Safety Management Magazine opinions

    Lisa Pool, Head Of Marketing, ISEP

    What health and safety professionals really know about sustainability

    Health and safety professionals are uniquely placed to help businesses meet ever-increasing sustainability challenges, but a new survey suggests they need to rapidly expand their knowledge of the relevant regulations, risks and technical practices if they are to effect real change within organisations.

    By Lisa Pool, Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) on 17 March 2026

    Professor Robbie Mcdonald

    Government is off-track to meet its legally binding commitments to protect and improve the environment and must act urgently, says the OEP

    The Office for Environmental Protection is an independent body set up to hold government and public authorities to account for their environmental commitments. A key part of its remit is to annually assess how government is progressing against its legally binding environmental targets and goals in its Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). The EIP is regarded as government’s roadmap on how it will restore England’s environment.

    By Professor Robbie McDonald, Office for Environmental Protection on 17 March 2026

    Tamara Walters Photo

    Water sector reform and why efficiency is key to ensuring resilient business supplies

    With England facing a 6 billion litres per day water supply shortfall by 2055 and the water sector undergoing its biggest reform since privatisation, business has an essential role in demand and efficiency to ensure resilient future supplies.

    By Tamara Walters, Waterwise on 17 March 2026

    Mike Robinson 3 Med

    Replace the ‘S’: Why safety belongs at the core of ESG

    ESG metrics are intended to show how a business operates in a world defined by volatility and change. Do the actions of an organisation support the long-term survival of both people and planet? Are actions genuinely grounded in mission and purpose? Do words and deeds seek to meet the same ends?

    By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 12 March 2026

    Sasjkia Otto

    The UK has a generational opportunity to improve workforce health – it’s time to act

    The announcement that a group of ‘Vanguard’ employers will work with the Government to identify the most effective ways businesses, the health service and employees can work together to support people experiencing ill health to remain in and return to work provides a great opportunity to pilot a new National Occupational Health Service offering universal access to high-quality occupational health support for all workers and employers.

    By Sasjkia Otto, the Fabian Society on 09 March 2026

    ESG Laggard Leader MED Istock Credit Olivier Le Moal

    The changing face of risk: why ESG matters in 2026

    Although non-compliance with environmental, safety and social responsibility laws and duties can prove extremely costly in terms of fines and reputational damage, businesses that prioritise excellent environmental, social and governance standards can reap a variety of financial and related benefits.

    By Emma Tattersdill and Emma Evans Bexley Beaumont law firm on 05 March 2026

    Portrait 3

    Don’t lose autism in the neurodiversity wave – why targeted reform is essential

    Autistic adults have waited too long for meaningful reform. They have shared their experiences and expertise. Now they deserve action, accountability, and transformation.

    By Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC on 15 January 2026

    Kevinbampton 92

    Is workplace health safe in 2026?

    UK Government efforts to boost the economy and employment levels through approaches such as deregulation pose a serious threat to the country’s workplace safety standards and the health of our workforce.

    By Kevin Bampton, BOHS on 10 February 2026

    Charlotte Maxwell Davies

    How stress and burnout will shape the workplace in 2026

    Burnout is rapidly becoming one of the nation’s most significant workplace challenges. It is emerging as a defining issue for organisations and wider society, as the UK contends with a long-term sickness crisis driven by poor mental health. Stress can be motivating in short bursts, but when left unmanaged it contributes to work absences and lost productivity, as well as presenting a clear risk to the health of workers.

    By Charlotte Maxwell-Davies, Mental Health UK  on 09 February 2026

    Mike Robinson 3 Med

    A new year, a new approach to risk?

    The rulebook is becoming obsolete faster than we can rewrite it. While bureaucracies labour to update yesterday’s regulations, the world of work transforms daily.

    By Mike Robinson FCA, British Safety Council on 02 February 2026