Achievements & Performance : At Work
Inquiry into H&S assistance to SMEs
RoSPA’s National Occupational Safety and Health Committee has launched an inquiry into the extent, quality and effectiveness of all the various forms of health and safety assistance currently being provided for small and medium-sized enterprises. The aim will be to identify what works, as well as barriers to delivery and to make recommendations about what could be done better.
Safety Groups UK
RoSPA remains committed to re-energising the national network of 80 local health and safety groups. Their work is co-ordinated by Safety Groups UK and supported through a Partnership Agreement with the Health and Safety Executive. Besides improving information provided for groups, RoSPA and Safety Groups UK are working to help groups raise awareness at grassroots on priority topics, such as prevention of musculo-skeletal disorders and occupational skin disease.
Corporate Leadership and Transparency in Corporate Performance
RoSPA has continued to campaign for workplace health and safety management to be led by directors and senior managers as a board-level performance issue. Besides promoting its revamped ‘Going Public on Performance’ website and guidance, RoSPA contributed to the development of new HSE/IoD guidance on directors’ health and safety responsibilities, and is launching a Health and Safety Director Engagement Audit service.
‘24/7’ Safety - Safety Never Stops
Although continuing efforts need to be made to cut accidents in the workplace, many more people of working age have accidents outside working hours. RoSPA launched a national debate about action that can be taken by employers (particularly businesses with strong health and safety track records) to help employees and their families to stay safe ‘24/7’. Examples of good practice include: encouraging staff to apply workplace safety knowledge and skills in the home, while driving or in leisure pursuits; inviting community-based safety programmes into the workplace; and organisations becoming safety champions in their own local communities.
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| Health and safety in care homes is an important market for RoSPA. |
Increasing competence through training
RoSPA’s drive to increase health and safety competency in the workplace was reflected in an eight per cent increase in delegates attending training courses during the year. Results from RoSPA candidates taking the NEBOSH Diploma and National General Certificate continued to improve ahead of the national trend.
Hard-pressed safety professionals who find it difficult to achieve the CMIOSH qualification because of work pressure and time constraints have been helped by the introduction of an alternative entry route, RoSPA’s NVQ4. They work with a mentor to produce a portfolio of evidence without having to attend structured classroom sessions.
The Society’s course accreditation process was relaunched during the year, allowing organisations to develop their own training schemes with RoSPA accreditation. Businesses which have operational problems in releasing employees to attend training can now deliver certain existing RoSPA courses on their own premises with their own trainers, allowing the Society’s message to spread to a wider audience.
Investment in new moving and handling equipment at RoSPA headquarters has been built on by revamping all manual handling and safer-people-handling courses, ensuring they include the most up-to-date thinking and best practice. This has been done in partnership with the safer-people-handling equipment specialist Arjo. The partnership was celebrated with a joint briefing on Health and Safety in Care Homes, a small but important market where RoSPA has a unique range of solutions to improve safety.
The portfolio of courses for in-company training has been expanded to meet demands from clients. These include a Fire Marshals and Wardens course and new sessions covering the recent Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
Health and Safety Consultancy
Employers needing assistance with on-site traffic management, such as parking, one-way-systems, and fork-lift truck safety can now call on RoSPA’s consultancy service for workplace transport guidance.
Following new noise and fire regulations, the Society has carried out noise surveys for companies and has facilitated fire risk assessments.
Software, known as ORBIT, has been developed for RoSPA’s QSA – Quality Safety Audit – system. This makes a considerable improvement to the audit process as well as reporting and subsequent benchmarking. More technological advances for the renowned auditing tool are in the pipeline.
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RoSPA Deputy President Lord Jordan of Bournville presents the President’s Award and QSA Level 4 Award to Stan Hope, Station Safety Officer representing RWE npower Plc – Didcot ‘A’ Power Station. |
The flexibility and expertise of RoSPA’s consultants have been used to develop customised solutions to help organisations improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their health and safety systems. Projects have included the development of safety passport schemes, unique new online training software for growing businesses, extended placements as interim health and safety managers and reviewing staff training needs for large clients.
Awards Recognise High Performers
RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Awards scheme celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006 and the Golden Jubilee was marked by a record entry, with more than 1,300 businesses and organisations being named as winners. Response from small businesses was excellent following the relaunch of the small business award, and standards increased in line with RoSPA’s policy of supporting continuous improvement. Demand to attend the ceremonies was so great that plans were made to expand the awards ceremonies and dinners from two to three days in 2007.
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company of Bahrain, former winners of RoSPA’s premier accolade the Sir George Earle Trophy, pledged to endow the Society with a new award, which will recognise environmental as well as health and safety management. Known as the International Dilmun Environmental Award, it will be presented annually to the business or organisation excelling in this field.
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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