Road safety - Learning from success and failure

Tremendous progress has been achieved in reducing death and injury on the UK’s roads, despite massive increases in traffic. However, an average of nine people are still killed and 700 injured on the road every day.

Taking place on 23-25 February 2009 in Blackpool, RoSPA’s 74th Road Safety Congress will ask the question “What have we learnt?” considering the consequences of both successful and unsuccessful road safety measures. Crucially it will seek to understand how lessons learnt from the past can help shape the future of road safety policy.

• Delegate bookings are now being taken. With this popular event consistently selling out in recent years, take advantage of the opportunity to secure your place now by booking early.

• With a range of exhibitor packages available in the event refreshment area, congress will also provide a valuable networking opportunity for organisations wishing to exhibit information on relevant road safety schemes and products.

For further information or to book online now – www.rospa.com/road

National General Certificate - 30,000 people can't be wrong

Almost 30,000 people take a NEBOSH qualification each year, with the NEBOSH National General Certificate being the most widely held health and safety qualification in the UK.

Suitable for managers, supervisors and safety professionals who play an increasingly complex and crucial role in ensuring the health and safety of employees, this qualification provides a well-grounded, comprehensive knowledge of the key issues, which are essential in order to meet the high demands of health and safety roles.

RoSPA’s modular qualification route enables candidates and employers to arrange training around the needs of the business, whereas the traditional block route allows delegates to immerse themselves fully in a 10-day programme.

NEBOSH National General Certificate (block route) 29 September, 17 November
NEBOSH National General Certificate (modular route) 22 September, 24 November

Don’t delay in building the foundations of a successful health and safety career…

European Road Safety Day

The European Union has set itself the target to halve the number of fatalities on our roads – from 54,000 to 27,000 – between 2001 and 2010. In order to raise awareness of local practices and to offer an opportunity to work together for safer roads in Europe, the Commission has established a European Road Safety Day.

The second road safety day will be celebrated on 13 October 2008 and will address the subject of "Road Safety in our Cities". The main event will take place in Paris, at the "Espace Grande Arche", in the business district of La Défense. Find out more about European Road Safety Day - visit the website today.

Make sure your campaigns support this important event - order your road safety materials today.

Competition - You can be a hero!

Win a Lifesaving piece of equipment for your company.

How good would you feel if your actions saved someone’s life? Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) kills over 140,000 per year in the UK with defibrillation being the only proven way to treat SCA. The Lifeline AED could mean the difference between life and death for your work colleagues.

Simply visit our competition at Martek Medical and answer the following question for your chance to be a hero: What medical condition would you treat with an AED?

Euro Week 2008 - Are you ready?

Let RoSPA help demystify the ‘risk assessment’ process.

This year’s European Campaign for Safety and Health at Work 2008 focuses on risk assessment. This campaign promotes the benefits of completing and implementing a risk assessment and seeks to demystify the process by showing that it is not necessarily complicated, bureaucratic or a task only for experts.

RoSPA is ideally placed to provide support for your organisation in this vital area with our range of topic-related short courses, which form part of our regional public course programme and are also extremely popular ‘in-company’:

• Risk Assessment
• Best Practice in Risk Assessment
• Fire Risk Assessment
• DSE Assessors and Ergonomic Principles
• Managing Occupational Road Risk

For European Week itself, on 20-24 October , ensure that your employees have all the information they need tohand with one of RoSPA’s informative publications or display a poster as a helpful reminder where everyone has access. A 10% discount is available on RoSPA risk assessment products and resources ordered before 10th October 2008. For details please visit www.rospa.com/riskassessment

Death by driving - Employers' responsibility

It has never been more important for employers to ensure that they understand the risks their staff face and create when using the road for work, and properly manage those risks so that they, and their staff, do not have to face the terrible personal and legal consequences of a fatal road crash.

Recent sentencing guidelines and the introduction of the new offences of Causing Death by Careless Driving and Corporate Manslaughter continue the process of the courts and prosecuting authorities treating death on the road much more seriously.

Police investigations of fatal road crashes consider whether anyone involved was driving for work, and if so, whether the employer’s working practices contributed to the death.

Driver training can really help to focus your drivers, dispel any common myths and improve driving skills immensely. Find out how RoSPA can help you assess, train and develop your fleet by visiting www.rospa.com/drivertraining.

Implementing Home Safety Checks – Last chance to book

21st and 22nd October – Birmingham

This topical course will provide you with all the information you need about the forthcoming Government Home Safety Equipment Scheme and associated funding. Find out how you could benefit and make best use of this funding.

This two-day City and Guilds accredited course details advice which can be given to parents and carers of young children in their own homes. It enables delegates to make best use of the RoSPA home safety checklist including the vital communications skills for a successful home visit.

Find out more about RoSPA’s Implementing Home Safety Checks course and book your place today before it’s too late.

Advertisement - Anti-finger trapping device

Fingershield UK launches home version

There are 40,000 finger-trapping accidents a year in the UK among children under 15, and 1,500 of those are serious enough to need reconstructive surgery or even amputation. Almost one in two accidents involve children between the ages of 2 and 4.

Fingershield, the UK’s leading supplier of anti-finger trapping devices, has launched a version for the home.

The Fingershield device has been specially designed to cover the gap between the door and the doorframe on the hinge side – a frequent ‘finger-crushing blackspot’.

The new kit contains four 48” Fingershield strips which have been designed to be extremely simple to install. Fingershield is suitable for all domestic door types and is available in white and brown. One pack of Fingershield strips covers up to four doors and costs £29.95 inc vat.

For more information or to order go to www.simplesafetysolutions.com or call freephone 0800 980 9444. The website also includes ‘Happy Hands’ an effective device for the handle side of the door and a whole range of other bright child safety ideas like baby bath gates, bath thermometers and baby movement monitors.