RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

May 16, 2007
DIRECTORS MUST LEAD THE WAY ON HEALTH AND SAFETY

Influential directors from some of the UK’s top companies will gather next week to review the skills they need to play a leading role in health and safety management.

More than 300 senior personnel will attend the Directors’ Health and Safety Responsibilities Conference, run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, on Tuesday (May 22) at the NEC, near Birmingham.

Among the delegates from a wide spectrum of UK businesses will be representatives of major construction, energy, retail, manufacturing and media firms. Fire and rescue services, the police, health services, councils, the prison service and universities will also be represented at the conference, which will run alongside Safety and Health Expo, Europe’s biggest annual health and safety event.

The conference, titled “From Liability to Leadership”, will explore the crucial role that board-level directors and senior managers have to play in ensuring that effective health and safety management systems, supported by a positive health and safety culture, are in place in their organisations.

Lord McKenzie of Luton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, will give the keynote speech.

Michael Large, Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Directors (IoD), will talk about the development, in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive, of new guidance on directors’ health and safety responsibilities. The IoD, which is leading a steering group overseeing the process, is currently seeking views on the new draft guidance and conference delegates will be able to take part in the consultation.

Among the other topics covered will be corporate manslaughter and the benefits of going public on health and safety performance.

Roger Bibbings, RoSPA Occupational Safety Adviser, said: “This conference is designed not just to inform directors about their legal responsibilities, but to brief them about the insights and practical steps needed to address health and safety in their organisations competently and systematically. It will focus on what senior management needs to feel, understand, think, say, know, and do, with a challenge to directors that they need to ‘walk the walk’ and ‘talk the talk’ when it comes to health and safety.

“We are keen to see more practical health and safety management advice for directors and will be expanding our services and events to meet this need over the coming months. We also hope the HSE/IoD’s new guidance for directors will address this issue and welcome the opportunity for conference delegates to input their views into this important process.”

Full programme details, booking information and a delegate list can be found at www.rospa.com/directorsduties/. Places at the conference can also be booked by calling 0121 248 2120.