From the Secretary's desk

A New Year and an opportunity for the BSIF to take an introspective view on how it will re-new itself and make its activities more relevant to the occupational safety and health sector as a new decade dawns. A positive response at the recent AGM confirmed the Federation's ambitions to support its members by further developing improvements in occupational safety and health. The visible launch of the Registered Safety Supplier scheme and the planned launch of the `Clean Air? Take Care!` campaign in the spring will now couple with the `It's in your hands` campaign to provide a series of hard-hitting educational activities targeted at reductions in occupational diseases and industrial injuries. In addition, over the next few weeks, the BSIF will be providing a focal point for information on safety products and equipment that are illegal, do not perform and are fundamentally unsafe so that it can engage with the public enforcement authorities in a high-profile drive to eliminate these products from the UK market.

The recent BSIF Directors Club meeting provided a forum to discuss the current state of the economy and ways in which the safety industry can react to ensure that standards are not compromised by a desire to cut costs whilst, at the same time, developing activities to protect and grow members' businesses.

The closing date for entries for the BSIF Innovation Awards is fast approaching. These awards, which celebrate product innovation, exceptional customer service and excellence in the provision of training and/or safety services, are due to be presented at the Safety & Health Expo with the presentations to the overall winners taking place at an Awards Dinner in the evening of the 11th May.

In looking after the development and profitability of its members, the BSIF has recently sent out cheques to the fifteen companies which participated at the A+A exhibition in Dusseldorf, providing them with the UK Trade and Industry Government support for their exporting activities - similar supports are available to companies exhibiting in Dubai and the BSIF's Export Group is now planning both inward and outward trade missions to encourage safety industry companies to export their products and services.

Please do not hesitate to contact the BSIF for more information on any subject featured in these BSIF pages, through the Editor please.

Geoff Hooke
Secretary General to the BSIF