A total of 13 speakers will address the Access Industry Forum’s (AIF) second national conference Working at height: Access for Life on Thursday, 14 November 2019, at the AJ Bell Stadium, Salford.
Speakers will cover the issues and topics set to shape the future of access and height safety in a sector which saw 40 fatalities in 2018/19 according to figures released by the Health and Safety Executive.
The keynote address ‘Working at height: State of play’ will be delivered by Sarah Jardine, Acting Head of the HSE’s Construction Division, who will talk about the UK’s current position and standing on safety generally, the latest trends and developments and, significantly, the HSE’s formal response to the inquiry recommendations of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Working at Height.
Supported by the Association for Project Safety (APS), the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) and Hire Association Europe (HAE), the conference will also include presentations from AFI-Uplift, Arup, RoSPA, Transport for London, the Government Office for Product Safety and Standards, the Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association, the No Falls Foundation charity and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
The proceedings will be introduced by Peter Bennett OBE, chair of the AIF, and chaired by Dr Shaun Lundy, Visiting Scholar at the University of Greenwich and member of the HSE’s Myth Busters’ Panel.
The speakers, which also include Jason Anker MBE, Paul Blanchard and Dylan Skelhorn of the No Falls Foundation, will cover topics ranging from access and the role of virtual reality to mental health awareness and managing risk. Delegates will also learn about the latest and impending standards, guidance and legislation in the work at height sector.
Peter Bennett OBE said: “With such an impressive line-up of speakers, this really is shaping up to be a must-attend event for anyone involved with work at height. It’s the only conference dedicated exclusively to access and safety, making it a real highlight of the events calendar. I’m certain our delegates will go home with valuable new-found insights into the key topics set to shape the future of working at height.”
As in 2016 at Loughborough University, a work at height exhibition will run alongside the one-day conference. All 11 member organisations of the Forum will be represented and will be joined by, amongst others, the AFI-Group, Euro Towers, Haki, Kee Safety Group, Nationwide Platforms, Pop-Up Products and Spanset.
The AIF is the forum for the principal trade associations and federations involved in work at height. Each organisation represents a different part of the access industry and fosters and supports codes of good practice, equipment standards, training, education and knowledge. Championing the work of the APPG and the No Falls Foundation, its members are ATLAS, BSIF, EPF, FASET, IPAF, IRATA, Ladder Association, NASC, PASMA, SAEMA and WAHSA.
