Show business

THE HEALTH and Safety Event is set to be the first post-pandemic large scale industry event that will reunite the health and safety sector. Co-located with The Fire Safety Event, The Facilities Event, The Security Event, The Emergency Services Show and the all-new National Cyber Security Show, visitors will enjoy access to all shows with just one pass. 

Delegates will save time and money by traveling to this all-encompassing event, which provides an unmissable opportunity for health and safety professionals to come together and share best practice and explore the latest innovations and trends in the sector.

Show organisers Nineteen Group has already seen a huge surge in visitor registrations with more than 28,000 visitors already signed up to attend across all the events. The six combined events will see over 900 exhibitors across the 54,000 square metres and there will also be over 300 hours of CPD accredited content across the events.

The range of seminars, features and suppliers available across the three days, is wider than ever. Now with six education theatres, hundreds of leading brands at the forefront of health and safety, it makes the NEC the place to be for committed health and safety practitioners.

Supported by the sector

The event is supported by the British Safety Council, the British Safety Industry Federation, the Health and Safety Executive, UK Asbestos Training Association, British Occupational Hygiene Society, and NEBOSH.

The Health and Safety Event is also backed by Premier Partners such as Diadora, ToughBuilt, DeltaPlus, Pilz UK, PUWER Machinery Safety Company and JSP. Well-established brands adorn the exhibitor list such as EvacChair, Tilsatec, Crowcon, IKAR, Bolle, Moldex, Portwest and Resmar and some of the new companies that have recently joined the growing list of exhibitors are Skipper, Manosun, Performance Brand, Milwaukee Tools and Wondergrip. This reconfirms the support and confidence of why the Health and Safety Event delivers.

The Health and Safety Event will boast six theatres offering CPD-accredited content and the centrepiece of the programme is the Knowledge Exchange Theatre (sponsored by Southalls) and the content is organised by Health & Safety Matters (HSM). This is a unique powerpoint-free seminar offering an organic exchange between the audience and the panel of experts up on the stage, which will be chaired by a compare. It is a chance for companies to ask specific questions that they wouldn't normally get a chance ask if they were listening to a theoretical based presentation. 

Discussions are expected to include promoting health and wellbeing, managing the risk of mental health and getting your business back to normal after the pandemic. It is also expected to look at other practical topics such as asbestos and the health implications of how we protect home workers, the implications that noise in the workplace can have on health and looking forward as things change in terms of litigation. The new UKCA Marking is also expected to be discussed and what that means for the industry – specifically for PPE and other key topics will include RIDDOR and risk assessments.

The British Safety Council Conference will also return, where delegates can discover the latest updates and developments in health and safety management. With a line-up of industry experts sharing their insights and expertise, you will be able to develop the skills and competencies you need to raise standards. Key sessions include the impact of the revised sentencing guidelines on senior management commitment, the implications of changing regulations post-Grenfell, COVID-19 workplace risk management and more.

This year, the Conference Theatre is split into three different themes - day one explores legal and regulatory framework in the modern workplace and delegates will be able to enjoy a panel debate on the regulatory framework post COVID and post Brexit. Day two is about risk management and day three covers health and wellbeing in the modern workplace.

Unmissable content

The first day of the event will kick off with a keynote speech from chief executive at the HSE Sarah Albon. She will outline the HSE as a regulator and it will be a real opportunity for delegates to hear what the HSE does and what the agency's future focus and strategy is going to be.

Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the major causes of major injuries and this year the Access Industry Forum (AIF) is putting together a presentation exploring problems with working at height including how to choose the right equipment. 

The AIF is a forum made up of all the key stakeholders that represent the working at height industry, so there's some wonderful expertise there and it is highly recommended that anyone working at height should attend this afternoon seminar on day one of the event.

The Lone Worker Theatre, in partnership with Lone Worker Safety Live, will return and couldn’t be more relevant with more lone workers than ever due to COVID-19. Delegates will enjoy bitesize interactive sessions with experts and those with practical experience will share their knowledge to bring you the best practice ways to manage the key issues of wellbeing, safety and security for lone, remote and vulnerable workers.

Exciting new features

The Health and Safety Event will boast a number of exciting new features, including the Registered Safety Supplier Trail in partnership with The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF). The Health and Safety Event is a key partner of the British safety industry Federation and fully supports its registered status buyer scheme as it is important to ensure that only quality and compliant products are on the market. 

The BSIF will use the exhibition to champion its Registered Safety Supplier Scheme and will showcase PPE testing to demonstrate how some of the products that are available in the PPE market are getting their certification. All suppliers of this trail are members of BSIF and have signed a binding declaration that the safety equipment and services they offer meet the appropriate standards, fully comply with the PPE regulations and are appropriately marked.

The new Professional Development Zone, sponsored by HSE recruitment, will allow you to take part in a series of live interviews, training and presentations to help prepare you to help propel your career and take your profession to the next level. 

Also new is the new HSE Connect Theatre in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive, which will bring highly engaging programme of speakers put on by the Health and Safety Executive, including their own inspectors, and they'll use their experience to address key issues, latest policy development and solutions you need to run a safe, healthy and sustainable working environment.

The new Machinery Safety Zone offers a dedicated area that showcases the latest technologies and solutions around this vitally important area of the workplace. While cost reductions and efficient production lines are important, the safety of employees and managing the risks from equipment and machinery are important factors in purchasing decisions. The Health and Safety Event will provide a unique range of seminars, practical workshops and suppliers for visitors who are actively looking for machinery safety solutions.

Driver Safety Zone

The Health and Safety Event has also partnered with the Highways England Driving for Better Business campaign to create a new Driver Safety Zone. Driving for work is one of the most dangerous activities that employees ever undertake and government statistics show there are around 40,000 injury collisions every year involving someone who was driving for work at the time. This is thought to be significantly under-reported plus there are probably millions of further incidents that result in unnecessary damage to vehicles and property.

Surveys suggests that almost 80% of companies do not even recognise this risk in their business, yet managing it effectively can bring huge business benefits in terms of reduced incidents and injuries, less business disruption, higher levels of efficiency and performance and lower environmental impact. It also contributes to a stronger staff safety culture with leading employers realising significant reductions in staff churn and recruitment costs.

Driving for Better Business is collaborating with a number of specialist partners to create the Driver Safety Zone at this year’s Health and Safety Event. It will provide invaluable information and expert support to any safety professionals who are responsible for managing work-related road risk. Three days of high-level content will look at the legal requirements of current legislation, what industry-recognised good practice looks like, how to improve safety culture in relation to driving for work, and a look at what upcoming changes to official guidance will mean for businesses and their safety managers. A series of presentations and panel discussions will cover legislation updates, driver fatigue, distraction, staff culture, vehicle safety and much more.

Free Parking

Visitors will benefit from FREE parking at the NEC, and for those opting for public transport, commuters will find this is the most accessible venue in the UK with an airport and train station on side and the M42 motorway in close proximity.

Remember registering for the Health and Safety Event not only give you access to the five other co-located events but also the CPD content on offer at each event. With networking and best practice at the heart of these events it’s a must attend for and health and safety practitioner.

The Health and Safety Event takes place on 7-9 September 2021 at the NEC in Birmingham. For more information or to register for your free pass that will give you access to all six events, visit www.healthandsafetyevent.com/