European Council on Health & Safety Celebrates 10 Years

Board Europe — September / October 2008

Machinery standardization. Pandemic preparedness. Nanotechnology. The field of Health & Safety has evolved over the past decade — and so have the meeting themes of The Conference Board's European Council on Health & Safety, which will celebrate its 10-year anniversary during its 5-6 November meeting in Brussels.

"In the field of Health & Safety, we are always asking, ‘to what level shall we advise?'" says Frans Schot, a long-time Member of the Health & Safety Council and Manager of Corporate Safety for Sara Lee International. "This cannot be achieved just by looking at legislation, which needs to be translated for every company. The most valuable thing is to benchmark with your peer companies."

John Lyons, another long term Council Member and Group Head of Health, Safety & Environment for Telefónica Europe agrees, adding: "All of the Members believe that their companies already operate to very high standards of health and safety, but by talking with others and sharing knowledge, you can analyse those values. It is a fantastic opportunity to engage in in-depth talks and hot-topic debates and to ask, ‘What does this issue mean to our company?'"

The past, present, and future of Health & Safety

Although the European Council on Health & Safety has seen an evolution in subject matter over the past 10 years — from regulatory requirements to employee behavior — Members agree that while trends may change, the fundamentals remain the same.

"The real art of our profession is the ability to improve safety and efficiency," says Mr. Schot. To best advise management, Health & Safety executives must be able to address both of these issues. Topics like this will always be important in the field. Mr. Schot adds, "Although there has been a change in topics over the years, some topics repeat and will be repeated in ten years, too."

But there are also constant developments, such as understanding the effects of noise at work and establishing health and well-being programmes. "There is a real movement now to imbed Health & Safety in the business culture," says Diana Vilan, a Health & Safety Council Member from Nike EMEA Risk Management. When Council Members recently visited the Nike facility in Holland, for example, they participated in a Yoga class.

So what does the future hold for Health & Safety, especially in this increasingly globalized world? "There is a big challenge being global," Mr. Schot says. "Can you ask for the same standards in China and Indonesia as in Europe?" The answer, he suggests, is yes. "We have to be sure that all of our workers worldwide have the same standards." However, the approach must be culturally appropriate and fine-tuned for different locales.

"Cultural differences are a huge component of managing safety," Ms. Vilan says. "This is something that is changing dramatically. Hopefully, other parts of business will help ease this transition."

Back to Board Europe