RoSPA Press Office : Press Release
8 October 1998
European Health And Safety Week (Oct 19-25)
FREE ADVICE AND GUIDANCE FROM ROSPA
Free safety advice and guidance on how to be a "Good Neighbour" are now on offer to firms from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to mark European Health and Safety Week (Oct 19-25).
In addition, RoSPA’s affiliated Occupational Health and Safety Groups will be staging a variety of events all over the country. These will help to highlight the importance of health and safety in the workplace.
RoSPA’s Occupational Safety Adviser, Roger Bibbings, said: "Good safety is good business. Increased safety improves a firm’s efficiency and can provide a competitive edge. Health and safety groups throughout the country bring together people from local companies and other organisations on a voluntary basis. They provide self-help remedies for their members and spread the health and safety message."
Businesses with less than 50 employees who contact the Society during the week will be given general safety advice and tips, and told where information to develop health and safety management strategies is available.
RoSPA is supporting the Health and Safety Commission’s campaign on good neighbourliness during the week. RoSPA wants larger companies to look at how they can be good neighbours to local businesses, contractors, suppliers and the community. Good neighbourliness will be made a feature of the Society’s 1999 Occupational Health and Safety Awards.
RoSPA has published its "Good Neighbour" guidelines in the October edition of Occupational Safety and Health Journal and the guidance notes are now available from RoSPA.
Firms wanting free safety advice should ring RoSPA’s Occupational Safety Department during the week of October 19-25 on 0121 248 2089.
SUFFOLK STAYING SAFE IN THE WORKPLACE
RoSPA’s Occupational Health and Safety Groups in Suffolk are staging a variety of events as part of European Health and Safety Week. It is hoped that these events will bring home the importance of health and safety measures in the workplace.
Three safety groups, Mid-Anglia Environment Safety and Health (MESH), Waveney Safety and Environment Group (WASEG) and Suffolk and North Essex Occupational Safety Group will all be offering advice to businesses small and large in the area during the week (Oct 19-25). More than 300 safety officers will be participating.
The scheme is a "good neighbour" initiative’, with members of the three groups giving help to small businesses who are their contractors or suppliers. The safety officers will decide what level of support companies can manage, which could include information to advice and hands-on help.
Environmental Health Officers from seven local authorities will also be involved. The scheme will be taking place over the whole county. Suffolk’s Environmental Health Departments have recently produced a health and safety guide for small businesses.
SAFETY IS GOOD BUSINESS IN HEREFORDSHIRE
RoSPA’s Herefordshire Health and Safety Group and Herefordshire Council are putting on a varied programme of events to promote European Health and Safety Week (Oct 19-25).
Launching the week is a seminar titled "Good Health and Safety is Good Business", which will be held in Kington (Oct 19). This is aimed at local businesses to provide an opportunity for them to hear about new initiatives in health and safety and to underline the importance of it in the workplace.
Herefordshire Council and other major local employers are presenting a seminar looking at health and safety for contractors. This is a "good neighbour" initiative and will be held in Leominster on October 20.
Practical training in "Heartstart" is available on October 22 in Ross-on-Wye. Herefordshire Heartstart is an organisation committed to training people in the skills of emergency life support and runs courses all over the county.
This year the group is also looking at the leisure industry and is holding an exhibition and presentation on "playing safe". This will be held in Ledbury and Bromyard (Oct 23) and is directed at employees in the leisure industry.
For more information on any of these events please contact Fred Parkin on 01432 262667.
NOTTINGHAM FOCUS ON WORK-RELATED STRESS
A free seminar will be held in Nottingham this month to mark European Health and Safety Week.
It is being presented by the Nottinghamshire Occupational Health and Safety Association and the Occupational Health Service of the Boots Company Plc at the Notts County Football Club on October 21 at 2pm.
The event backed by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is open to anyone with an interest in occupational safety and health.
Among the speakers are John Shepherd, Consultant Occupational Physician, and Eileen Black, Deputy Principal Nursing Advisor, both of the Boots Company Plc. They will be discussing ways in which work related stress can be assessed, minimised and brought under control.
Alan Scott, Senior Medical Inspector for the Employment Medical Advisory Service, will be commenting on the latest phase of the Health and Safety Commission’s "Good Health is Good Business" campaign. The aim of this five-year campaign is to highlight the economic advantages of good health and safety management.
For more information and to register for the seminar, contact Fred Pay at 52 Valmont Road, Bramcote, Beesdtone, Nottingham, NG9 3JB, or telephone: 0115 939 7619.
