Health & Safety Scotland 2015 preview

Health & Safety Scotland, taking place at the SECC, Glasgow on 22 and 23 April 2015, will provide visitors with a conference programme authored by the British Safety Council, live panel debates and an exhibition with many of the best known companies participating.

The free conference programme covers the latest risk and safety issues and will be presented by recognised industry experts who are able to deliver insight and relevant experience across various industries.

Something new and exciting for the event this year is a mock trial that will be led by international law firm, Pinsent Masons LLP. Entitled ‘A Construction Industry Accident - Who’s Fault? You Decide’, the mock trial will be split into two sessions: Part 1 - The Evidence; and Part 2 - The Verdict. The mock trial is a huge benefit for visitors as it will demonstrate how a health and safety prosecution unfolds following a ‘fall from height’ incident within the construction industry. Here, the audience, who will be sworn in as members of the jury before they enter the session, will get to watch an HSE inspector, the injured party and the managing director of the company being questioned and cross-examined before deciding the outcome.

Additionally, looking at what causes work related injuries and illness will be Dr Rosemary Campbell CMIOSH, independent Health, Safety and Environment contractor, who will be presenting a  seminar on ‘Competence and Getting the Right Things Done’. Dr Campbell says, although the annual numbers of fatal accidents have fallen, cultures still vary widely, with workplaces ranging from those with strong and well-informed leaders demanding continuous improvement, to others where basic and often inexpensive controls are not in place and the 'we’ve always done it that way' and 'it will never happen here' attitudes persist. In her seminar, Dr Campbell will share some of her experiences and make a case for improved competence and commitment at all levels, in order to narrow the gap in understanding between the boardroom and the shop floor.

On day two of the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to attend the seminar entitled 'The Person in Safety Culture', which is being delivered by Tim Marsh, managing director at Ryder Marsh Safety. Tim’s presentation will consider the role of the individual in setting an organisation’s risk safety culture - starting with the CEO and senior management. It will argue that once ‘diminishing returns’ have been reached with systems and processes, the three interconnected factors that distinguish the best companies are the quality of their learning and leadership and the amount of workforce empowerment. In particular, it will consider the critical role of nudges, norms and subconscious perceptions.

As well as its role in the conference, the British Safety Council will take a leading role in other educational activities at the event, including providing panellists for the ‘Safety Dialogue’ discussions. ‘Safety Dialogue’ is a round table discussion involving a live panel, during which experts discuss the latest issues and open up the floor to questions.

Other free educational activities that take place include practical seminars from the event’s partners such as Arco with their 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.

Additionally, back by popular demand, NQA’s health and safety guru Kevan Parker will explain how OHSAS 18001 can drive continual improvement of incident levels, accidents, near misses, hazards and lost working days in his seminar entitled ‘Improving Health & Safety Performance Metrics with OHSAS 18001’.

Exhibition

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.