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Leading charities RoSPA and St John Ambulance are joining forces to promote and support a programme to improve driving including advanced training for emergency response drivers. This is a new initiative for both organisations – RoSPA has never been involved with emergency response training before, and St John Ambulance is gaining RoSPA accreditation for its own driving school. The driver training programme will focus on improving drivers’ awareness of road risks and will deliver high-quality practical training to enable them to reduce those risks. RoSPA will validate the training material and accredit St John Ambulance’s in-house programme. Training will also be made available to other organisations. The programme will include training at a range of levels, up to advanced training for drivers who are required to drive under emergency conditions to respond to life-threatening situations. With 25,000 volunteer and staff drivers, St John Ambulance hopes this initiative will help enable them to stay safe on the roads whilst driving for the charity, and during personal time. They should also be able to reduce their carbon footprint, as there are significant overlaps between safer driving techniques and lower fuel consumption. Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s deputy chief executive, said: “This partnership brings together two of the world’s leading charities in our shared goal of saving lives and reducing injuries.” Tony Guinness, of St John Ambulance, commented: “I am delighted to have RoSPA as a partner so that our volunteer members and employees can receive accreditation from the country’s leading driver training provider.” |
RoSPA recently sought the views of its members and invited them to contribute to an online debate on directors’ duties when it comes to health and safety. Members were asked to follow a link to an online questionnaire containing statements arguing for more regulation for directors, or arguing in favour of more guidance. Their views were collated and have been presented to the Health and Safety Executive, where they will help to shape the future of health and safety law.
Your views do count, and are seen by those in a position to make decisions and shape the future of health and safety. RoSPA has always been at the forefront of campaigns and changes in health and safety law, and has advisers talking to HSE and government. RoSPA will be seeking the views of its members on many and varied topics over the coming months so why not join us – not only will you receive the excellent benefits that RoSPA has always offered; you will have the chance to change the future for the better. |
Staying focused under pressure will be the theme of this year’s RoSPA Scotland Occupational Safety and Health at Work Congress.
Tailor your day for maximum value
Debate key issues
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As part of the United Nations General Assembly resolution 62/244 “Improving Global Road Safety”, the First Ministerial Road Safety Conference on Global Road Safety is being held in Moscow on November 19 and 20, 2009.
1.3 million people are killed on the roads each year around the world, with tens of thousands being seriously injured or permanently disabled. The Conference’s mission is to reduce the number of deaths on the road worldwide. The Conference will include presentations from ministers from around the world on a variety of road safety topics. For more information on international road safety issues, and on the First Ministerial Road Safety Conference on Global Road Safety, visit the Conference website. |
Most organisations do not know what accidents and ill-health really cost them in time and money. Few bother to examine costs if and when they investigate accidents and incidents.
Assuming that most of the costs associated with accidents, incidents and work-related ill-health are recoverable through insurance is a dangerous misconception – HSE estimates that the ratio between insured and uninsured costs lies between £1:£8 and £1:£36. In other words – for every £1 recovered from insurers at least £8 is being lost entirely. Uninsured costs can include lost time, sick pay, damage to equipment and raw materials, delays in production, fines and legal costs. Accident and ill-health costs are like an iceberg – the recoverable costs are clearly visible, but those hidden below the waterline are far greater. During times of recession it is more important than ever to invest to defend the bottom line by preventing losses due to accidents, incidents and work-related ill-health. How does your organisation assess the costs of accidents? How can RoSPA help you to make use of this information? Visit our website now and tell us your views in a short survey that should only take up a few minutes of your time. |
RoSPA recognises the importance of a flexible approach to health and safety training, so offers three study options to suit you: Intensive study – 10-day classroom-based study What’s more, if you become a RoSPA member, you’ll get a discounted rate and benefit from ongoing advice and support throughout your career. Next course dates (10 day block route): |
Northern Rail has won RoSPA’s top occupational health and safety award, the Sir George Earle Trophy.
The panel was particularly impressed with Northern Rail’s approach to securing the competence of their staff and contractors, their approach to learning from business partners, their work on occupational health issues and the initiatives they have taken to engage with local communities and young people in particular. The 2009 awards ceremonies were another very successful year with almost 1,700 entries, and we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the award winners. We look forward to another successful year in 2010 – look out for more details in November. |
Volunteers at The Risk Factory were honoured with an award in the Teams section of the Inspiring Volunteering awards in Edinburgh. Their award was in recognition of the work they do in facilitating the visits of over 7,000 children to the interactive community safety centre.
The volunteers take small groups of children on a two hour tour explaining what to do if they find themselves or others in dangerous situations. Volunteers conduct as many tours as they want with some coming in twice a week and others twice a month. Regardless of how often they come in the volunteers are vital to the success of the centre; without them we would not be able to pass vital safety messages on to such a large number of children. The Risk Factory was opened in January 2007, funded by the City of Edinburgh, East, West and Midlothian Councils, to provide safety messages on a range of topics. Built inside a large warehouse is a street scene with houses, a beach, railway track and internet café to name but a few of the 11 different scenario areas, all used to teach specific messages. |
The initiative will host a presentation and National Charter Tour in association with the UK Department for Transport. The event will be held at St Martin’s Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, and will be followed by light refreshments. In 2005, RoSPA was one of the first signatories of the European Road Safety Charter. The objective of the Charter is to help reduce road fatalities. Signatories undertake to carry out concrete actions and share their good practice to help resolve the road safety problems that they encounter in their day-to-day environments. The Charter now has more than 1,200 signatories. RoSPA successfully completed its original three year commitments and has recently renewed its European Road Safety Charter Commitment, which can be viewed at www.erscharter.eu/. |
Taking place on Wednesday, September 23 at the Hilton Glasgow hotel, the event will give delegates the knowledge and inspiration they need to speak up for safety during the current economic downturn.
The volunteers are of all ages and come from varying backgrounds with very different experiences. In the last two and a half years this assorted group has become a real team playing to each others strengths and helping one another out. Whilst some do come from a health and safety background others have said how much they have learned while training. 
A European Road Safety Charter event – Steering Road Safety in the Right Direction – will be held in London on July 8, 2009.
