IOSH - Edinburgh Branch - 113th Meeting

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INSTITUTION OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
113^th Meeting of the Edinburgh Branch

IOSH Paper Presented 9^th March 2000

by Frank Sharp – Director of Human Resources East of Scotland Water

Health & Safety – The Organisational Context

The speaker was introduced as having had an original background within the chemistry field, but had developing his career through a variety of Human Resources positions prior to taking his current position of Director of HR for East of Scotland Water

The speaker then indicated that he wished to use his time in presenting his paper more as an expression of his own views and comments based on personal experiences. He had spent time working in a variety of organisations –for a considerable number of years within the HR function whilst having been within various senior management positions for some 20 years. The variety of organisations ranged from - one which had demonstrated a health & safety capability over four consecutive years enabling awards of the RoSPA Gold Medal at one extreme, to one where he decided that the lack of care for employee safety caused him to make an early departure from the Company being he felt a prudent move.

Introduction

From the variety of organisations in which he had worked the Health, Safety & Welfare function had reported through a range of departments, from operations to HR. He believed that it was better served where it was through the HR function, but he felt that the Health & Safety professionals could make a much greater contribution to the organisation than was usual if they adjusted their approach to that which he was to present. He appreciated that his comments may well be provocative and this was deliberate as they were personal observations and he hoped that the assembled body would respond by making their own feelings known.

Competitive Pressures

Whilst appreciating that the assembled body represented a very wide range of organisations, he believed that some topics could be applied no matter what the company and its business.

Competitiveness – whether this is commercial, internal or external
Exchange rates – with foreign businesses competing in the same fields etc
Interest rates – the levels of borrowing effecting the level of profit achievable
Product Substitution – This is not always pure competitors, it may be the pressure of modern living where the choice may be between purchase of a fridge or purchase of a settee.
Technology advance - the rate of change of modern living being particularly pertinent
Investor/customer desertion – as has been seen recently in the change of the FTSE 100 companies

Health & Safety professionals need to be more in tune with business issues and in that way their personal levels of credibility could rise substantially. A recent survey of the view which CEOs across EU countries rate the importance and effectiveness of various elements of the HR function showed that Health & Safety was well represented on the list in over 50% of the results.

The speaker then asked the members whether in their current organisations the members felt that health & safety was "maintenance" or was it a "driving function" – the straw poll indicating that it was not considered generally an important element of senior management and was often considered an "add on".

Changing role of HR over the last 4 decades

1960’s – generally seen as the corporate period. Where control, administration and welfare were seen as the operation factors and often in a Personnel department
1970’s – Functional. Where HR was seen to be the source of a body of specialist knowledge and expertise
1980’s – Business. Specifically the era of measurement
1990’s – Synergistic. How we can influence the business rather than an administrative function. Typically looking to the position of outsourcing the functions.
2000’s – Shaping. Being business focused using the language of the business. Offering support and service through flexibility moving away from the arrogance of the expert/specialist but providing above all else value for money.

Health & safety is often still in the 1980’s or 1990’s – heavily into the measurement era. There is however a need to move it very rapidly into the Business focus of the 2000’s. From the speaker’s experience in a major paper company the focus of the company was on three fronts = Profit, Expansion and Health & Safety. This was he felt where it should be, as demonstrated in a quote he provided which indicated that health & safety policies should contribute to ALL business performance and should not separate health & safety from other HR elements.

The issues

Health & Safety professionals need to look outwards into the business – need to prove they are integral to the operation.
Language is the business not the problem – talk of the business issues not just health & safety problems
Professional integration into the business – often health & safety specialists take a pride in their health & safety knowledge which they avoid sharing
Manage knowledge into the business – so operation is not dependant on health & safety having knowledge
In house Vs outsourced – is health & safety a cost or investment

Challenge

Must health safety & welfare be ancillary to most businesses?

For instance CDM now puts the legal requirement to build health & safety into general working.

It is generally accepted that In-house health & safety advice is more effective than outsourced supply but it in necessary for the health & safety professional to recognise the potential to influence the business beyond just regulation interpretation. Most health & safety professionals have a greater ability within the interpersonal skills capability than they normally admit to.

Consequence of Business Goals

Is health & safety a critical to business success factor?
Are costs considered significant? E.g. the costs of getting it wrong as for stress
Do standards bodies exert pressures?

Corporate Motivation of Health & Safety