Worker health and wellbeing increasingly important in rapidly changing world, British Safety Council conference hears

The virtual event, entitled Leading Health, Safety and Wellbeing in a Complex World, took place on 15 October and included presentations and panel discussions from a wide range of experts, moderated by Neal Stone, chair of the board of trustees at Positive Action in the Community and a former director of policy at British Safety Council.

Photograph: British Safety Council

The conference began with an introduction from British Safety Council’s chief executive, Mike Robinson, who emphasised the importance of good leadership and strong, supportive workplace cultures.

“There is a fundamental difference between leading and being the leader,” said Robinson, noting that “while anyone can be a leader, not everyone can lead”. Successful leadership is about encouraging others to work together to build a strong and supportive culture in the face of “meteoric” change, both inside and outside the workplace.

Addressing the conference in a keynote speech, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said that we are in a time of “unprecedented uncertainty for working people”. Pointing to the “existential threat” posed by climate change, the uncertainties associated with artificial intelligence, huge demographic challenges, global conflicts and the rise of the far right, Nowak said: “The argument is simple: good work for all is fundamental to addressing these challenges.”

He argued that “the human need for decent, fulfilling work is incredibly important” and worker wellbeing is fundamentally linked to quality of work. Good work that improves people’s lives requires “active choices”, both politically and economically, said Nowak, and good employers have “nothing to fear” from the reforms announced recently by the UK Government in its Employment Rights Bill.

British Safety Council’s director of education and membership, Dr Julie Riggs, outlined the factors behind the rapid pace of change around the world. She pointed to huge political swings, changes in worker demographics and mass migration, which she said would continue to surge as the effects of climate change become increasingly apparent.

Funmi Adegbola, founder and president of the Society of Women in Safety, Health and Environment – Africa (SOWSHE-A), said it was important to understand the “profound benefits” of migration as well as the challenges it presents. Occupational safety and health practitioners must develop awareness of cultural differences in the workplace and be prepared to adapt strategies to reflect an increasingly diverse workforce, she said.

Safety practitioners will need to become “a lot more involved in health and wellbeing” as the world around us continues to change, said Dr Riggs – a point echoed by British Safety Council’s head of audit and consultancy, Phil Pinnington, who stressed that health, safety and wellbeing go hand in hand and should not be viewed separately.

“I was one of those people [who thought that health and safety was a separate issue to wellbeing], but I very quickly realised that what goes on at home has an impact and that leaving your problems at the gates is nonsense,” said Pinnington. “The correlation is absolutely there – [health, safety and wellbeing] live together and you can’t separate those things out.” The argument that worker wellbeing is an issue for human resources professionals, rather than for health and safety practitioners, “doesn’t stand up to reality”, he added, and health and safety practitioners “need to be part of that conversation”.

They also have a critical role to play when it comes to influencing senior management teams and the wider workforce, Sam Cooper, a health and wellbeing business partner in the NHS, told the conference. There are signs of change at the top, said Pinnington, pointing to a “shift” at board level away from seeing health and safety as a “necessary evil” and recognising instead the value of looking after workers’ health, safety and wellbeing.

“There is still a lot of work to do but people are heading in the right direction,” he told conference attendees. “When we talk about leadership, sometimes you can be pushing against a closed door. Never, ever give up hope that you can make a difference, because when that door opens it will be like a whirlwind.”  

To access recordings from British Safety Council’s 14^th Annual Conference, visit:

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