Health, Safety and Wellbeing

In order to deliver a relevant and forward thinking show in 2013, the teams at Safety & Health Expo recently hosted a series of focus groups to find out exactly how the role of today’s health & safety and facilities management professional is evolving. The results found that alongside day-to-day responsibilities the top challenges within health & safety was the safety culture within the workplace and managing employee health and wellbeing.

This research and industry insight has helped to shape the event this year, which returns to Birmingham’s NEC from the 14-16 May 2013. The event these year will not only provide the latest information on products and legislation, industry case studies, seminars from the leading voices from across the sector whilst also offering access to top associations and CPD opportunities, Safety and Health Expo will offer practical solutions for every practitioner that they can take back with them to implement within their workspace.

Industry Support
Safety and Health Expo is Europe’s leading annual exhibition for the occupational safety and health industry and the only health and safety show to have exclusive support of key industry partners including the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF).

Safety & Health Expo 2013 will welcome over 300 exhibitors, with everything from fire safety management to environmental control, PPE and training covered. New exhibitors to the show this year include HB Protective Clothing, Rocky Brands and Superior Glove Works alongside returning favourites Draeger Safety, Portwest Clothing, Scott Safety and ATG Gloves. Safety & Health Expo provides unrivalled opportunities to discover the latest products and services for the industry, take part in informative and interactive educational session whilst networking with peers across three days, making this an essential date in the calendar for the safety and health industry.

Interactive Sessions
The Arco Academy returns with more interactive sessions than ever before; encouraging visitors to take part in live demonstrations and discussions that centre on education through innovation, and the growing role behavioural safety is playing in transforming safety cultures across the globe.

The IOSH Networks Arena will host a series of events focusing on specific IOSH Industry Groups including the IOSH Retail and Distribution Group, IOSH Construction Group and the IOSH Sports Ground and Events Group. Amongst others, these exclusive events will allow both members and non-members of IOSH to meet with other health and safety professionals working within their sector.

Taking one of the sessions, Tim Roberts, head of health and safety at Glastonbury Festival will discuss the issues of maintaining safety at major public events.

Dr Ioannis Toutoungi, health and safety manager for construction at Gatwick Airport will take a session on organisational culture and safety at Gatwick Airport.

Also in the IOSH Arena, Steve Manchester, business group manager for fire safety for BRE Global will look at handling flammable gases, liquids and dusts, and ensuring DSEAR compliance.

The Barbour Directors Club will offer an unmissable opportunity for networking with top tier management working within health and safety, whilst also providing essential, commercially driven debates on the issues faced by leaders across the globe.

Wellbeing
The introduction of the Health & Wellbeing Theatre will address issues around boosting productivity within the workplace through a variety of initiatives, including stress management, ergonomics, behavioural safety, equality and diversity. The sessions will cover employer obligations, how to promote health and wellbeing throughout the workplace and the impact this has on the bottom line.

With one in ten workers reporting a  work-related health problem this is a huge challenge for all employers. However, combating work-related illness and injury doesn’t need to cost your company a fortune, in fact changing the culture within your business could save your organisation a tidy sum.

So what could you be doing to more effectively tackle the absence and injury culture within your workplace? Confirmed sessions so far include the importance of hand hygiene, managing conflict in the workplace, cognitive behavioural therapy, technology to reduce stress.

A drive for better Health & Safety
Also new this year at Safety and Health Expo 2013 is the Business Driver Safety Zone, launching in partnership with Fleet21 and Honda UK. With so much misunderstanding surrounding certain areas of business driver safety and compliance, this new feature promises to be an informative and valuable addition to the show exploring key areas of health and safety legislation, different types of training available and their effectiveness in combating road risk.

Safety and Health Expo 2013 also returns with its most popular features including the SHP Legal Arena will bring together a ‘dream team’ of legal experts including regular SHP columnist Kevin Bridges from Pinsent Masons; Jon Cooper from Bond Pearce; Peter Forshaw of Weightmans; and Ron Reid from Shoosmiths.  Joining them will be many other leading solicitors, presenting the most significant health and safety cases and topics, offering vital advice on how to avoid costly workplace incidents and prosecutions.

Protection and Management Shows
Safety & Health Expo is co-located with the Facilities Show, the annual event solely dedicated to one of the fastest growing professions in the UK and Europe. See page 67 for a full preview of the event.

What’s more, attendees to the Safety & Health Expo and Facilities Show will also be able to attend both IFSEC International, the largest event for the security industry that annually brings together the entire security buying chain in one place (see page 15 for the full event preview), and FIREX International, the leading event for every professional involved in fire protection, prevention and detection.  All four shows offer a broad range of information, including the latest products and services plus a host of seminars and presentations from across all sectors.

Further information
www.safety-health-expo.co.uk