LEARNING FROM COMPANIES WHO ARE RACING AWAY FOR A SAFE AND INNOVATIVE FUTURE

HSE press release E073:03 - 7 May 2003

A new seminar on Equipping your business for a safe and innovative future aims to focus senior managers' minds on the wider issues relating to successfully running a winning company at the Haydock Park Racecourse on 22 May 2003.

Topics covered will include the state of innovative developments and taking advantage of new and future legislation and product standards and the importance of communications between suppliers and customers to make sure equipment can be understood by the operatives, is fit for purpose and can be used safely.

The joint initiative by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) aims to spotlight a key issue which is that managers often think safety is expensive - until they have an accident!

HSE's Richard Wilson said: "Safety is still too often viewed as an unproductive cost and a barrier to good productivity, but the truth is that senior managers can make decisions to improve safety which will save their future."

"We can promise a one day agenda which will get the highest flying executive thinking in a new way. Concentrating on issues like ensure new equipment can do they job you want safely seems so trivial until you realise the impact if someone loses a life, production stops and months of senior manager time is necessary to pick up the pieces."

Business people will play a valuable role in the seminar with Kerry Ross from Warburtons talking about how developing reversing aids for their delivery vehicles have cut accidents and David Allan from MacDonald Air Tools will explain how to manage risks from noise and vibration.

Issues like slips, trips and falls may seem like accidents which are unavoidable but they remain the commonest kind of accidents keeping almost 30,000 people off work for more than three days. Dr Steve Thorpe will explain how the choice of suitable footwear can reduce accidents and save money in terms of both compensation and getting in staff to cover people's sick leave.

DTI's Richard Lawson added: "This is a prototype seminar to intend to try and encourage owners and boardroom managers to understand why routine decision can make a serious difference to their future success. In this intensively competitive environment, concentrating on details can make all the difference.

"There are changes to DTI's business support and we feel it is vital that vital messages about using technology to improve safety and maintain productivity are clearly pointed out to the high fliers in British industry who have the ability to really make the right choices for their future success rather than fight for survival."

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