Seminars and special zones

The inaugural Health & Safety Midlands event takes place at The National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on the 12th and 13th September. In addition to an exhibition featuring many of the well-known names from the world of health and safety, there will be a series of topical seminars and plenty of networking opportunities

The wide-ranging conference programme will be chaired by Neal Stone, director of policy and communications for the British Safety Council on Wednesday 12th September.

Joscelyne Shaw, head of policy and influencing, takes the chair on Thursday 13th.

The conference programme, put together by the British Safety Council, will be covering the latest news and legislative updates within the industry. Opening the conference will be Rosi Edwards, regional director, Wales, Midlands and South West, HSE, whose presentation is called 'What the HSE is and isn't looking for from dutyholders'.

Commenting on her presentation Rosi said: Businesses need to concentrate on what is important for them to be successful as a business and hopefully this seminar will help them focus on what matters from a health and safety standpoint." Her presentation will refer to the guidance issued by the 'Institute of Directors' in relation to the HSE and although the seminar is not just for directors (it will also benefit health and safety professionals who want to communicate with directors) it does however discuss why directors need to know what is happening in their business and how to gain this knowledge through honest and open communication with staff.

The presentation called 'Directors in the Dock-Could it be you?' will be delivered by Chris Green, lead partner of Weightmans LLP. The seminar is aimed at all employers in the industry as well as health and safety practitioners and will cover enforcement and inspection of safety in the coalition era; charging for inspectors, common sense safety and the procedures for appealing enforcement notices. Chris 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 judging by some of the recent media headlines. People are now less likely to volunteer to do a health and safety job due to this, and so with this seminar I'm hoping to straighten out any uncertainties an individual may have within their job role." Other, more practical, seminars will take place across the two-day event. For example visitors will be able to attend 3M's presentation 'Are you fit enough? A practical guide to fit testing and competency', and Ansell Occupational Healthcare's presentation 'Productivity & comfort at work' - contradictory or complementary?'

Three new zones In addition there are three new exhibition zones planned for the Midlands event: 'Cleaning & Hygiene Zone', aimed at providing the latest information for those who as well as having safety responsibilities are also responsible for specifying and purchasing cleaning products and services; 'Live Demonstration Zone', offering visitors the chance to see how new product technologies can dramatically improve the safety of the workforce, improve worker comfort and therefore reduce costs and enhance productivity; and finally the 'Height Safety Zone', which will not only provide access to many of the UK's leading manufacturers of fall arrest and prevention equipment and training services, but will provide educational seminars and live demonstrations on both days of the event.

Alongside event partners 3M, Ansell, Arco, NQA and DuPont, Health & Safety Midlands is supported by the British Safety Council and Safety Groups UK and officially endorsed by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM).

Health & Safety Midlands is free to enter and has free parking but it is highly recommended that visitors register in advance to facilitate speed of entry and to ensure seminar places as these always prove popular.