Health and Safety Update Conference 2016 – A One-Day Conference on Tuesday 18 October 2016, 9.30am to 3.30pm – Organised by The Institute of Employment Rights(IER) at the Diskus Room, Unite the Union, Theobald’s Road, London WC1X 8TN:
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
The Health, Safety & Environment Department has been notified of two one-day Health and Safety Conferences being organised by the IER which we are pleased to support and bring to the attention of Branches, Health and Safety Reps and Regional Health and Safety Forums.
Two separate LTBs are being issued on the London and Liverpool events.
About the conference
Since the coming to power of the Conservative led Coalition government in 2010 the myths that workplace health and safety is only about red tape and is a barrier to productivity have been officially promulgated. Pro-business newspapers have in turn reinforced these messages in order to manufacture consent for an agenda involving the downgrading of health and safety regulation, with all that this means for worker protection and well-being. Concrete actions have also been taken to support this deregulatory and anti-worker agenda. HSE resources have been cut, workplace inspections slashed across much of the economy, important regulatory provisions have been repealed, and worker access to compensation for employer generated health and safety harms reduced. This is despite the unacceptable levels of work-related harm that continues to be experienced by workers as they go about the task of earning a living. It is also despite the continuing expansion of more precarious and insecure forms of employment which means that growing numbers of workers are working in contexts where risks to their health and safety are likely to be poorly managed. At this conference expert speakers from trade unions, academia and the legal profession provide an update on these problematic developments while also highlighting what can be done to reverse their harmful effects. More specifically, those attending will hear contributions covering such issues as the nature of HSE’s new strategy for workplace health and safety, how post-2010 governments have acted to reduce workplace inspections, worker experiences of pursuing claims for compensation, recent legislative changes, how other European countries approach the issue of health and safety inspection as well as workplace inspection, and developments in the construction industry relating to worker engagement and mental health.
Programme (London)
09:30 Registration
09:50 Welcome from the Chair Carolyn Jones, Director IER
10:00 Blacklisted Dave Smith, Blacklisting support group
10:30 Labour inspection and OSH in Europe and UK Professor David Walters, Cardiff University
11:00 Questions and discussion
11:15 Break
11:30 Small Claims Big Impact Tom Jones, Thompsons Solicitors
12:00 Worker Engagement, Health and Mental Health in Construction Peter Wilson, UCATT
12:30 Q&A
12:45 LUNCH
13:45 H&S, challenges and opportunities in the workplace Susan Murray, Unite
14:15 Making ‘Better Regulation’: the assault on health and safety protection Steve Tombs, Open University
14:45 Will there be any health, safety or justice at work by 2020? Hilda Palmer, Hazards
15:15 Questions and discussion
15:30 Close
Cost
£75 for IER Subscribers (CWU is an IER Subscriber). £90 Trade Unions and £220 Commercial Organisations. Those paying by invoice will pay £80/£100/£240 respectively. Payment can be made by cheque, credit card or PayPal.
Further Information From:
James Harrison
National Coordinator
Institute of Employment Rights
4th Floor Jack Jones House
1 Islington
Liverpool L3 8EG
Tel: 0151 207 5265
Email: office@ier.org.uk
Flyer/Application Form
See attached Official Flyer/Application Form.
Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer
Email Attachments – Click to download
Attachment 1 – 16LTB490 IER Health and Safety
Attachment 2 – IER HS Update Conference 18.10.16 London Flyer.pdf
CWU Eastern No5 Branch 
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