July-August 2026
Welcome to this edition of Health & Safety Buyer. Workplace safety continues to evolve in response to new technologies, changing regulations and an increasingly global workforce. In this issue, we explore how organisations are balancing innovation with practical risk management, highlighting the people, ideas and technologies helping to create safer, healthier working environments across every sector.
This issue’s Big Interview features Monique Parker from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). She discusses the importance of ongoing workforce development and why promoting this is one of her top priorities. Monique also gives her views on the benefits and drawbacks of utilising AI as a safety professional. Although ASSP has a history spanning 115 years, it is clear it is a global organisation firmly looking to the future.
ASSP’s international reach reflects an ongoing trend within industry to align workplace safety standards across borders. In Training and Compliance, we analyse the ways in which different regulatory frameworks are managed by multinational organisations navigating compliance at national, regional and local levels.
Elsewhere, this month’s Innovator, Ari Fatah, explains why effective near miss reporting is crucial to creating workplace safety systems. As Technical Standards Manager at Veriforce CHAS, he draws on his expertise from the construction industry to dismantle common assumptions about near miss reporting whilst advocating for proactive reporting cultures.
The importance of near miss reporting is by no means exclusive to the construction industry which is emphasised in our Technology and Equipment feature. It takes a look at the ways the energy sector is ensuring the safety of its lone workers by utilising connected technologies and monitoring equipment. Given the hazardous nature of the energy industry, it is also means workers cannot compromise on the personal protective equipment they rely upon. In PPE and Safety Gear, we examine the ways in which expectations on fire resistant clothing are moving beyond simply meeting compliance requirements and how such equipment can support overall worker wellbeing.
In Applications, we focus on the hidden hazards of recycling. As waste streams become more complex, the types of technologies and solutions to protect workers from harm are also evolving.
Alongside a roundup of upcoming events, we preview the National Safety Council’s Congress and Expo. The world’s largest annual gathering of safety professionals is happening in Indianapolis this September and is expected to attract more than 12,500 attendees.
Lastly, in Safety Brief we get to know Grant Wallace from Enhancing Excellence Ltd.
As always, this issue reflects the breadth of today’s health and safety profession, from workplace development and regulatory compliance, to emerging technologies and practical workplace solutions.
