The Chief Executive of the British Safety Council has explored the nature of health and safety leadership at the 8th International Forum on Work Safety in Beijing.
The event will take place in Beijing, China, on September 27-29 this year and will bring together government officials, business leaders and health and safety professionals to share their achievements, along with the latest developments and trends in health and safety throughout the world.
Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, Mike Robinson, will speak on September 28, presenting the business case for the proportionate management of health and safety, along with the exploration of the nature of leadership in the industry.
China’s State Administration of Work Safety and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will host the forum and demonstrate the country’s continued efforts to cut the toll of injuries in the workplace and ill health and its improving record in occupational health and safety.
Robinson said that the global cost of health and safety failures in the workplace is still unacceptably high.
He added: “Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases, which is over 2.3 million deaths per year. This amounts to approximately 4% of global GDP each year, and provides an overwhelming economic reason to protect workers.
“International health and safety conferences, such as the Forum in Beijing, are proof that although health and safety records vary throughout the world, there is a lot of good will and resources to share experience and best practice for the benefit of employees and employers worldwide.”
At the Beijing Forum, Robinson will describe how a business can create an environment in which employees are encouraged and supported to identify potentially hazardous situations and recommend solutions for improvement that would prevent and potential accidents in the future.
Mr Robinson will argue that to encourage such positive employee engagement in health and safety, the management needs to inspire them with passion and dedication, which are the qualities of true leaders.
