Regional safety events in best of health
May 1st 2009

With budgets under pressure free advice, alternative product solutions and costeffective training programmes seem more important than ever.Georgina Bisby reports on Health and Safety '09 – South where she met health and safety representatives trying to strike the balance between meeting legislative demands and financial realities

Despite the economic climate, increased visitor numbers have been reported at Health and Safety '09 – South, held in February at Sandown Park in Surrey. Many of the people who came through the doors across the two days of the event were attracted by the recession-busting elements of a free seminar programme, free exhibition and free parking plus (with the event designed for those located within an hour and a half away) less time and distance to travel.

A 15% increase in visitor numbers compared to 2008 meant that the free advice seminars organised by the event's official educational partner, the British Safety Council (BSC) were incredibly popular with most achieving their maximum attendance level of 300 people. A new element that also proved to be very popular was the 'Demo Zone', a practical demonstration theatre which had to have its capacity increased due to the interest of visitors. The organisers of the regional events continue to be innovative and more new features are promised at Health and Safety '09 – North which takes place at Bolton's Reebok Stadium in early October.

The most powerful endorsement of the growing success of the events' format and regional location comes from the visitors themselves. Richard Hogden, a health and safety manager for Kent County Council said, "The seminars cover a good range of subjects and as well as the event being informative you also get to see new products. Also, it's only 18 miles away from us and this is definitely a factor." While Phil Latchford, freight supervisor/ health and safety advisor for Transeuropa Ferries commented, "It's great to meet the companies and get hands-on with the products that you usually only see in magazines, plus the fact that it is all free really helps." Finally, Christine de Lima, health and safety advisor from the Modus Group said, "I came because I was particularly interested in the seminars and it's far easier to get to for me than other events." Health and Safety '09 – South marked the beginning of the BSC's role as the events' educational partner. The BSC organised the free advice seminars, choosing the topics and the speakers and monitoring the content to bring maximum benefit to the visitor. Brian Nimick, BSC chief executive commented saying, "We knew from past achievements that the Sandown Park event would attract considerable numbers of directors, managers, health and safety practitioners and consultants – those people key to helping workers remain healthy and safe. However, the number of people attending the eight BSC seminars considerably exceeded our expectations, a reflection of the interest and commitment of the audience, the relevance of the topics and the calibre of the speakers. We know from the feedback that many of those attending gained a great deal and have identified measures they could put in place to better manage risks in their workplaces. All of the presentations are accessible now, for free, via the Health and Safety '09 and the BSC's websites and are a valuable resource, full of helpful advice and guidance." Sandown also marked the beginning of Arco's, one of the UK's leading distributor of workwear and workplace safety products, participation as an event partner. With its network of 39 branches across the UK, being part of the local business community means that Arco understands the local working environment and local business needs. Arco sees these events as an opportunity to build local relationships and get even closer to its customers.

With the ongoing need to protect people, via legislation or through the day to day provision of equipment, there are some elements of health and safety that are 'recession proof'. Where the Health and Safety '09 series of events are proving invaluable is that they can help those that visit to make informed choices, across many different areas, without further stretching budgets or eating too heavily into the working week. It seems as if this powerful concept can only go from strength to strength.

The next in this series of regional events, Health and Safety '09 – North, will take place in Bolton at The Reebok Stadium on 6th and 7th October 2009.

For more information on seminar content and to register in advance please visit: www.healthandsafetyevents.co.uk or for those without internet access registration can be completed by calling the event helpline on: 0870 4866816.

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