From the secretary's desk
August 31st 2006 As I am putting this item together, the matter of personal safety and the need for people to be protected has been brought sharply into focus as a result of the terrorism threats which have just closed our major airports.
Readers on the fringes of the safety industry may not be familiar with the current pressures to ensure that the equipment for use by the emergency services when dealing with these situations is adequate for the job and the general frustrations caused by slow progress, primarily the result of a lack of cohesion and common purpose across all the stakeholder interests. The BSIF has always taken the position that it will, to the best of its ability, take a positive role in the sensible development of the appropriate standards.
We are naturally delighted to welcome David Lummis to the BSIF Team as our Business Development Manager for the newly created BSIF Enterprises. I am sure that he will now be taking an active role in the development of our Networking Day (2nd October at the Forest of Arden) and with our overseas exhibition programme - the next event being Expoprotection in Paris this November.
The BSIF Hub is now actively involved in gathering information to be able to publish its 2007 edition of the 'Guide' later this year and, in parallel, is developing the new Forum section within the BSIF Website. The latter will eventually provide readers and browsers with easier access to more specific information to assist their selection of suitable safety equipment.
Perhaps a long standing issue, the inadequacy of the use of qualifications as evidence of competence in matters of occupational health and safety continues to be a problem. It is unfortunate that many of the stakeholders are 'private' sector organisations with an overriding vested interest in making profits to the exclusion of the creation of a nationally accepted performance accreditation scheme for the benefit of all. Albeit that these organisations would not qualify for BSIF membership readers can rest assured that the BSIF will continue to lead this charge and seek to use its influence to bring about, what most informed opinion agrees, should be a transparent scheme which is nationally accepted by industry as a whole. If you have any comments or view on items appearing within the BSIF pages, we would be pleased for you to share them with us through the editor please.
Geoff Hooke Secretary General to the BSIF More articles from HSM News Desk: | 
