Catch the prevention wave

In my pre-COVID world all my ducks were in a row, work programmes agreed and targets set – all seemed as smooth as a mill pond.

To say the waves across the world created by COVID have had their ripple effect is an understatement! I am know that I am not alone in feeling this way.

Catching the “prevention wave” and managing the risks to your people has arguably never been more important as we try to build back better- the world as it will be can be safer and healthier, and we have the skills in our OSH network to achieve this.  

I cannot overstate the importance of taking ownership of the prevention agenda as we continue to develop our response to COVID-19. RoSPA has adopted the World Health Organisation phrase “facts can help minimise fears” as one of our guiding principles, as we seek to support our members and award winners across the world.

Good information is vital.

The “Infodemic” associated with COVID-19 is distracting, and there is a need for occupational health and safety professionals to take the lead and remain focused through sharing the right messages at the appropriate time.
Another of RoSPA’s key messages has been to prioritise your people, recognising they may not grasp all the information the first time around. However, by sharing the information through recurring themes you can be confident that safety messages will start to sink in.

During a webinar recently hosted by RoSPA, top-level safety executives from L’Oréal and Danone advocated for a people-centred approach which builds confidence, eases behavioural and cultural change by bringing clarity to the issues, and keeping them visible as time progresses.

Prevention is indeed better than cure, and good information is the best medicine. This has never been truer than in a global pandemic.

Good information is underpinned by utilising the knowledge from professionals, from many different disciplines, who can look at the public health measures needed to protect the workforce and wider population from a range of perspectives.

Experts can help people keep safe by analysing trends, reviewing reports and agreeing an overarching way forward.

The broader strategy can then be filtered down and adapted into a local context where messages can be made clearer and more reassuring in this still strange new COVID world.

Dr Karen McDonnell

Occupational safety and health adviser

Planning to reopen your workplace? RoSPA can help with a Covid-19 Back-to-Work Review
 

---