveness of this strategy is controversial.    The Vision Zero concept has seven golden rules:  Taking leadership and demonstrating commitment  Identifying hazards and controllable risks  Setting targets  Ensuring safe systems in the workplace  Realising the importance of interface  Developing competence and improving qualifications  Motivation through participation    Rules and framework are essential, but they must never be weaponised in order to promote safety. It’s far more effective to promote positive development.    The IOSH competency framework is directly designed to support practitioners with the challenges required, and to aid in the ever-evolving technological landscape.    While senior leaders committed to improving health and safety, it is the discharging of these commitments that will prove to be the most effective. They need to make sure that promises are fulfilled.    It's hard to motivate and engage people by simply telling them to comply. Senior leaders must step up and ensure that the workplace can feel the commitment to safety. This will be the biggest driving factor in measure being adopted on a larger scale  BEST MOMENTS ’This strategy has been borne out of deep thinking about what the future world of work looks like’  ’To go to work and come home again at the end of the day is a basic human right’  ‘It’s really great to see passion’  ’There’s a real shift in the way that information is being shared’  ‘It’s about listening as much as it is about talking’  VALUABLE RESOURCES The Interesting Health And Safety Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/training-competency-creating-effective-plan-process/id1467771449?i=1000452692837   The Institution Of Occupational Health and Safety - https://www.iosh.com  Dr Andrew Sharman LInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adsharman/?originalSubdomain=ch  The Healthy Profit Report - https://www.iosh.com/more/iosh-means-business/healthy-profit/  [email protected] EHS Congress - http://ehscongress.com  Use the Code INTERESTING at www.fromaccidentstozero.com to receive your special discount as an Interesting Health And Safety Podcast listener  ABOUT THE HOST Colin Nottage  ‘Making health and safety as important as everything else we do.’  This is the belief that Colin is passionate about and through his consultancy Influential Management Group (IMG) is able to spread into industry. Colin works at a strategic level with company owners and board members. He helps business leaders establish and achieve their health and safety ambitions.  He has developed a number of leading competency improvement programmes that are delivered across industry and his strengths are his ability to take a practical approach to problem-solving and being able to liaise at all levels within an organisation. Colin also runs a company that vets contractors online and a network that develops and support H&S consultancies to become better businesses. Colin chairs the Construction Dust Partnership, an industry collaboration directly involving many organisations, including the Health and Safety Executive. He is a Post Graduate Tutor at Strathclyde University and a highly sought-after health and safety speaker and trainer. He has a Post Graduate Certificate in Safety and Risk management, an engineering degree and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).