Insights into excellent health and safety performance

The British Safety Council is organising a full programme of free educational seminars and promoting its range of health, safety and environmental management products and services for business and individuals at the free-to-attend Health & Safety Scotland exhibition at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) on 22-23 April.

 

As the official educational partner for the exhibition, the British Safety Council has arranged for expert speakers to present on important developments and thinking around the most effective ways of protecting people from the risk of injury and ill health at work. The speakers and topics have been specially selected to provide an insight into ways of achieving excellent health and safety performance – from understanding the implications of recent and forthcoming legislative changes, to achieving a positive safety culture and managing the potentially hazardous work activities of contractors.

 

Safety culture

One of the talks on the first day, Wednesday 22 April, will be on how to ensure competence and commitment to health and safety throughout an organisation. Dr Rosemary Campbell, an independent health, safety and environmental consultant with almost 30 years’ experience in the field, will argue that in far too many workplaces, poor board and management leadership means that basic and often inexpensive health and safety controls are lacking, and a dangerous ‘it’ll never happen here attitude’ persists.

Drawing on her own experiences of developing effective safety cultures at work, Rosemary will make the case for ensuring competence and commitment to safety at all levels of a business, in turn ‘narrowing the gap between the board room and the shop floor’ and challenging the ‘complacency which can arise from nothing very serious happening, yet’.

On day two, Dr Tim Marsh, managing director of safety culture consultancy RyderMarshSharman, will explore related topics by outlining the important role of individuals – starting with the CEO and senior managers – in establishing a positive risk management culture. Tim, a chartered safety practitioner and psychologist who advises employers on issues such as safety leadership, will argue that the key interconnected factors that distinguish the companies with the best health and safety performance are the quality of their learning and leadership and the amount of workforce empowerment.

 

Mock trial

Another highlight of day two will be an interactive mock criminal trial hosted by leading health and safety lawyers from international law firm Pinsent Masons LLP.

A construction firm and its managing director will be ‘tried’ following a serious workplace injury and the MD, the injured worker and the investigating HSE inspector will all be cross-examined by real-life lawyers before the assembled audience are asked to deliver the ‘jury’s verdict’. Among the lawyers taking part are Craig Connal QC, a partner at Pinsent Masons LLP, who was the first solicitor-advocate in Scotland to be appointed to the rank of Queens Counsel (QC); and Laura Cameron, a partner and head of the Litigation & Regulatory Group at Pinsent Masons, who is also chair of the Health and Safety Lawyers Association in Scotland.

 

 

The other presentations are:

·Changing face of health and safety law and enforcement – Laura Cameron, partner and head of the Litigation & Regulatory Group, Pinsent Masons LLP

·Managing contractor health and safety – Doug Wilson, UK director, health & safety, ScottishPower

·Noise surveys at work – Shaun Knott, business manager, Casella.

As well as the British Safety Council seminars, there will be free presentations and round table discussions by other expert organisations ¬– for example, from global certification specialists NQA on the benefits of achieving the OHSAS 18001 health and safety management and ISO 22301 business continuity planning standards.

Other free educational activities that take place include practical seminars from the event’s partners such as Arco with its seminar called ‘Don’t Be In the Dark’. Presented by Ken Smith, divisional director of Arco Training and Consultancy, the seminar will look to touch on the introduction of the new approved Code of Practice and Guidance L101 for confined spaces and look at the changes and how they might affect different organisations. With the new Code of Practice there are now more areas to consider, more industries that might be governed by confined space regulations and more emphasis on tasks that create a hazardous area that might be a confined space.

 

CPD points

Neal Stone, the British Safety Council’s acting chief executive, who drew up the British Safety Council’s seminar programme and will be chairing the talks, said: "Although both the number and incidence of work-related injuries and ill health in Scotland have fallen significantly over the past 40 years, with 20 people being killed in workplace incidents in Scotland in 2013/14 and the country’s fatal injury rate for workers running at almost twice that of Great Britain overall, there is still great scope for Scottish employers to improve their management of risks to workers’ health and safety.

 

"Our seminars will shine a light on some of the critical health and safety challenges facing businesses, the public and third sectors in Scotland today and seek to improve employers’ understanding of how to prevent workplace injury and ill health, which is estimated to cost the UK £14.8bn each year.

 

"Our expert speakers have extensive knowledge and a proven track record of ensuring health and safety compliance and driving improvements, and there will be ample opportunities to question them on issues of concern and interest.

"Attendance at the seminars also provides an opportunity to gain vital credits for continuing professional development (CPD) schemes overseen by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM).

"The staff of the British Safety Council also look forward to meeting visitors on Stand 60 where we will be pleased to explain how we can help you and your organisation, through our extensive range of products and services, meet the challenge of effectively managing occupational health and safety risks.”

As well as the educational content the major attraction is still a substantial exhibition where the biggest names in health and safety are to be found. Major equipment vendors, service providers and distributors all have experts available to answer direct queries regarding applications.

Health & Safety Scotland is supported by the British Safety Council, Safety Groups UK and 3M Safety Solutions is the lead sponsor. The event is also officially endorsed by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM). The Scotland event is free to enter but it is strongly recommend that visitors register in advance to facilitate speed of entry and for guaranteed seminar places as these are extremely popular.

 

To register online visit www.healthandsafetyevents.co.ukor call the event hotline on: 0870 4866816.

 

 

BOX

 

British Safety Council conference programme

Conference: Wednesday 22 April 2015

The changing face of health and safety law and enforcement – Laura Cameron, Partner and Head of the Litigation & Regulatory Group, Pinsent Masons LLP

Competence and getting the right things done – Dr Rosemary Campbell CMIOSH, independent health, safety and environment contractor

Noise doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated – Shaun Knott, Business Manager, Casella

Contractor health & safety – stakeholders & proportionate process controls – Doug Wilson, UK Director, Health & Safety, ScottishPower.

 

Conference: Thursday 23 April 2015

The person in safety culture – Tim Marsh, Managing Director, RyderMarshSharman Limited

A mock trial: A construction industry accident – who’s fault? You decide – Craig Connal QC, Partner; Laura Cameron, Partner and Head of the Litigation & Regulatory Group; Katherine Brydon, Senior Associate; and Stacy Keen, Associate, all from Pinsent Masons LLP.

END