Big questions for the profession

First: making wellbeing strategies actually work. Second: keeping skills relevant and maintained as jobs evolve.

Since March 2024, the panel has shaped IOSH’s thinking. They’ve worked on the Towards a safer and healthier world of work report. They’ve also looked at emerging issues affecting day-to-day practice.

No agreement on wellbeing

New IOSH research shows a worrying gap. Most businesses have health and wellbeing strategies. But most also report increases in health and wellbeing issues.

One core problem? We haven't agreed on what ‘wellbeing’ actually means. Not just among leaders, but with workers themselves.

One panellist put it bluntly. “People are running into it without taking a step back first. They don’t ask: what's the company's view of wellbeing? What’s the individual’s view? And most importantly: do those two visions align?”

This plays out daily in construction. A site manager might see wellbeing as PPE compliance and toolbox talks. Workers worry about job quality, flexibility or mental health support. Without alignment, well-intentioned programmes miss the mark.

“We need to get that agreed before we decide on a strategy,” the panellist added. It might seem basic. But getting this wrong can derail everything that follows.

Today’s essential skills

The panel tackled how professionals can stay valuable to their organisations. Technology like artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the workplace.

Key skill development areas include critical thinking. This might mean questioning incident data patterns rather than just accepting them. Emotional intelligence matters too. You need it for difficult conversations about risk with resistant workers or management. Data literacy is essential. You need to make sense of what your safety software actually tells you.

The panel agreed that formal learning and hands-on experience are both essential. You need both to build these skills.

But there was a reality check too. 

For construction professionals, this might mean choosing what to prioritise. Digital risk assessment tools and data analysis matter more now. You can’t do traditional manual tracking and new methods indefinitely.

So where should the profession focus? We need to work at “the intersection of humans and technology”, the panel said.

Technology automates more routine tasks every day. The critical question becomes: how do we interpret what the technology produces?

What does this mean for you?

You might be a site supervisor, safety adviser or senior manager. Either way, these conversations matter. They’re about making your wellbeing initiatives actually work. They're about ensuring your professional skills remain relevant.

The panel meets again in early December. They’ll focus on ethical challenges. These are the kind of dilemmas you might face daily. Production pressures clash with safety decisions. You're asked to sign off on something that doesn't feel right.

These aren’t abstract discussions. They’re about the real situations health and safety professionals face every day.