During International Labor Organization's 16th Asia Pacific regional meeting held this week in Bali, Indonesia, Vincent Ho, vice president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), spoke about the key role OSH professionals play in building sustainable organizations and highlighted the work being done by the Center for Safety and Health Sustainability (CSHS).

"The IOSH vision is a world of work which is safe, healthy and sustainable and, as well as making the case for health and safety as a ‘material’ reporting issue in the U.K. over a decade ago, we were pleased to join with health and safety professionals across the globe [including ASSP] to co-found the CSHS," Ho said. "The center promotes awareness that sustainable organizations cannot be ones that do not ensure safe and healthy working conditions. Health and safety professionals have a leading role to play in building safe and healthy workforces, creating sustainable organizations and a sustainable world."

Ho also pointed to the increased demand for transparency and accountability, and for better corporate reporting requirements. These demands have prompted "positive global developments such as the UN’s guiding principles and reporting framework on business and human rights; the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda; and the draft ISO 45001 standard on health and safety management systems," he said, adding that leadership, worker engagement and competence are key to improvement.

In addressing the gathering of 400 delegates from nearly 40 countries, Ho urged practitioners to develop safety and health skills and competence (using tools such as IOSH's Blueprint framework), as well as to strengthen safety and health metrics using the CSHS guidance.