From the Secretary's desk

September is always busy as companies working outside seek to complete contracts before the darker evenings and colder weather cause sites to slow down. It is also a highly active time for the BSIF made even more intense this year by an increased number of public campaigns and a renewed EU attention to ensure that the new PPE directive is delivered on time.

This is all in addition to our regular menu of promotional and exporting programmes to support our members. The French Expoprotection in November and the inward and outward trade missions being run in conjunction with UKTI are currently very much in focus and interested companies will need to contact the BSIF in the near future if they wish to participate in these business development activities.

High on our agenda is the BSIF Networking Day which will take place on 27th September at the Staverton Park Hotel in Daventry. Now firmly established as the safety industry's number one social event of the year, the 2010 event will follow our traditional format that has proved so successful in the past.

The BSIF is pleased to be involved with the Health and Safety Executive [HSE] as a stakeholder in the development of a respiratory protection programme and the associated campaigns. This follows the successful launch of the Fit2Fit accreditation scheme for fit-testers of respiratory protective equipment [RPE] in January and the 'Clean Air? - Take Care!' campaign launched in March, both of which were created with the support and assistance of the HSE. This latter initiative is designed to increase awareness of respiratory protection including selection, deployment, use and maintenance of RPE.

The initial success of these campaigns has generated a wider interest in the wearability of RPE, respiratory protection for stonemasons and quarry workers, the generation of an HSG53 tool which talks to the common man and a review of enforcement activity focused on respiratory protection. The BSIF will be involved with all these developments to contribute advice in respect of what products can do and provide its unique links with user organisations through its members when it comes to delivery.
The closer attention by the EU towards the publication of the new PPE Directive [sometime in 2013-2014] has stimulated an increased desire to resolve a number of standards and definition issues, some of which have been detailed with others to be mentioned in future issues of this magazine as they develop.

If you wish to comment or find out more about any of the items within these BSIF pages, please contact us, through the Editor please.

Geoff Hooke
Secretary General to the BSIF