Back on the road

Health & Safety North returns to The Reebok Stadium, Bolton, on 10th and 11th October 2012.

The last in this year's series of regional events, Health & Safety North will provide visitors with free education, a conference programme authored by the British Safety Council and an exhibition with many of the best known companies in the sector participating.

The comprehensive conference programme - chaired by Joscelyne Shaw, head of policy and influencing for the British Safety Council, on 10th October, and Neal Stone, director of policy and communications, on 11th October - is designed to be as valuable as any paid-for event.

London 2012 legacy One of the most eagerly awaited seminars will be 'The Greatest Show on Earth - Preparing for London 2012', delivered by Lawrence Waterman, head of health and safety, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). During his presentation, Lawrence will be touching on a number of themes that have brought the ODA a great amount of success. One of the major themes will be worker engagement and the successful way in which this has been used during the construction of the Olympic venues.

Lawrence said: "By just taking a few minutes before the start of every shift or project to talk to the workforce about the job they are undertaking, the equipment they will use, the hazards that are present and vitally, listening to them as they feed back on related issues has had an enormous effect. This is the kind of information that we can now share with people and that are relevant to all workplaces." Speaking about why he is looking forward to the event Lawrence added: "There is a very clear reason why I would take the chance to present at Bolton. The ODA is a publicly funded organisation very much focused on legacy. That legacy doesn't necessarily need to be bricks and mortar. When Seb Coe was over in Singapore seven years ago bidding for the Olympics, part of his message was that the legacy of the games would be used to inspire people. Part of that is through the health and safety success we have had - we can inspire people to even greater heights when working on large projects.

They can learn from our mistakes and successes."

Preparing for the long term Other current hot topics are addressed in the educational programme - for example a presentation taking place on day one will be 'Climate change and Business Resilience', presented by Dr Keith Whitehead, senior environmental advisor, British Safety Council. The presentation will provide an overview of business responses to the actual and potential impacts of climate change. "Proactive companies need to be looking at and predicting how climate change and severe weather patterns will affect their business in the long term," Dr Whitehead said. "Just this year we have had drought, record rain fall, high spring temperatures, high winds and snow. Businesses should be starting to think about what can be done now to adapt to and mitigate these impacts so that any business is aware of what to do when climate change does affect their business."

Update on prosecutions Seminars which cover the legal landscape are a regular, and hugely popular, element of the conference programme. One such seminar entitled 'Health and Safety - Looking Back at Last Year: Landmark Judgments' will be held in the afternoon of the first day and will cover two areas.

The first will look at the most significant court cases in the last 12 months and consider how they impact on the defence of future prosecutions and also what they mean for health and safety professionals in implementing risk management strategies. The second area covers the most recent cases successfully prosecuted by Fire Authorities under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The seminar is presented by Kevin Bridge, partner and regulatory lawyer at Pinsent Masons LLP, and is aimed at safety professionals, directors, managers and anyone who has responsibility for health and safety risk management.

The path to auditor As well as the British Safety Council educational programme, there are other, more practical, seminars taking place at Health & Safety North. For example visitors will be able to see NQA, with its presentation entitled 'Using Auditor Training to Achieve Certification to OHSAS 18001'.

Delivered by Andrew Burns Warren, health and safety auditor, and Jonathan Wilson, health and safety sector manager, NQA, the presentation will cover the process that an auditor goes through to become firstly an internal auditor and then a lead auditor. The presentation will also briefly cover the background of OHSAS 18001 and look at why companies implement a health and safety management system, looking at some potential pitfalls and structures.

Innovative products and services The event also has a substantial exhibition area where some of the leading product and service providers in the health and safety industry are exhibiting, and will be available to offer advice on the latest technology and business practices.

For example, NBC Bird & Pest Solutions will be showcasing two of its innovative bird control methods: falconry and fake fire gel. Visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with Hazel - a live Harris Hawk - on stand 148, where qualified bird control specialists will be on hand to explain the company's full range of services.

To register online or access the full conference programme timetable visit: www.healthandsafetyevents.co.uk