Health and safety reform 2011

14 April 2011

IOSH President Elect Subash Ludhra chaired Health and Safety Reform 2011 in London on Wednesday 13 April.

The event saw around 250 public sector workers attend The Barbican, central London, to talk about the adoption of a common sense approach to health and safety.

Speakers at the event included Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Chair Judith Hackitt CBE, Director of Policy and Research at the British Safety Council (BSC) Neal Stone, Executive Director at Local Government Regulation Derek Allen and Olympic Delivery Authority Chair John Armitt.

Subash said: “I was delighted to be asked to chair this public service event. It is the first event I have hosted on behalf of the Institution and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Police force, council and fire service safety officers made up a large majority of the delegates who attended the networking event.

Discussion flowed throughout, with the main topics centred around the Government review, ‘Common Sense, Common Safety’, and the recent Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) document, ‘Good Health and Safety, Good for Everyone’.

Subash added: “There were a number of dominant themes that appeared in question and answer sessions throughout the day, such as how health and safety will be affected during this period of budget cuts, and how risks should be prioritised within the workplace.

“This is the first time since the Health and Safety at Work Act that we have had the opportunity to shape the future of health and safety. I hope the event has given the delegates food for thought and answers to some of the questions that many health and safety professionals within the public sector may have, related to the current climate.”