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After breakfast, the group was first addressed by Roger Bibbings of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). Roger began his presentation with the rather startling revelation that Health and Safety failure (as measured by the number of injuries and fatalities in the workplace) is currently costing the UK economy between £20 and £30 billion per year, which represents 2 – 3% of GDP.

He went on to say that of all the measures which companies can put in place to reduce accidents, the most important and effective will be a thorough Accident Investigation process. This is because a well-thought out and careful investigation provides a learning opportunity and a chance to become more pro-active in accident prevention. He gave advice on best practice in conducting investigations as well as some of the most common failings. He was also very keen to emphasize the importance of investigating near-misses as these provide the best opportunity of all for accident prevention.

Roger concluded his presentation with a recap of RoSPA’s views and actions, the latest findings and guidance from HSE and a summation of lessons taken from the higher performing companies.

After a short break, the morning continued with an address from Tony Clough, a senior consultant at Tudor Rose Partnership LLP. Tony concentrated his presentation on the misunderstandings (and the all too often grave consequences) which can arise in the absence of unambiguous contracts between parties.

The focus of the talk was on four essential main topics:-

·        Formation of the contract

·        Duties owed to others

·        3^rd Party settlements

·        Preserving your position

All four points were covered by case histories demonstrating some of the pitfalls of inadequate (or even non-existent!) contracts. The cases highlighted issues such as what constitutes a contract; liability in the absence of a contract; ultimate responsibility in a contractual chain and the importance of getting your standard terms and conditions right.

Both speakers were very well received by those in attendance on the day and it is hoped that there will be further opportunities to hear from them again in the future. The notes from both presentations are available to view on the CIOB website.

http://www.ciob.org.uk/regions/branch/4/documents