The Safety, Health & Wellbeing Live event returned to Manchester Central, this February for the second year. Show partners UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) were in attendance to raise awareness on the risks associated to working with asbestos.
With 1000’s of OSH professionals coming together for a fantastic series, the Safety, Health & Wellbeing Live had a huge increase in visitor footfall compared to 2022’s inaugural event.
Day one saw UKATA Director, Chris Bishop take the stage in the HSM Knowledge Hub, sharing his expertise on “Designated Standards & PPE” alongside Mike Clayton, who promotes the effective use of respiratory protection. The theatre was packed with delegates keen to take the opportunity to hear from industry experts, and to pose questions:
An audience member enquired “How do you get people to wear PPE when there is resistance”.
(This unfortunately is still a common issue, in settings where the risks and consequences are deadly).
Chris responded “There will be natural resistance, PPE is not a quick fix, it should always be the last line of defence. Involve staff and look at other safety measures that can be put into place to eliminate or reduce the risk”.
It is vital that employees know why they require PPE and are trained to use it correctly. Otherwise, it is unlikely to protect as required. When employees find PPE comfortable, they are much more likely to wear it.
On day two, Mat Bewley, director of UKATA Member company 3B Training, sat alongside BOHS board member, Parmjit Gahir and Julian Dowson of Peritus Health Management for a live Q&A session on “Protecting workers in hazardous environments” which saw another full theatre of attendees eager to improve their knowledge within the field.
Craig Evans, UKATA Chief Operating Officer, speaks on the highlights of the event:
“Such a positive week at Safety, Health & Wellbeing Live in Manchester, our first exhibition of 2023.
With a vibrant atmosphere, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with our members and industry associates, 3B Training, Tersus Consultancy and Casella who were exhibiting at the show, promoting UKATA training and industry related services respectively.
Being involved as partners in the SHW Live series from the beginning has provided a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand the improvements the organisers at What Else Events have implemented, resulting in increased footfall, stronger leads, and an incredible theatre line up.
My team and I were proud to make the show a success and raise asbestos awareness to delegates across the two-day event and support with their training needs.”
UKATA will return to the second part of the SHW Live series running from 27 - 29 September 2023 at Farnborough International.
Established in 2008, UKATA is a highly respected, leading authority on asbestos training. UKATA’s passion is to both maintain and improve asbestos training, ensuring the highest standards are upheld by means of continuous quality assessment of UKATA training provided by our members.
UKATA continuously works within current legislation as a minimum, whilst collaborating with industry partners to ensure that the UK has the highest standards of asbestos safety.
UKATA freely shares knowledge and information both on the website and across social media, demonstrating that education remains the number one priority.
To find a UKATA approved asbestos training provider near you, visit www.ukata.org.uk or for free advice call the team on 01246 824437.
Published on Wednesday 22nd February 2023