Innovation & education

Health & Safety South kicks off the trio of health & safety events for 2013 with dynamic new
features and an extensive conference programme

Health & Safety South, the first
in a series of three regional
events in 2013, will be held on
12 – 13 March at Sandown Park
Racecourse, Esher. The event has
multiple elements to provide visitors
with an array of benefits, including a
comprehensive conference programme
providing the latest updates on industry
trends and legislation; access to the best
suppliers of products and services; and
the opportunity to network with other
professionals.

The conference programme, organised in
conjunction with the British Safety
Council, covers a wide range of the most
relevant and pertinent topics affecting UK
industries today and will be delivered by
some of the most respected experts. One
of the seminars that visitors can look
forward to is ‘Directors in the Dock –
Could it be you?’ presented by Chris
Green, head of regulatory services in the
Midlands for Weightmans LLP. The
seminar which is aimed at all employers
as well as health and safety practitioners
will look at the HSE’s Fee for Intervention
(FFI) cost recovery scheme six months on
and how that has affected industry. The
seminar will also cover enforcement and
inspection of safety in the coalition era;
charging for inspectors, common sense
safety and the procedures for appealing
enforcement notices.

Green said: “I’m hoping to give
employers a better insight on their duties
and responsibilities when it comes to
health and safety within the company and
give them a ‘heads up’ on what to look out
for. The perception is that health and
safety is being enforced disproportionately
and judging by some of the recent media
headlines people may now be less likely to
volunteer to do a health and safety job due
to this. So, with this seminar I’m hoping
to straighten out any uncertainties an
individual may have within their job role.”
Characteristic of the diverse and expert
nature of the programme and its speakers
is a presentation that addresses the
various hazards catering organisations and
their workers face in their day-to-day
jobs. Zerxes Ghinwalla, group health &
food safety manager at Searcys, will
discuss ‘Succeeding in safety within the
hospitality sector’. Commenting on his
seminar, Ghinwalla said: “I will be looking
at the challenges faced in the hospitality
sector and discussing techniques and
methods to address the risks.

“One of the main challenges we face in
this sector is the number of ridiculous and
spurious legal claims that people make. It’s
a difficult issue to address because people
are constantly bombarded by messages
from the media and through advertising.

Those adverts that say ‘have you ever had
a slip, trip or a fall? Then you could make
a claim’ – are tempting people. I’m not
talking about people with a genuine
claim as they are entitled to the full
protection of the law but people who are
being tempted by the chance to make
some money.”
The seminar will also be addressing
communication and training within the
sector. As an industry the hospitality
sector has a high turnover of staff and
therefore it’s difficult to get the training
programme right. Ghinwalla added: “If
the staff are given a great deal of training
but leave after six months then the
investment is ‘wasted’ somewhat. But,
also how do you make sure that all the
staff are trained to the right level? This is
a tricky problem which I like to keep on
top of by conducting many training
sessions myself. The staff are at the sharp
end and I think by spending time with
them, you get a real perspective on what
the true challenges of the job are.”

Working together more closely
Highlighting the fact that he believes
health and safety should facilitate
business is Shaun Davis, group director of
safety, health & wellbeing at Royal Mail
Group, with his seminar entitled: ‘The
Health and Safety Professional as a
Business Partner’.

Commenting on the seminar which is
aimed at all health and safety
professionals, Davis said: “Business
partnering works really well in HR so
why can’t it work in health and safety?
HR business partnering is a well-known
process whereby HR professionals work
closely with business leaders and/or line
managers to achieve shared
organisational objectives. With this ‘track
record’ of success I’m pretty certain we
can all learn from this and apply some of
the key techniques to develop stronger
relationships within organisations!”
Davis adds that this process may
involve the formal designation of ‘health
and safety business partners’, which
means health and safety professionals
who are embedded within the business,
and sometimes act as part of a wider
process of operations. If this is the case,
which Davis proposes it is, certain
questions arise such as:

What is valuable business partnering?
Is there a return on investment, if so what is it?
What does business partnering look like?
What does success look like?

Interactive experience
As well as the British Safety Council
conference stream there are other, more
practical, seminars taking place across the
two days. Visitors will be able to see
vendors and event partners such as 3M
host two practical seminars on ‘PPE
Compatibility’ and ‘The Science of Fit’.

Something new for this year’s South
event is the ‘Safety Dialogue’ Live Panel
which will be held on both days of the
event. The panel offers visitors the
opportunity to engage with live debates
surrounding the most significant issues of
the day, and this year the panel of experts
will focus on the issues surrounding
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)
and specifically face fit testing for masks.

The panel includes top names such as
Frank Angear of the British Safety
Industry Federation (BSIF) and Alan
McArthur of 3M Safety Solutions.

Innovation in action
At the event there will also be a
substantial exhibition where the leading
product and service providers in the
health and safety sector are exhibiting and
will be available to advise on the latest
technology and business practices.

Health & Safety South is supported by
the British Safety Council and Safety
Groups UK. Furthermore, it was recently
announced that 3M Safety Solutions is to
be the lead sponsor for the series of
regional Health and Safety events in 2013.

The event is also officially endorsed by the
International Institute of Risk & Safety
Management (IIRSM). Health & Safety
South is free to enter and has free parking
but it is strongly recommended 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.uk or call
the event hotline on the telephone
number below.