The Health & Safety Event Preview 2016

‘3 days to save a life’ is the theme of this year’s event, which has been expanded once again to offer visitors even more in the way of educational content, interactive forums and product manufacturers and service providers.

Conference sessions

Free education is a major reason to visit and the 2016 programme is particularly well-timed to debate the latest legislative changes. The main conference theatre will host a programme which has been curated by the combined expertise of the British Safety Council (BSC) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). There are many highlights but one session which stands out is that presented by Rory Underwood, the former England rugby international and ex-RAF pilot who will open the final day’s sessions.

Described as “a thought provoking and challenging presentation given by someone who has lived and breathed safety in completely different environments,” Rory will use his experience of flight safety to provide an enlightening talk on behavioural safety throughout other sectors. He will also be using analogies from his experience of international rugby and as a jet pilot to highlight issues in successful management and leadership, in a health and safety context. Following his presentation Rory will be available to meet in the Alcumus cafe.

The full educational programme is online to view at: www.healthandsafetyevents.co.uk but there are many high profile, hugely respected presenters speaking on a broad range of topics that are on the cutting edge of where the sector is headed, be that in terms of legislation or technology.

Setting the scene on March 22nd, Kevin Myers, director general, Regulation, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) will outline its strategy for the present and future. “One of the priorities that I will be covering is about how to refresh, re-engage – and widen – the GB ‘health and safety system’," says Kevin. "One key area where that is necessary is in respect of the health agenda, which is a challenge given the complexities of health issues, the interface between work-related exposure to risk and non-work-related exposure and the long latency of some health issues.”

Next up, Chris Green will look at the latest legislative updates and has advised that he is looking very much to concentrate on the change to the sentencing guidelines that came into effect in February 2016. “The timing of The Health and Safety Event is perfect”, says Chris. “In my experience the changes to the size of potential fines, which are linked now to company turnover, that the sentencing guidelines are potentially going to implement means that there is more discussion of this topic at board level than I can ever remember.”

Chris believes that those attending his session will be able to return to their places of work and advise their boards or senior managers more accurately. But equally, he views the event as being a 360-degree exercise as his interaction allows him and his company Weightmans LLP to understand what practitioners are facing and thinking.

Emma Currie closes the first day by taking visitors on a creative journey using fiction to change safety culture. In a thought-provoking, interactive session, she will borrow techniques from the world of film and TV and ask participants to use their knowledge of people, places and syndromes to create a film pitch with a difference. From the safety of this fictitious world, Emma will work with the group to show how little it takes to shift the behaviour of just one character to flip a disaster film into one with a happy ending.

“The goal is to try and bring to life what might seem like a very obvious issue at one level, but one which is not always apparent in the corporate environment, namely that humans, not systems, are the central characters in every story; but sometimes the system takes centre stage and is so dominant that people become detached from their own wisdom. When this happens, good communication, common sense and ownership take the day off and accidents can happen,” explains Emma.

“What I am trying to do in using story-telling, is to reveal some of that basic psychology. Human stories bring vital context to corporate systems. Stories have been used since the dawn of man to shape societies and address common values and goals and to inspire wisdom.”

Demonstrating the wealth and depth of expertise available at this year’s show, Dr Tim Marsh, MD of the consultancy RyderMarshSharman, kicks off the second day by exploring cultural basics and offers a fascinating overview of risk literacy.

“I’ll be looking at the way safety is dealt with from a leadership perspective," says Tim. "What you really want is transformational leadership. That’s coaching not telling; praise not criticism; empowerment; and leading by example. Once you’ve hit diminishing returns in terms of compliance, all the action is in learning with an open mind, leadership and delivering empowerment.”

Mike Gillespie, whose seminar follows on, addresses information security, business continuity, information governance and physical security and training. Seemingly a fish out of water when speaking to health and safety professionals, Mike, the founder of Advent IM, an independent holistic security consultancy, connects the two worlds very easily. “Regarding cyber security and information security and the attitude towards it, we are where the health and safety industry has come from, we aren’t taken seriously at board level,” says Mike.

“Financial risk is discussed at board level, so increasingly is health and safety risk and cyber risk really needs to be considered a natural topic for good corporate governance but largely currently it is dismissed as there is an enormous lack of understanding of how to manage information, and the dangers of not doing so, in the modern age.”

Emphasising his point Mike references an automotive vehicle recall that took place recently because a Wi-Fi enabled car management system was not secure which could have led to car accidents. As can be appreciated at this point the lines are blurred about who is responsible for such a problem which emphasises Mike’s point about essentially it all being risk related. A thought provoking presentation, not to be missed.

Closing day two, Neal Stone, policy and standards director at the British Safety Council, chairs a team of expert panellists from HSE, Land Securities, CITB and Bovis Homes, to debate the most pressing issues in the construction industry. The panellists are Tony Mitchell, HM principal inspector at HSE, Clive Johnson, head of health and safety at Land Securities, Paul Haxell, group health and safety and environment director at Bovis Homes and Kevin Fear, head of health, safety and environment at CITB.

In what is expected to be an incredibly lively debate, Neal, assisted by the audience, will probe the panel about three key issues: what the sector needs to do to ensure that construction workers have the necessary competence to keep themselves and others healthy and safe at work, the likely impact of increased penalties for health and safety breaches following the introduction of the Sentencing Council guidelines in February and the effectiveness of CDM 2015.

“I think sufficient time has lapsed since the CDM 2015 has come into force for the panellists to address some questions about the effectiveness of the regulations,” says Neal. “For example, there are still some concerns about whether or not there is sufficient clarity about the roles of the various duty holders. There are also still some live issues around CDM, including whether or not designers actually get it and do they understand the principles of prevention? There are going to be some interesting questions.”

Opening the final day, Rory Underwood will be using his experience of flight safety to provide an enlightening talk on behavioural safety throughout other sectors. Rory will be using analogies from his experience in international rugby and as a jet pilot to highlight issues in successful management and leadership in a health & safety context.

Following Rory's talk, Neil Cheyne, Senior Trainer & Technical Consultant at The Fire Protection Association (FPA), will provide insight on fire safety. Neil has spent more than 30 years working for various fire and rescue services in a variety of roles. Upon joining the FPA in May 2005, Neil has been involved in the delivery of a range of courses including basic fire awareness, fire risk assessment workshops and those in support of the National Occupational Standards for Fire Safety to a variety of clients.

Closing the final day, Clive Johnson of Land Securities will address the topic of health in the construction industry. Recently Clive founded the Health in Construction Leadership Group in order that ‘health’ in the sector be afforded the same weight as ‘safety’. The group is hosting a breakfast in January where 200 CEOs of construction companies and their clients will hear more about the problems surrounding health in the sector and Clive will be feeding back on this event in March. He will also be talking about the wider activities that his group are looking at, addressing such areas as getting architects to design out health risks in their buildings and the materials they use and he will also address mental health.

“I see the audience at the Health and Safety Event as being very much the kinds of people who might attend our ‘Summit of the Do’ers’. After we have got buy-in from the CEOs then we need people with expertise, empathy and skills to help us implement these initiatives and that’s very much the kind of people I am looking to engage with in March,” says Clive.

Lions’ Lair
Alongside the traditionally more passive educational content, there are also several interactive programmes for delegates to participate in. Brand new for 2016 is ‘Lions’ Lair’. Based loosely on a popular TV series, 16 finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of experts in two sessions on the first and second days (see Lions’ Lair box). Behind this new feature sits a serious point. ‘Lions’ Lair’ is designed to encourage innovation but also to allow visitors to witness innovative products, services and concepts being presented simply and quickly by experts, who are quizzed by the panel.

The four panelists for 22nd March are: John Cairns, chairman of Safety Groups UK; Liz Skelton, IOSH vice president; John Holt, director, health, safety and environment at Rolls-Royce Plc: and Nick Warburton, a safety industry specialist from Technical Publicity and former editor of Safety & Health Practitioner.
On 23rd March, the four panelists are: John Cairns, chairman of Safety Groups UK; Rob Strange, past CEO of both IOSH and the Association for Project Safety (APS) and a board level advisor with Southalls, Dr Tim Marsh, managing director of the consultancy RyderMarshSharman; and Steve Perkins, chief executive of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.
Renowned ex-England rugby international Rory Underwood, who will be speaking in the main conference theatre of the final morning, will present the prized ‘Lions’ Lair’ crown to the winner and a highly commended award to the three other finalists.

BOX
Lions’ Lair finalists
The eight finalists pitching their innovations on 22nd March are:
    •    Casella: Airwave App
    •    Safety Apps: Risk Assessor App
    •    Safety Media: Enterprise portal risk management software
    •    SoNQ: Compliance software

    •    3M: 6000i series end of service life indicator filters
    •    Reactec: HAVWEAR, wrist mounted monitor
    •    Shawcity: Multi Gas Clip (MSC) personal gas monitor
    •    TSI Instruments: Environmental DustTrak Aerosol Monitor

The eight finalists pitching their innovations on 23rd March are:
    •    3M: Scotchgard anti-fog coating for safety eyewear
    •    Bolle Safety: Silium+ safety eye shield
    •    D R Workwear: Embedded washable high intensity LED workwear range
    •    Scott Safety: First Base 3 baseball-style bump cap

    •    A-Safe: iFlex industrial barrier protection system
    •    Ejendals: FootStop Service digital foot scanner
    •    Fortress Distribution: Yuleys hands free, reusable shoe covers
    •    Oxford Safety Components: Insulated trellis mat safety platform

END
It is hoped that the ‘Lions’ Lair’ will make more people aware of the great leaps that are being taken in health and safety technology that, returning to the theme of the whole event, could save a life.
Join the debate
The event will also feature once again a Safety Dialogue Theatre. Sponsored by 3M, the number of debates will be increased to four 30 minute sessions per day. The format sees a roundtable discussion involving a live panel during which experts discuss the latest issues and open up the floor to questions from the audience (see box below for further details). Topics for discussion will be: Hearing conservation; RPE/fit testing; prevention culture and training competence.

BOX
Safety Dialogue Theatre

Tuesday 22 March 2016
11.20-11.50: Hearing Conservation

1) Clare Forshaw Health Specialist - Hearing Conservation and Vibration Management
Engineering & Personal Safety Unit, HSL

2) David O’Malley, Chartered Occupational Hygienist, BOHS

3) Simon Field, 3M

4) Shaun Knott, manager, Casella
 

12.20-12.50: RPE/Fit Testing/Respiratory Disease Prevention

1) David O’Malley, Chartered Occupational Hygienist, BOHS

2) Alan McArthur, 3M

3) Clare Forshaw, HSL
 

13.20-13.50: Behavioural Safety / Prevention Culture

1) Jen Webster, occupational psychologist, HSL

2) George Elliott, 3M

3) Helen Devery, a partner at the UK’s leading insurance law firm BLM.

 
S1G 15.20-15.40: Training and Demonstrating Competence

1) BOHS - Colette Willoughby, BOHS member and asbestos consultant, no

2) Barry Wilkes - Development Manager, NEBOSH

3) Alan McArthur, 3M

4) Paul Wilson, SHEQ/Risk Manager, MRS Training and Rescue.

 
Wednesday 23 March 2016
11.20-11.50: RPE/Fit Testing/Respiratory Disease Prevention

1) BOHS Alex Wilson, occupational hygienist and BOHS Council member (works for Rolls Royce)

2) Alan McArthur, 3M

3) Clare Forshaw, HSL

12.20-12.50: Training and Demonstrating Competence

1) Colette Willoughby, BOHS member and asbestos consultant

2) Teresa Budworth – Chief Executive, NEBOSH

3) Alan McArthur, 3M

4) Paddy McManus,  East Midlands Station Manager, MRS Training and Rescue.

13.20-13.50: Behavioural Safety / Prevention Culture

1) Jen Webster, occupational psychologist, HSL

2) Louise Hosking - Hosking Associates

3) George Elliott, 3M

 
15.20-15.40: Hearing Conservation

1) Alex Wilson, occupational hygienist and BOHS Council member (works for Rolls Royce)

2) Simon Field, 3M

3) Shaun Knott, manager, Casella

4) Clare Forshaw, HSL
 
 
Thursday 24 March 2016

11.10-11.40: Behavioural Safety / Prevention Culture

1) Jen Webster, occupational psychologist

2) George Elliott, 3M

3) TBC

11.50-12.20: Hearing Conservation
1) Sean Mahar, BOHS

2) Simon Field, 3M

3) Shaun Knott, manager, Casella

4) Clare Forshaw, HSL

 
12.30-13.00: RPE/Fit Testing/Respiratory Disease Prevention
1) Sean Mahar, BOHS

2) Alan McArthur, 3M

3) Clare Forshaw, HSL
 

13.10-13.40: Training and Demonstrating Competence

1) Colette Willoughby, BOHS member and asbestos consultant, no

2) Dee Arp – Standards Manager, NEBOSH

3) Alan McArthur, 3M

4) Andrew Watson, Commercial Director, MRS Training and Rescue.

END

Safer Logistics
Returning once again and with a superb programme of speakers is the Safer Logistics Theatre. Sponsored by Toyota and A-Safe, the theatre will host seminars by such respected bodies as the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the United Kingdom Warehousing Association. Visitors can also hear how safety barrier specialists A-Safe and the British Standards Institution have been collaborating on raising standards for barrier protection.

While the full programme is still being finalised RTITB will be tackling the issues of driver behaviour and risk taking and the FLTA will also be focusing on forklift truck-related issues.

Breakfast briefings
Visitors are invited to attend the hugely popular breakfast briefings, which are located in the Safer Logistics Theatre and start at 9am each day before the exhibition opens. Sponsored by Evac+Chair, the breakfast briefings provide a unique opportunity for delegates to meet their peers, network and hear from three noted guest speakers. Spaces are limited so delegates will need to pre-register and ensure they arrive early.

On the first day, Ed Galea, a renowned expert on emergencies, who has advised many of the world’s governments on how to avoid potential disasters, will be sharing real-life experiences such as 9/11 with delegates. Howard Passey from the Institute of Fire Safety Managers offers an insightful presentation on evacuation and competency in the industry on the second day. Howard joined the Fire Protection Association in 1992 and, as principal consultant, he undertakes consultancy projects, including fire safety audits, fire strategy development and review, inspections and risk assessments and advises clients on fire safety legislation and practice, particularly regarding building design and construction. Jonathan Herrick, head of fire safety for the West Midlands Fire Service, opens the final day and will talk about fire safety competence and better regulation. In 2014-2016, Jonathan was seconded to the Chief Fire Officer Association (CFOA) as lead officer for better regulation and has worked in the fire service for nearly 25 years.

Following the breakfast briefings, John Cairns, chairman, Safety Groups UK, will explain the benefits of projects such as the Health Risks at Work initiative, which provides information to help small businesses manage work risks. He will also highlight the LOcHER project (Learning Occupational Health through Experiencing Risk), which raises the awareness of young people preparing to enter the workforce through practical demonstrations in colleges.

Co-locations

At the heart of all this activity The Health & Safety Event is centred on an exhibition that includes the most well recognised trade bodies, manufacturers and distributors, training providers and consultants in the health and safety sector, giving visitors access to new information and experts. Giving the event an even broader appeal is its co-location alongside the Industrial Maintenance themed event ‘Maintec’ and the Facilities Management event. This co-location allows those from a wide range of industry types and sectors to access targeted information in one visit.

The ‘3 days to save a life’ theme is in reference to all of the activity taking place at the NEC during 22nd to 24th March. The final word belongs to Tim Else, event director: “It may be that the vital piece of information that helps one of our visitors to save a life comes from attending a seminar or from a fellow visitor during a Safety Dialogue session. It might be that they see a new piece of technology highlighted as part of Lions’ Lair or being demonstrated on a stand. We feel by offering our visitors a cross-section of activities to attend, experts to talk to and equipment to test, feel and handle that we are doing everything we can to continually improve the health and safety knowledge and performance of businesses within the United Kingdom.”

The hashtag for The Health and Safety Event is #hsenec