British Safety Council Chairman, Peter McGettrick, today (Wednesday) opened the Safety, Health and Wellbeing Live event, taking place at Olympia London.
Delivering the keynote address, Peter McGettrick outlined that, while health, safety and wellbeing have always been important, they matter more now than ever. To underline this, Peter told delegates that 7,500 people still die each day - a ‘staggering’ 2.6 million people each year - due to unsafe working conditions.
Peter McGettrick said: “That statistic alone is a main reason I am here today. It’s also what motivates me to lead British Safety Council. It makes me realise that – while health, safety and wellbeing have always mattered – in many ways they matter more than ever.”
Other topics in his keynote address included the necessary mitigation of health, safety and wellbeing issues in uncertain times of climate change, wider political instability, and technological disruption. He argued that inflationary pressures, shifting labour markets, and new demands on employers to do more with less mean that a healthy, safe and resilient workforce is not just an ethical imperative - it’s an economic one.
Peter said: “Change is something we all have to accept as a given. But it’s not just a constant. The pace and nature of the change is accelerating all the time. New technologies are reshaping how we live, communicate and work. At the same time, we are seeing new global standards, and rising expectations – better governance and stronger scrutiny from governments and investors alike.
“In the UK, our regulatory frameworks are evolving post-Brexit, and we face the ongoing challenge of balancing deregulation with protection. The pressure on public services and the wider workforce continues to grow, and economic and political shocks around the world only add to the uncertainty. And yet, there are still those calling for existing protections and regulations to be relaxed, reduced or scrapped altogether.
“Against this backdrop, the responsibility to uphold high standards in workplace health and safety increasingly falls to us – the practitioners, leaders, champions in this very hall.”
In his keynote, Peter also covered the challenges and opportunities posed by new technologies and climate change.
On our changing climate, Peter said: “Higher average temperatures, hotter summers, melting sea ice, severe droughts, more wildfires, more powerful hurricanes and even stronger winter storms – all are ways now that climate change is already having an impact. Behavioural scientists know that scaring people is counterproductive. People need to know the steps they can take to make a difference. And there lies the hope.
“Just like we do by keeping people safe, steering them to make healthier choices, or creating a culture which helps them be well and perform to the best of their ability, equipping them with knowledge about the risks of potential catastrophes should not be taken as cause for despair. We should empower people to take action, improve their resilience and inform them.”
On new technologies, including AI, he said: “We must make sure we maximise the opportunities of new tech, while minimising the risks. We’ve got to make sure we co-design new processes with workers and involve them in rolling out new technology to maintain trust.
“We should use AI to augment human judgement, not replace it. Establish strong governance by setting clear policies on data privacy, ethics, and accountability. Train managers and workers not only on new tech, but also on its risks and limits. And ensure technologies benefit all groups, including those with disabilities, older workers, and those in non-traditional employment.”
Other British Safety Council speakers and sessions at the SHW Live event include talks by Director of Education, Dr. Julie Riggs and Head of Audit & Consultancy, Phil Pinnington, on Wednesday. Thursday also sees panel sessions led by CEO, Mike Robinson at the new Senior Leaders’ Summit, and a presentation by Director of Wellbeing, Stephen Haynes.
British Safety Council is located at Stand H72 today, where attendees can pick up a hard copy of a recent book, co-published with Dr. Tim Marsh, by making a small donation to mental health charities Mates in Mind and Brawd.
Concluding the two-day event, British Safety Council will hold its International Safety Awards Gala Dinner on the evening of 19 June, at the Royal Garden Hotel, in Kensington.