FORTH AND TAY DISTRICT
of
EDINBURGH BRANCH
26th Meeting and AGM
Dewar Centre, Glover Street, Perth: 7.30 pm Thursday 2nd February 2006
P Brunton J Easton K Paterson A Stark
D Mann D Stephen T Sayer W Reiche
D Murray A Milne S Chisholm D Devey
K McDonnell P Szawlowski B Pill A Pill
D Binnie C Kinnaird T Kinnaird I Condie
B Davies A Harwood C Sparling H McCrea
G McNab G Dick M Powell (Ms) J Noblett
G Carr A Thomson T Mellon B Stainton
K Driscoll D Clark M Powell (Mr)
M Bancroft C Pryke J Goddard S Fowler
N Doherty R Turner J Gorgon E Stobie
B McDonnell
1. Chairperson: Karen McDonnell
Karen opened the meeting at 7.30pm by welcoming the biggest attendance numbers to date at the Dewar Centre for the 2006 District AGM. She then outlined the administrative and emergency arrangements at the Centre for the evening.
2. Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting (2005 AGM)
The Secretary stated that copies of the 2005 AGM Minutes had been distributed throughout the room for the benefit of members and guests. Copies had also been sent out electronically last February to those on the (then) e-mail list. Rather than read through the whole set of Minutes, the Secretary asked if anyone had any corrections or comments to make regarding the 2005 AGM Minutes. No comments were forthcoming and, so, it was proposed that the Minutes of the 3rd AGM on the 3rd February 2005 be accepted as a true record of that meeting.
Proposed : Andy Stark Seconded : Andy Pill
3. Chairperson’s Report Karen McDonnell
Karen began her report by saying again how pleasing it was to see so many had turned up for the meeting on a cold and foggy winter evening.
(a) The Chairperson then went on to give a summary of the District’s year, starting with the guest speakers that had addressed the meetings. These were:
Feb. 2005 Speaker - Elizabeth Lumsden (RoSPA)
(AGM) Topic - Safety is 24 / 7.
Apr. 2005 Speaker - Paul Richardson (Lothian and Borders Police)
Topic - Road Safety and the Way Ahead
June 2005 Site visit to Royal Air Force Station, Leuchars
Conducted by Arthur Davies – Station Health and Safety Officer
Sep. 2005 Speaker - Robert Atkinson (National Co-ordinator, Safe and
Healthy Working )
Topic - Safe and Healthy Working
Nov 2005 Speaker - Steve Boucher (Camerons Ltd., Architects, Planning
Supervisors and Health and Safety Services)
Topic - Updating CDM
Karen said that all the talks had been both informative and instructive as well as entertaining.
(b) In the summer the District Committee were obliged to find an alternative venue for meetings. The previous venue – the Business Gateway – had reluctantly to deny us access for evening meetings because of increased levels of security imposed upon them. Luckily, the Dewar Centre was both conveniently situated and more than welcoming. All meetings since September 2005 have been held in the Dewar Centre.
(c) The Chairperson reminded some members and informed others that the District could be pleased and proud that Andy Stark has been appointed as a Trustee to the Board of Management of the Institution. (There was general agreement that this achievement should be well noted.)
(d) Karen explained how Representatives from the Branches and Districts across Scotland have set up a Scottish Liaison Group. One of the functions of the Group is to make sure that IOSH Scotland has a distinctive and unified voice at UK wide forums.
(e) The Chairperson informed the meeting that she has also been nominated to chair the meetings of the Professional Organisations in Occupational Safety and Health –POOSH. (The meeting was well aware that this is recognition of Karen’s abilities and dedication to her profession; well done!)
(f) Finally, Karen told the meeting that the District had – in 2005 – become a member of the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is sent details of District meetings and Chamber members have a standing invitation to attend and take the opportunity to meet safety professionals.
4. Secretary’s Report: Dick Mann
(a) Dick started his report by giving details of attendance at the meetings over the year from the last AGM. The average number for each meeting was 24.5, up on last year, and would have been higher had it not been for a slump (to 15) in attendance at the September meeting. There were between 6 and 8 Apologies received for each meeting.
(b) Commenting on the venue; the Dewar Centre is working out very well after some minor administrative problems. (Meetings attributed to “RoSPA” instead of “IOSH”, no projector screen provided for presentations and lack of tables for the Sederunt and the laptop / projector to be put out.) These are now resolved.
(c) IOSH has provided the District with a bespoke Display Stand – deployed at the meeting room entrance at every meeting – together with a laptop computer and projector system for use by guest speakers and the Secretary.
(d) The Secretary then gave the meeting details of forthcoming events:
- Next Branch Meeting 9th February
- Next District Meeting 6th April
- Universities Safety and Health Association Conference – 10 – 12th April
City Quay Apex Hotel, Dundee
Theme – “Distilling Value from Legal Mash” [2 CPD Points!]
(see www.dundee.ac.uk/safety/conference 2006).
- Site visit 1st June
Binn Farm, Total Waste Management, Glenfarg.
5. Financial Report: Sandy Chisholm
Copies of the 2005 / 2006 Financial Statement and Budget request for 2006 / 2007 were distributed and reviewed by the District Treasurer – Sandy Chisholm. No questions or issues were raised: the Statement will now be forwarded to the Branch for incorporation with Branch accounts.
6. District Elections
Notification was given to Branch and District members before Christmas that anyone wishing to serve on the District Committee had to be nominated and seconded in writing. Nominations had to be lodged with the District Secretary 28 days before the AGM. Existing Committee members all undertook to serve for two years when elected at last year’s AGM and there were no competitive nominations received by the Secretary.
Prior to the meeting, the Branch Secretary – Max Bancroft – kindly advised the Secretary that it was necessary for the AGM to confirm the Office Bearer posts of Chairperson and Secretary. Nominated and seconded documents for the present incumbents of these posts had been sent to the Secretary. The meeting confirmed the Office Bearers in the posts.
7. Guest Speaker: Alan Harwood
The Speaker for the evening, Alan Harwood, Health and Safety Adviser, FMC Technologies Ltd., gave a captivating presentation “Developing our Safety Influence Beyond the Workplace”.
Alan outlined the activities and workforce of FMC Technologies Ltd and his own safety interests outside work. He identified the areas of home, travel (mostly on the road) hobbies, safety groups, customers and suppliers as the most obvious targets for a business to extend its influence on safety.
Employees at FMC get induction and safety training for the job as soon as they start and ongoing during their employment, but, as Alan reminded us, most accidents happen out of work, and they are the same common types: slips trips and falls, manual handling injuries, falls from height, machinery and electrical accidents. Accidents outside work still affect the workplace by absenteeism, so are worth avoiding.
Alan then admitted to a few temptations to unsafe working in his own home life acknowledging that most people “switch off” their safety behaviour when they leave work, but as a professional he rarely did this. Consideration has been given to ensuring that employees get discounted prices for commonly needed home items, such as RCDs and PPE. Safety quizzes offer these sorts of items as the prizes as well.
The number of road traffic accidents alone on UK roads has an impact in the workplace that is worth trying to tackle. Twenty people a week die in work-related road accidents. FMC have recognised road accidents as probably the biggest risk to business continuity despite having no fleet of vehicles and few company car drivers. So they target the highest risk groups – young drivers and born-again bikers – first with advanced driving courses including a turn on the Knockhill racing circuit to attract staff. FMC actively promote and sponsor the Rothes Halls “Safe drive, Stay alive” campaign each November. They have minimum standards for hire cars when business travel necessitates these and have guidelines for drivers on avoiding excessive speed and tiredness, meaning that a driver may stop for the night on his journey if he feels too tired to continue safely at the firm’s expense and with no prejudice. This allows people to drive within their comfort zones and does not obstruct business.
Accepting people’s comfort zones in other areas is an important branch of FMC’s safety attitude. The work involves many complex lifting operations of components up to 35 tons, and despite all the training given to operators, they are encouraged to seek assistance or a second opinion if they are not confident of the operation. No heroics and no shame in asking for help.
Alan’s passion for stock car racing as a hobby raised a few eyebrows but he quickly explained how he assesses the risks and controls them, not avoid them by giving up his hobby. Building on this, he gives his time to helping risk assess other racing stadia thus adding value and demonstrating that safety doesn’t have to exclude fun. He also advises on garage safety and helps in the design of racing facilities, really extending safety out from his job.
FMC rely on a mass of bought-in components for all their wellhead assemblies and each component is critical to product safety and life expectancy, therefore they have a strong interest in the quality of their suppliers. Good health and safety parallels quality and influencing one has effects on the other. FMC take the attitude that if a supplier does not have particularly high standards but is actively improving they will help all they can by providing access to FMC knowledge, training courses, and safety systems and standards. Both companies benefit from this and it helps cement business partnerships.
Within safety groups Alan has worked with Fife Chamber of Safety to raise money to provide training for SME’s through a virtuous circle of local experts providing their services at their hourly paid rate that is reimbursed to their employer. Alan acts as an OHSAS 18001 lead auditor for up to 15 days per year at commercial day rates feeding the difference between these and his day costs into the fund. The Chamber of Commerce subsidises SMEs in getting training or auditing, which in turn benefits local consultants. Meanwhile others are getting OHSAS 18001 accreditation, so everyone benefits and the money is recycled within the local community.
Influencing can be done more widely, said Alan, if we all recognise the affiliation of local safety groups to RoSPA, and RoSPA to government’s ear, so these provide a route to press for the additional guidance that is needed to help with some new legislation. Influencing safety can also be achieved by inviting non-members to safety group meetings. There they can informally get free safety advice that might cost them a lot commercially. He encouraged all present to look at these opportunities and see the benefits to themselves in spreading the safety influence.
Kirsten Paterson gave the vote of thanks expressing the appreciation of the audience for such a stimulating and enjoyable talk and the Chairperson presented Alan with four inscribed Edinburgh Crystal Whisky tumblers in thanks for his efforts.
9. Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held at the Dewar Centre on Thursday the 6th April 2006. The guest speaker will be Jake Fenton CMIOSH who will speak on the topic of “Health, Safety and the Built Environment at the Scottish Parliament”.