Turning safety obstacles into opportunities

Finding a way to turn obstacles into opportunities in the world of health and safety is the theme of next month's RoSPA Health and Safety Forum.

Methods of overcoming operational health and safety challenges will be thoroughly investigated at the forum, taking place at the Hills Court Conference Centre in Birmingham on November 17. The event is designed to give managers and professionals working in the health and safety sector the opportunity to explore recent developments and gain practical advice and guidance.

Delegates will explore current and future health and safety issues in the wider context of budget cuts by getting involved with interactive workshops, discussion groups and panel interviews - learning from each other as well as experts.

Chaired by Geoffrey Podger, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the conference will feature a range of nationally-recognised speakers from organisations including Scottish Power, Cemex, Unite and Pinsent Masons.

The event will be opened with a panel of experts taking part in a discussion entitled "A day in the life of health and safety: overcoming your operational challenges", which will provide solutions to real issues raised by delegates.

On the panel will be Richard Claydon, global health and safety director at Cemex; Susan Murray, Unite national health and safety official at Unite Union; Shayne Tyler, operations manager at Manor Fresh; and Roger Bibbings, occupational safety adviser at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

A variety of workshops covering safety leadership, communication, and worker involvement will take place, with plenty of top tips and practical advice given and a case study will enable delegates to gain an insight into the real world of business, examining a genuine accident autopsy, looking at how it happened, and what it really cost.

Roger Bibbings said: "This type of event is a valuable opportunity to learn from other firms' successes - as well as to find out how they coped when things went wrong. Figures from the HSE show a rise of 24 workplace accident fatalities, from 147 in 2009/10 to 171 in 2010/11. Although the trend over the past few years indicates worker fatalities are generally decreasing, the most recent figures illustrate that occupational safety cannot be seen as a 'job done'.

"This year's forum is focused on how to get the most from health and safety management systems in terms of communicating the business case for health and safety and maximising any and all opportunities for excellence."

To book a place and see the programme visit: www.rospa.com/events/healthandsafetyforum or call the events hotline on 0121 248 2120.