ABSTRACT

Even in those regions of the globe where Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) legislation is robust and comprehensive, safety practitioners still face an uphill battle.

As the world progresses, organisations quickly follow, acclimatise and adapt. New research, fluctuating social trends, political and economic changes and advances in technology, all have the capacity to create new workplace dangers – and the role of every safety practitioner is complicated by the fact that they are attempting to hit what is essentially a moving target.

In this chapter, we’ll look at some of the current trends in health and safety, consider why looking back may help us move forward and explore what organisational safety might look like in the future.