Main Conference

Registration and refreshments

Chair’s opening remarks

Health & Safety Executive: Our aims and priorities for the construction industry in the upcoming year and lessons learnt in 2009

• A review of 2009: fatalities, injuries, prohibition notices, prosecutions, number of inspectors on the ground
• What we can learn from actual incidents in 2009 – where are failures occurring?
• Implementing recommendations from the Donaghy Report and the consequences for health & safety in construction
• Update on publication of ACOPS for construction
• Our focus for the coming year – what industry should be trying to achieve in 2010/11

Question and answer session

Assessing the impact of the Environmental Liability Directive on the UK construction industry

• The Directive requires businesses to:
• take action to avoid environmental damage in the first place
• notify the regulator if any damage is caused
• undertake remediation efforts to clean up any environmental damage caused
• How we anticipate the construction industry will have to adapt to comply with the Directive in terms of risk assessment, monitoring and reporting
• How we intend to ensure compliance with the Directive – our inspection system
• Examples of acceptable preventative and remedial actions
• If damage is caused, what will be the timetable for notification and remediation? 

A legal analysis of the Environmental Liability Directive and how it will affect your construction business

• Update on current cases and costs
• Are current industry risk assessment standards sufficient?
• How the Directive has affected construction businesses in Europe
• The likely consequences of non-compliance: commercial penalties, criminal action 

Question and answer session

Morning refreshments

Case study: Ensuring safety in the construction of the 2012 Olympic Park - the challenges and benefits we faced in building a unique and bespoke project

• An overview of the project so far
• Planning for safety at every stage, from procurement through to mobilisation how we dealt with contaminated land
• Managing contractors to ensure safety down the line
• The importance of occupational health in construction
• How we reduce risk at every stage of the project
• London 2012 and beyond – the legacy

Question and answer session

Round Table Discussion: Applying behavioural safety in real life

The session will be facilitated by both behavioural safety experts and real life practitioners.  Delegates will break into groups of 8-10 to discuss the following points during the session and over lunch.  Facilitators will circulate to aid discussions.  Groups will report back with a summary of conclusions after lunch.

• can behavioural safety tell us why people do not follow safety procedures, and how to change their behaviour?
• what are the barriers to implementing behavioural safety on mainstream, ordinary sites (as opposed to unique, bespoke sites such as the Olympic Village or T5)?
• how can behavioural safety tools be applied effectively on projects with multiple clients and multiple contractors?
• how can behavioural safety principles be translated to the level of “the guys on the ground”?
• is it feasible to develop a standard approach to behavioural safety across the industry?

Lunch

Immediately following the break, behavioural safety round tables will report their conclusions, followed by a short summary from a behavioural safety expert

Panel Discussion: How can we work together to improve safety in construction?

This session will be a three-way discussion between a client, a major contractor and a small or sub-contractor. In the course of the discussion, each panellist will attempt to answer the following questions, from his or her particular perspective:

• Why is safety so difficult to achieve and what can the industry do to improve outcomes?
• Where do breakdowns typically occur in the chain from client to major contractor to specialist contractor? 
• Is the balance of attention right between: major and smaller contractors, city and rural sites, high rise and low rise, North and South? 
• Do smaller and sub-contractors need a greater voice in the industry and what form could that take?
• How can safety standards be made more consistent, and economical, across the industry?

Update on Asbestos and Silica

• Update on latest statistics regarding asbestos-related injuries and deaths
• Identifying where asbestos still poses the most substantial threat in the UK
• Update on construction activities involving exposure to silica
• What action is the HSE planning to take in 2010/11 on asbestos and silica?

Question and answer session

Afternoon Refreshments

Tower crane safety update

• An overview of the latest advances in tower crane standards and design
• Some recent accidents and the lessons learned
• Planning for the safe and effective installation and use of tower cranes on site

Examining the impact of recent legislative changes and case law on the UK construction industry

• How the Donaghy report recommendations are likely to be implemented and consequences for industry
• An update on the first corporate manslaughter case to reach court - Cotswold Geotechnical Holding
• How new guidelines recommending higher fines for corporate manslaughter are likely to be implemented and the impact on smaller firms
• An update on current CDM prosecutions - where do things tend to go wrong?  
• The impact of the HSE’s enforcement strategy

Case study on Sainsburys’ work with Constructing Better Health

• How the CBH scheme was applied at Sainsburys in design, planning, procurement and on-site
• Standards agreed regarding health screening, definitions of safety critical workers and fitness for work checks
• Results at Sainsburys to date and our advice for other companies wishing to implement the programme
• Steps towards a consistent occupational health approach across the industry

Question and answer session and close of conference