Safety, Health & Environmental Forum (Scotland)

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News

John Cairns runner-up in PPE Section of Business Manager Awards

John Cairns, PPE Officer of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Chair of SHEF(S) and Vice-Chairman of Safety Groups UK, was declared the runner-up in the PPE (Personal Protective Clothing) Section of The Business Manager Awards presented as part of the Workwear and Corporate Clothing Show in Birmingham.

The award was presented by fashion and workwear design icon, Jeff Banks, at a glittering award ceremony held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel at Birmingham’s NEC.

John Cairns (2nd from left) and Alex McAllister of Lion Apparal Receiving their award from Jeff Banks (far left) and Bill Colven (far right) Global Business Director of Awards sponsors, Invista's Cordura Brand.

Members Day & End of Session

The 17th June sees the final meeting of the 2008-2009 session. Dona McLafferty & Alan Gunn will be speaking on their specialist topics - Eye care and Health & Safety Software. What a great year it's been! We've seen a large number of new members join and old members get back involved. The group won the Alan Butler Award for Communication and we've had some really great meetings - Safety Panto and SFR Technical Rescue Visit being highlights. Next session promises to be even better, so spread the word and get involved.

Technical Rescue Training Centre Site Visit

The site visit to Strathclyde Fire & Rescue’s Technical Rescue Training Centre in Hamilton took place on the 20th May.  You can see a video of the day here. The centre came about as a result of 9/11, the ICL Plastics factory explosion in May 2004 and the 7/7 London bombings in 2005.  Named Grovepark, after the street where ICL Plastics was based, the centre trains Strathclyde fire fighters in Road Traffic Collisions, Trauma Management, Urban Search and Rescue, Rope Rescue and Confined Space/Trench Rescue.

First Charges for Corporate Manslaughter

A company has become the first in the UK to be charged under the 2007 Corporate Manslaughter Act. Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings is accused over the death of employee Alexander Wright, 27, who was killed when a pit collapsed in September 2008. See BBC for more.

Enforcement

Despite our best efforts, sometimes things go wrong and the organisations we work for and their employees can face enforcement and prosecution. Peter Gray QC from the HSLA will be discussing prosecution and sentencing of companies, the increasing use of existing powers to prosecute directors and criminal liability of companies and directors in relation to fatal road traffic and construction accidents. This is an excellent opportunity to bring directors and other key management staff to hear about the risk of failing to comply and the consequences in event of conviction.

AGM & Strategy Update

The SHEF(S) Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday 18th march 2009. The meeting included a presentation from Lesley Hammond on the HSE's future strategy.

Deadly Rules

A recent article in The Guardian reports that Health & Safety should be common sense, but do we all use it?

Be part of the Solution - HSE Consultation

The HSE's consultation on future strategy closes on Monday 2nd March. Feedback from the seven consultation workshops is available on the HSE Website.

Picture Gallery Live

The picture gallery is now available.

STRESS!!

Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health. That means sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in your organisation. HSE’s Nicola Urqhuart spoke about Management Standards that can help you, your employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress on your business.

SHEF(S) Temporary Venue Change

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue are in the process of upgrading their reception area, which means we are unable to use the McGill Theatre for our meetings. Thankfully, the University of the West of Scotland have offered us Room C3.5 in the Caird Building, Caird Street in the Hamilton Campus. It's only a stones throw from Fire Headquarters, here are directions if you need them.

Scottish Construction Safety Forum

The Scottish Construction Forum is holding a major seminar on health and safety entitled “AIMING HIGH – LANDING SAFELY” at Glasgow City Chambers on the morning of Wednesday 18 February 2009. Key speakers include Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism and Stephen Williams, Chief Inspector of Construction (UK), HSE Director for London and 2012 Olympic Games. The cost is £75, you can download the booking form here.

Alan Butler Awards Presentation Ceremony

Thursday, 22nd January saw SHEF(S) travel to the House of Lords to be presented with the prize for Category 4 – Best Communication of the Alan Butler Awards.  View more photographs in the gallery. The day included a tour of the Palace of Westminster, meeting of SGUK in the Moses Room in the House of Lords, Luncheon with Baroness Gibson and the presentation ceremony in the Cholmondeley Room on the Terrace.  Lord Jordan of Bournville, the new President of RoSPA presented SHEF(S) with their award certificate.

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

Now that the Christmas holidays are past, it seems like a good time to make some new years resolutions. One of the best might be to tackle the difficult issue of Alcohol and Drug misuse in the workplace. A study by Norwich Union shows that over three quarters of employers consider alcohol to be the number one threat to employee wellbeing. David Todd from Grendonstar, a leading authority on the problems associated with drugs and alcohol in the workplace will be dispensing his thoughts at the next meeting, come along and get your fix.

Happy New Year!

SHEF(S) would like to wish everyone a Happy, Prosperous and Safe 2009. We look forward to seeing you at this years meetings. Please remember to renew your subscriptions and note the change of location for the February and March meetings.

Christmas Pantomime

SHEF(S) Christmas Special, in association with the HSLA and Simpson & Marwick filled the McGill Theatre at Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Headquarters. The event even merited a mention in The Herald. One of Santa's Elves had an accident at work, both he and Santa give evidence before the Sheriff. What will the outcome be? A fantastic look at legislation with a funny Christmas flavour.

YouGov Research shows Scots are most safety aware

YouGov interviewed 4140 adults (weighted in order to be nationally representative) between 28 and 31 March. Published results showed employees in Scotland were more safety aware than any other part of the UK.

SHEF(S) Win Alan Butler Award

SHEF Scotland is extremely proud to announce winning category 4 – Best Communication of the Alan Butler Awards for Excellence. The Group submitted an entry using our new website as the key feature.  The awards will be presented at a Luncheon hosted by Lord Brougham & Vaux in the House of Lords in January 2009.  All members are invited to attend, the cost of the luncheon is £60 and includes the opportunity to tour the Houses and climb Big Ben.

Review of Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) in Scotland

The Rt Hon Lord Cullen of Whitekirk KT has announced an examination into the operation of judicial inquiries into sudden, suspicious or unexplained deaths. The exercise aims to ensure that Scotland has an effective and practical system of public inquiry into deaths, which is fit for the times.

Joint Meeting with IIRSM

The 9th Annual joint meeting with IIRSM took place on the 19th of November where Keith Scott, Chairman of IIRSM, spoke on affective safety management. With his fascinating anecdotes and wealth of experience, Keith’s presentation offered an interactive discussion that highlighted some excellent ideas on communication across all levels of an organisation and tips on improving behavioural safety from the top down.

HSE & Construction Skills Joint Event

The joint event with HSE and Construction Skills involved a site visit to Johnstone High School in Renfrew.  Students of the Pre-apprenticeship Course from Reid Kerr College were given a tour of the site where refurbishment works are being carried out by Clark Contracts.  They sat a CSCS type quiz with a prize being awarded to the student with the highest score.  

Legal Update from MMS

Aisha Anwar from Maclay Murray & Spens LLP gave us a legal update on the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 and the Health and Safety (Offences) Bill.  The Private Members' Bill, which received Royal Assent on the 16th October 2008, will amend Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to raise the maximum penalty available in the lower courts to £20,000 for most safety offences, and to make imprisonment an option for more breaches.

New 2008 - 2009 Session

We are looking forward to an exciting new session beginning on the 17th September. Maclay, Murray & Spens will be providing a legal update, we encourage everyone to attend.

Site Visit to Barlinnie

The penultimate meeting of the 2007-2008 session was a site visit to HMP Barlinnie. Our guide for the day was Peter Baker, Fire and Safety Officer.

             

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