West of Scotland Branch
Annual General Meeting /
Minute of meeting held on Thursday 30 April 2015, 14.00 hrs
Hampden Park, Glasgow
SUBJECT / ACTION1. Welcome by Branch Chairperson
David Allan declared the meeting open, welcomed all members present and introduced today’s speaker IOSH Immediate Past President, Tim Briggs.
2. Presidential Address
Tim Briggs, thanked the Branch members for the invitation to speak at the AGM.
During Tim’s tenure he wanted to promote ‘leadership’ and to demonstrate in practice what that means including inspiring people and the principles of learning.
Are Health and Safety Practitioners enablers? We are, but there are still problems with us being perceived as barriers / blockers to business being done. When we communicate do we consider who we are speaking to and convey the importance of safety in their language to get people to understand us?
We are also educators imparting our knowledge and expertise in the workplace yet are we seen as such and would, for example, risk assessments be considered part of organisational learning. We have a role in developing people and providing them with a better understanding of health and safety and the skills needed.
Leadership skills don’t come from reading a book. You need to experience it and consider the various E’s:
· Engagement - getting people involved
· Equality in how you treat people
· Expertise and how you use it
· Energy to drive an idea through
· Enthusiasm to inspire people
· Education – sharing your knowledge
· Empowerment – to make changes where required
· Esteem – value the workforce and their role
So developing the leadership skills of the workforce is also important. There may be natural leaders who influence behaviour in the team yet have no management role, how can they be engaged to deliver the health and safety message. Therefore understanding your team / a team for their natural skills and how they contribute to the team e.g. via Belbin Team Roles is very beneficial. As a H&S Practitioner, when you or managers within the workforce recruit staff, is the ‘team role’ you want to complement the team dynamic considered as well as their technical and interpersonal skills?
http://www.belbin.com/content/page/4980/Belbin(uk)-2011-TeamRolesInANutshell.pdf
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (1989) considers the principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. The same principles can be applied to health and safety management (Plan, Do, Check, Act):
https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php
· Be proactive
· Begin with the end in mind
· Put first things first (prioritise)
· Think win win
· Seek first to understand, then to be understood
· Synergise (creative co-operation in the team)
· ‘Sharpen the saw’ (step back to review where you are and where want to be)
Tim now works for Leeds Becket University but still has close links with IOSH as Chair of the IOSH Professional Standards Committee. Tim wants to make sure members get what they want so some topics which are being reviewed are:
· Routes of entry into IOSH
· Mentoring role back into branches and groups
· CPD process
· Separate professional memberships
· Appeals process for rejected membership and fellowship applications
· Chartered fellowship development
· Student access to IOSH and a Student Group feeding into Branches
Tim is also part of the working group on IOSH Council effectiveness and welcomed thoughts from members regarding IOSH professional standards and Council.
3. Vote of Thanks
George Mills thanked Tim Briggs on behalf of the Branch for his work as President during the past year and his continuing success in his new role as Chair of the IOSH Professional Standards Committee.
4. Sederant and Apologies
· 35 members registered their attendance.
· Two apologies were received on behalf of members Joan Thomson and Fraser Allan.
· One new member introduced himself.
5. Minute of AGM Meeting held 25 April 2013
The minutes of the previous AGM were adopted as an accurate record on the proposal of George Mills, seconded by Brian Beck.
6. Treasurer’s Report
· Gerry Gordon, Branch Treasurer, issued copies of the audited accounts for 2014/15 discussing the various entries.
Expenditure £ 9,970.18
Closing balance £ 9,941.91
· The audited accounts were accepted on the proposal of Malcolm McIntyre, seconded by Liz Burley.
7. Branch Chairperson’s Report for 2014/15
David Allan gave a brief résumé of the activities of the Branch in 2014/15
1. Branch membership currently stands at 1747 covering members from Dumfries to Oban.
2. Branch meetings generally have a good attendance averaging 66 members this year to date however, the AGM meeting usually has the poorest attendance figures. The ‘Question Time’ style January ‘What’s in a Claim’ meeting was very well received with an attendance of 125 members. 121 members attended the February meeting on the revised CDM Regulations and 97 members attended the March meeting ‘Developing a positive safety culture’.
3. A joint IOSH Scotland / Healthy Working Lives Event was hosted for SMEs at 3 locations on the subject ‘Managing Stress – 2015 Challenge’.
4. Glenys Neville’s role as Regional Networks Officer (Scotland) provides an important direct link to IOSH HQ.
5. Only recently, within the past couple of months, the Branch can now communicate with Branch members directly, via email.
6. The Certificate of Merit (CoM) Awards were being held again this year with the dinner taking place this evening at Hampden. There are 18 award winners with one group award and approx. 200 people attending tonight’s event. Thanks to Fraser Allan and Brian Hume for their work in reviewing the nominations and selecting the successful nominees.
7. Thanks were also extended to:
· The Branch Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Minute Secretary, Web Champion, the various Group Chairs and the Executive Committee Members for their work over the year.
· Glasgow Caledonian University for their support and provision of the Branch meetings evening venue accommodation and refreshments.
· Fraser Allan and Gerry Gordon for organising tonight’s CoM Awards Dinner with the assistance of Norbert Grant.
8. Referring back to Tim Briggs’ presentation and the CoM Award winners, the Chair highlighted that one person and one member can make a difference in health and safety. Thanking Tim for agreeing to attend the AGM and tonight’s event where he will present the CoM awards.
8. Election of Branch Office Bearers and Executive Committee
Tim Briggs indicated that only Jim Tassell had been presented for election to the Branch Chair and was duly elected.
Jim Tassell thanked Tim Briggs and took the Chair.
The following Principal Branch Office Bearers were elected:
George Mills Vice Chair
John Donaldson Secretary
Gerry Gordon Treasurer
The following Service Group Chairs continue on the Executive Committee:
George Mills Chair of Construction Group
Brian Beck Chair of Environmental Group
Fred Cullum Chair of Public Services Group
Jim Doyle Chair of Fire Group
The following Executive Committee posts continue:
David Allan Immediate Past Chair
Carmina D’Alessandro Minute Secretary
Joan Thomson Web Champion
Brian Hume Branch Media Officer
Continuing Branch Executive Committee Members: Fraser Allan, Douglas Connell and Susannah Aptowitzer.
The following nominees were re-elected: Liz Burley and Walter Ritchie.
The Chair invited other members to consider joining the committee and submitting their nomination at a future AGM.
9. Election of Auditors
Brian Hume and Fraser Allan would continue in their role as the Accounts Auditors.
10. Honorarium
The Secretary, Minute Secretary and Treasurer were asked to leave the meeting while a vote was made on the provision of an Honorarium to each, which was approved.
11. AOCB
1. A variety of IOSH publications were on display and freely available for members to take away.
2. A CDM 2015 Event would be held on 18 June 2015, University of Stirling at a cost of £45, applications required by 06 June. Details available on the CECA website http://www.ceca.co.uk/regions/scotland/events.aspx
· Speakers include:
o Ian Brodie, HSE
o Laura Cameron, Pinsent Masons Solicitors
o Bob Bradford
o Dave Duncan
3. Members were encouraged to send any requests / suggestions for speakers or topics for the 2015/16 branch programme to the Branch Secretary
4. Timings were confirmed for the CoM Awards and dinner at Hampden Park this evening: drinks reception 7pm and dinner 7.30pm.
5. The members were informed of the unfortunate passing of one of last year’s CoM award winners Eric Morrison. On behalf of the Branch, condolences were passed onto his family.
Jim Tassell closed the meeting at 15.30 thanking those attending.
12. Date of Next Branch Meeting
Thursday 28 May 2015 @ Hampden Park
13.00 hrs
Topic Managing occupational road risk in a large fleet
Speaker Scott Roberts, Fleet Manager at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
14.00 hrs
Topic Fleet Management – the insurance perspective
Guest Speaker Mark Hampson, Senior Motor Risk Engineer, Aviva
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