Hot reads – beat the heat while turning up the temperature on your occupational health and safety expertise. Here are six standout reads for your summer hols that promise to fire up your OSH strategy when you return to work.
Features
Books for the Beach
By
on 14 August 2026
Tim Marsh’s Musings – Wisdom and Wit from a Safety Psychologist
This carefully curated selection of articles from renowned safety psychologist Dr Tim Marsh’s book takes the reader on an entertaining yet educational journey through the hottest topics in health, safety and wellbeing, both past and present.
Using a combination of humour and hard-hitting truths, Tim explores some of the key challenges that supervisors, line managers, and C-suite leaders must grapple with if they want to create a safer, healthier and happier future for all workers.
All proceeds from the book will be donated to two mental health charities, Mates in Mind and Brawd.
Donate and download the e-book here.
Celebrating 50 years of The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Four people who spent most of their careers in the Health and Safety Executive tell the story of the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) and the evolution of a new and different approach to improving occupational safety and health (OSH) in Great Britain.
The authors explain why radical change was necessary and how the system which underpins Britain’s OSH performance has survived for so long and weathered various challenges along the way.
Purchase your copy here.
Running the Risk: From Shark Attacks to Nuclear Disaster – understanding life’s biggest risks and how we build a safer future
Strategic communications expert David Burrett Reid invites readers to reflect on the risks we navigate in a rapidly changing world and to understand the global implications of interconnected threats.
Running The Risk poses crucial questions about the risks we face, what we need to know about them, and what we can do to engineer a safer, more resilient future.
Purchase your copy here.
Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics
The fifth edition of Dr Robert Bridger’s textbook provides a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the field of ergonomics and human factors, with a specific focus on how interactions between humans, technology, health issues and the design of work can affect occupational health and safety.
This edition features new material on current occupational health issues, such as obesity and menopause, and explores the ergonomic, safety and health impacts of new technological developments, such as self-driving cars, exoskeletons, AI and hybrid working.
Copies can be purchased here.
Paper Safe: The triumph of bureaucracy in safety management
Australian lawyer and safety practitioner Gregory Smith argues that health and safety management has lost its way, becoming synonymous with seemingly trivial rules and burdensome, never-ending paperwork.
He explores how we can manage bureaucracy in health and safety management, decluttering safety management systems and reconnect management, workers and safety processes to the purpose of keeping people safe.
Purchase your copy here.
Tolley’s Health and Safety at Work Handbook 2026 38th edition
Updated annually, this practitioner- focused book explains the latest OSH legislative changes, and how to comply with current law and practice.
Safety experts offer insight and guidance on a range of subjects, including accident reporting, welfare facilities, mental ill health, an ageing workforce, absenteeism, travel safety and personal safety.
Designed as a quick-reference handbook, the title seeks to equip busy practitioners with the tools to deal with day-to-day issues quickly.
Copies can be purchased here.
FEATURES
Who is the wolf in your life? Listening to the people behind the hard hat
By Inna Cebotari, Kinth Square on 02 October 2026
A new play explores the lives of migrant construction workers in the UK, using humour, real-life experiences and physical theatre to capture the banter, friendships and absurd moments that make life on site bearable, alongside the pressures that often go unseen. Ahead of the play’s premiere in London on 12-14 November, playwright Inna Cebotari explains how Three Little Pigs aims to add to the public debate about how best to support the wellbeing of construction workers.
Eliminating barriers in reporting: how conversational AI can unlock safety engagement
By Julian Taylor, ecoPortal on 04 October 2026
Online reporting systems that require lengthy and cumbersome form filling and typing can discourage workers from reporting safety incidents and concerns. However, AI-powered mobile apps that allow reporting simply by speaking or taking photos can simplify and speed up the process, boosting reporting rates and overall staff engagement with safety systems and culture.
Why UK employers need to rethink recruitment, retention and support for older workers
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 04 October 2026
With workers over the age of 50 now comprising almost one third of the entire UK workforce, recruiting and training older workers is now core to the success of the economy. However, not all employers are offering what’s needed to retain and recruit older workers, and ageist attitudes, limited flexible working opportunities, and employment support that doesn’t fit with health, caring, or other responsibilities are leaving too many people locked out of the labour market.