IOSH in the news

But, despite huge competition for space in the news, IOSH has gained a significant amount of media coverage, each piece helping to raise the profile of the organisation and the wider occupational safety and health (OSH) profession.

As of 18 December, IOSH had picked up 1,720 pieces of media coverage. This ranged from national and international media, including broadcast, print and online. There was also lots of coverage in UK regional media and more specialist sectoral and trade publications, including OSH media. This exposed IOSH to a potential audience of many millions and contributes to IOSH’s goal of being a leading authority on all things OSH.

Reaching new audiences

Among the highlights of our coverage in 2024 was IOSH’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs Ruth Wilkinson appearing on TV news station GB News towards the end of August. Ruth was interviewed live on air about a story on zero-hours contracts. Ruth was also quoted in a story on the same subject on the website of leading national newspaper The Daily Mirror.

While that and many other pieces of coverage came from reacting swiftly to existing media stories, IOSH also proactively gained coverage. This included a huge spike in coverage on 20-21 September following a survey of 1,000 workers which revealed a culture of working long hours in the UK. All of this supported the launch of IOSH’s ‘small print’ campaign. 

The coverage for this was achieved in print editions of national newspapers including The i paper and The Daily Star, the websites of The Daily Mirror and MailOnline, and hundreds of regional titles. 

Earlier in the year, IOSH also gained good media traction on a story about the experiences of workers in the gig and platform economy. This came after a survey of workers timed to coincide with the launch of the IOSH-Arup report Towards a safe and healthy future of work. Once again, the coverage included in The Daily Mirror along with The Scotsman and some regional publications.

Raising awareness

Marcus Boocock, IOSH’s PR and Public Affairs Manager, said: “It’s been a very busy year in the media, so we’re pleased that IOSH has been able to pick up so much earned media coverage, all of it helping us to reach a wide audience and highlight our positions on key areas.