Our Impact 2024/25

A year on the world stage

Our purpose

We aim to make workplaces safer. We do this by increasing the strength, knowledge and skills of the occupational safety and health (OSH) profession. We show governments and businesses the value of good workplace health and safety. In all of this, we place people at the heart of a socially sustainable future.

Our progress

In the second year of our Activate 2028 strategy, we made significant strides towards our goals. This report shows you how we contributed to improving safety and health for workers, organisations and economies globally.

Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher, IOSH Chief Executive

Man standing in front projector showing occupational safety and health in emergencies and crises — Richard Bate presenting at Forum Prävention International 2025

Leading the conversation

Part of our remit is to share good practice with those who can influence OSH. Last year, in order to set the OSH agenda for governments, policy-makers and businesses, we:

developed the 10 foundational principles of OSH
addressed 27 major events internationally
shared insights and advocated for change.

Conference delegate reading the ‘Towards a safe and healthy future of work’ report

Seeing and analysing the world

Our view of the world is informed by commissioning research and by canvassing members. During the year, we published:

Towards a safe and healthy future of work, a report identifying trends and calling governments, businesses and the profession to respond
an electoral manifesto, making OSH demands on UK MPs
a white paper on the gig economy, telling awkward truths.

Our ‘small print’ campaign unearthed hidden workplace risks

About ‘small print’

Alan Stevens, Kelly Nicoll and Marcel Le Roux at CHOGM — IOSH at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Samoa, 2024

Gaining trust as a respected authority

We are able to use our unique position as a leading global voice in OSH so that we can:

shape policy
amplify our global influence
build strategic alliances
gain institutional recognition
advance our strategic goals.

Our contribution at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting showcased our international standing.

See who we work with

Textile worker working on loom — A textile weaver in Ghana

Making a difference on the ground

With Activate 2028, actions speak louder than words. Since highlighting women workers in rural Africa last year, our unique role has enabled:

our members to carry out risk assessments and training
our local and global partners to be involved
the women to move from informal to formal economy
safer and more prosperous working conditions.

See the difference

Woman holding phone viewing article about the ‘Epidemic of long working hours’ — ‘Epidemic of long working hours’ report covered in The Independent

Speaking out

… and grabbing some limelight (modestly, of course)

339 appearances in national and specialist media outlets
in unexpected places: GB News, Mail Online, The Independent, …
on subjects like zero hours contracts, long working hours, mental health strategy, welfare reforms, the gig economy, …

Our members’ expertise deserves a strong, credible voice.

See our news output

A man in an IOSH shirt talking to a woman with braided hair at a conference — Answering an enquiry on the IOSH stand at Birmingham NEC

Every business supported is a step towards better work

Organisations worldwide seek our members’ know-how to improve their health and safety systems and culture.

Our customised solutions help them to be safe and productive workplaces.

Every person trained is a step closer to safer workplaces

people upskilled on IOSH courses

196,200 
approved programmes and qualifications

122 
accredited institutions

67

A crowd of people holding their IOSH certificates — Chief Executive Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher with the first IOSH Certificate graduates

Raising professional standards

The most potent advocate for good workplace health and safety is an expert and energetic OSH profession. That’s why we continued to encourage members to take up our CPD opportunities and keep their skills up-to-date.

12 approved study centres – in India, West Africa, the Middle East and UK (including IOSH Academy) – deliver IOSH qualifications, an excellent route into IOSH membership.

Now the first IOSH Level 3 and Level 6 graduates are boosting their careers with the new qualifications they achieved.

Our members and other professionals at a conference — Our members are leading the profession

Reaching the pinnacle

A vibrant and modern profession requires its members to strive to better themselves and push for high standards. We continued our efforts to support our members throughout their careers, from novice to senior professional.

They took advantage of our new progression routes to attain Chartered and Fellowship status.

Every membership upgrade is a cause for celebration

members achieved Chartered or Fellow status

941
more upgrades in these grades than this time last year

23 %
Chartered members from new experiential route

7

The heart of IOSH

That’s our members – over 50,000 of them – active, engaged, making a mark.

We’ve launched inclusive and accessible communities so members stay in the centre of the debate.

Events held

295
Attendees

20,000+
Volunteers

1,000

An appreciative audience applauds at a conference

Our most vital asset

IOSH members are at the forefront:

protecting workers in nearly every industry
helping businesses to work healthily and safely
advising governments and regulators
operating in most of the world’s nations
embodying high professional ideals.

All of IOSH’s efforts aim to represent them, demonstrate why their roles matter to business and society and provide for their needs – individually and collectively.