RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

August 20, 2007
SCOTTISH BUSINESS LEADERS TO FOCUS ON ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Directors and senior managers from businesses and organisations across Scotland will meet next month to consider their vital role in the prevention of work-related accidents and ill health.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is running its Directors' Health and Safety Responsibilities Conference in Glasgow to enable those at the helm of Scottish enterprise to face the challenge of recent developments, such as the Corporate Homicide Act.

Keynote speaker Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, will open the event - titled from Liability to Leadership - at the Hilton Hotel on September 26.

There will be presentations on corporate homicide and the revision of directors’ guidance which is being prepared by the Health and Safety Executive and Institute of Directors.

Speakers from RoSPA award-winning companies Aramark Limited Offshore, ScottishPower and Scottish Water Solutions will give insights into how health and safety is managed in their organisations.

Karen McDonnell, Head of RoSPA Scotland, said: “Recently published figures show 31 workers were fatally injured in Scotland in 2006/07, reminding us all that we should not become complacent about how we go about preventing accidents, and ill health, in our workplaces.

“With a number of key developments taking place within the health and safety sphere at present, it is particularly timely for firms to review how they manage this important aspect of their operations.

“The effective management of health and safety must be a key business goal in every organisation, led from the top by boards committed to setting priorities, reviewing performance and leading by example.”

The conference, sponsored by Scottish Water Solutions, will be chaired by Danny Carrigan, a Health and Safety Commissioner and Chairman of the Partnership of Health and Safety in Scotland. It will take place the day before the annual RoSPA Scotland Occupational Safety Awards ceremonies.

For more information, call 0121 248 2120, email events@rospa.com or visit www.rospa.com/scotlandcongress/