Welcome
The IOSH Education Group represents and
works with members across the whole sector to promote health and
safety in education.
We have more than 1,600 members, including education safety
officers, teachers, lecturers, consultants and professionals from
the HSE and local authorities. We also provide the judging
panel for the annual Association of Colleges health and safety
awards.
We're always looking to improve our service to members and
provide a positive focus for health and safety in education. New
members are always welcome and we look forward to working with our
colleagues to create a positive health and safety culture in
education.
Letter From The
Chair
Well what does the
future hold?
We have seen a monumental change in the world
over the last couple of years and the "spend spend spend" mentality
of world economics has come crashing down, the upshot of which is
we are now living in uncertain times.
For us in Education the waters are far from
clear or calm. We have seen the suspending of the BSF programme and
the rolling out of the Academy programme which could potentially
see many more schools opting out of Local Authority control.
The financial squeeze is hitting the public
sector with many colleagues facing job insecurity and some
authorities refusing to allow employees to attend events or act as
committee members for organisations during work hours.
The Education Group have not been unaffected
but we continue to support the Education Community in so many
areas. We are currently involved with IOSH in carrying out research
looking at the need for resources for teachers to assist them with
their health and safety duties. We are working with the
construction group to bring you a joint networking event which is
scheduled for October. See Connect
for more details.
I would like to thank all our members who
responded to our survey; it has helped us plan future events and
has assisted us in developing our strategy for the group.
We are pleased to announce that we have two
new committee members: Mark Plant from Interserve and Fiona Riley
from Bolton Schools. They both bring a fresh new prospective to the
table. However, we are sorry to report that David Farrow and Maggie
Atterbury have stepped down from the committee; I am sure you would
all agree with me that their efforts over the years have been
greatly appreciated and they will be missed. I am also delighted to
be able to report that Gemma Dowson, our Vice Chair, is expecting a
baby and in her absence David Garioch will take over the role.
As usual I am reminding you that this is your
group and that we need your involvement so please keep your ideas
and suggestions coming in. We can be contacted via the
IOSH website or via our Networks Officer, Kajal Samat.
Best wishes as always
Jo Lewis, Chair of the IOSH Education
Group