Speaking up for OSH

President-Elect Kelly Nicoll, IOSH Head of Strategic Engagement Alan Stevens, and Strategic Engagement Manager Marcel Le Roux advocated for our vision of a safe and healthy world of work. They argued that providing decent work for everyone will help achieve CHOGM 2024’s core themes of resilient democracies, environment, economies, and societies. The trio participated in and spoke at three Accredited Organisation-led side events and three Business Forum roundtables.

Reflecting on the week of events and meetings, Kelly said: “It’s been amazing. IOSH’s whole agenda is pretty much what the Commonwealth is talking about – migrant workers and protecting them, climate crisis, mental health, gender-based violence – even sport and its ability to improve health, how we encourage financial investment into business and countries that need better OSH standards.

“I was beyond humbled to meet King Charles,” said Kelly, who “spoke to him about the importance of creating socially sustainable growth across the whole Commonwealth, and how we as IOSH have a huge part to play.”

They connected with ministers from Guyana, Rwanda and Tanzania explaining how IOSH can help create safe and healthy work, sustainable development, and growth within their countries – that having a strong foundation of good OSH principles will help contribute to the health and wealth of their countries.

The IOSH delegation had an impromptu meeting with UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office officials together with other Accredited Organisations. This took place the day before a side event chaired by Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP to discuss opportunities to collaborate and advance of their launch of the ‘Finance & Investment for Resilient Growth: A Commonwealth Plan of Action’.

“I spoke to the UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, on Thursday about how our work in Africa is a shining example of the Commonwealth's new commitment to financial investment in resilient economies,” said Kelly, and she “discussed the importance of what we do as a profession, and the incredible impact we’ve made in Ghana and Kenya for women in the informal sector.”

“The important link for us,” said Marcel, “is the fact that businesses in the Commonwealth, especially SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), need to improve OSH to become more attractive to lenders and investors.”

To meet our aim of leaving a legacy in Samoa and the Pacific region, we met with the Minister and Chief Executive of the local ministry responsible for OSH, as well as trade union representatives from islands in the region. Samoa is updating its national OSH policies and plan, following a recent labour amendment act, so they welcomed IOSH’s support.

As one of The Commonwealth’s 92 Accredited Organisations, and the only one specialising in OSH, IOSH is in a unique position to really make a difference.

There were many meaningful discussions about the challenges facing Commonwealth countries, but now is the time for action and to start working together to make a difference.

“What hit me from the People’s forum, said Alan Stevens, “was the passion and determination to better balance advocacy with more action to close gaps, and more pace. We know the challenges across the Commonwealth, and together need to better galvanise interventions rather than simply talk about it.”