That’s the central message from IOSH, plus it helps companies avoid making/facing insurance claims;
Safety isn’t just about avoiding accidents – it’s about strategy, resilience, and winning in the boardroom, according to a global body.
The message has come from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) as it unveils a bold new framework to help companies turn safety culture into a serious business advantage.
IOSH’s new white paper, Safety culture comes of age: empowering people, strengthening resilience, elevating performance, sets out how businesses can move beyond compliance and start treating safety as a strategic asset. The paper introduces the Business Assurance Certification (BAC) – a model designed to embed safety, health, and wellbeing into the heart of corporate strategy.
Angela Gray, IOSH’s Technical Lead, says the days of safety being seen as a back-office chore are over. “Safety culture is now a driver of performance and resilience,” she said. “Our model empowers leaders to align safety with business goals, build resilience, and demonstrate their commitment to their people and ESG excellence.”
The BAC framework is built on three pillars – governance and leadership, systems and processes, and people and culture. Organisations can use the Business Assurance Tool for a realistic self-assessment, and seek independent certification, from bronze to platinum, for those ready to prove their maturity.
Global trials with 120 organisations showed that while most are at early stages of safety culture maturity, the BAC framework immediately sparked valuable, cross-functional conversations and renewed investment in people.
IOSH says this isn’t just about compliance – it’s about competitive edge. By embedding safety and wellbeing into strategy, leaders can build resilience, drive innovation, and show the world they take ESG seriously.
By adopting this model, business leaders can:
- Boost investor confidence by providing transparent, measurable human capital metrics.
- Strengthen partnerships by demonstrating excellence to supply chain partners and clients.
- Improve people and productivity by fostering a culture of psychological safety, which enhances employee engagement and retention.
- Drive financial return on investment by reducing incidents, lowering insurance premiums, and cutting employee turnover.
The Business Assurance Certification is available now to organisations worldwide. Find out more at iosh.com/business or email business@iosh.com.
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