More from IOSH 2014: The Big Debate – ‘You’re a regulator. Stick to regulating’
The influence of the HSE continues to cross international waters, with many organisations abroad keen to follow the examples set by the UK health and safety industry.
The HSL’s Bill Nixon used the forum of the IOSH conference to relate what the HSE are doing to support those on the international stage, and also what makes the UK so attractive to those overseas.
Nixon was keen to stress that, whilst he was “not boasting” about the work of the HSE’s research arm, the “fact that a lot of what we do is based within scientific evidence” has enabled the country to adhere vehemently to the Health and Safety at Work Act, in particular, that ownership of the risk is with the duty holder.
Delegates were shown a graph that conveyed the UK’s falling numbers in work place fatalities over the last one hundred years, and an even sharper decline since the HSWA was implemented forty years ago. The UK also sat top of the European safety league, another statistic that confirmed why the UK’s safety record is so admired.
However, economic growth remains a key reasons why countries want to follow the UK, and Nixon referenced a case study in Singapore, on an island where high density petrochemical plants presented large risks. It was “telling”, Nixon said “that my client was the country’s economic development board.”
However, he warned that those abroad are not looking for a simple transposition of the UK HSE approach. Each country has its specifics, such as its culture and which should be tailored into the programme.
The world changes quickly, and regulatory systems change with it. It seems that the UK is a huge part of any future movement. In this health and safety week, that is certainly something worth shouting about.
