Meeting of the IIRSM East Midlands Branch

Meeting held on 04.04.2012 at G S Musson & Associates Limited

Unit 3B, Blakenhall Farm Business Centre, Caldwell, Derbyshire DE12 6RU

Present

Gary Musson

Kevin Swift

Phil Wilson

John Johnstone

Steve Clark

Rachel Wiggins

Tom Chapman – Guest Speaker

Apologies

Bronwen MacArthur-Williams Linda Wright

Lizz Fields-Pattinson Jason Kwee

Nigel Johnson Edward Braisher

Alec Lee Jim Griffin

Graham Mellor Martin Eyre

Catherine Wilkes Rob Sellars

Paul Barnacle Anthony Southwell

Gordon Stokes

Welcome

A welcome to the meeting was conducted by G. Musson who also welcomed guest Steve Clark and also Tom Chapman from the British Safety Council.

Minutes of the last Branch Meeting

The minutes of the last meeting dated 29.02.2012 were read and signed off as a true and accurate record.

Correspondence

G Musson explained that all new members joining through a UK branch would have their membership fee waived providing they used the unique branch code or the promotional code provided. IIRSM had also sent through information regarding guidance on setting up committees and benefits of joining the group, which had been forwarded to the branch officers. The chairman told the group that he would put forward a draft constitution to be approved by the officers and presented at the AGM on Wednesday 16th May 2012 at the NEC Birmingham. The chairman also asked branch officers to monitor the web site to ensure all information was current and up to date.

The group also discussed the need to share information with other IIRSM branches. It was agreed that this shared knowledge/awareness would benefit all members.

Officers Reports

  • The chairman informed the meeting that the appointed treasurer was no longer able to fulfil the role due to work commitments. A new treasurer would be appointed at the AGM.
  • The issue of liability when offering advice/help to the public was raised again, and all agreed that a document should be agreed by all branches under the IIRSM umbrella. G Musson agreed to raise this issue with the IIRSM.
  • G Musson stated that no suggestions for future speakers/topics had been made at this time. However, J Johnstone informed the group that a good cross section of speakers had been lined up for future meetings and he was confident that getting speakers in on a range of topics would not be a problem. A good supply of speakers for 2013 had already been arranged.
  • G Musson informed the group that the present meeting venue would not be available in the future and that a new venue should be looked at. Members made several suggestions, including local businesses, which could be tied in with visits etc. It was also suggested that the venue for future meetings could be alternated to give more accessibility to other members across the region and so increase attendance. A suggestion was also made to include the occasional daytime meeting.
  • All members agreed that the branch should encourage membership of the IIRSM.
  • All agreed that feedback on website “hits” would also be beneficial in the future.
  • G Musson informed the group that membership of the branch was rising, although several members were out of the area at the present time. G Musson and J Johnstone both informed the group that a good turnout was anticipated at the AGM with two good speakers laid on for the meeting.
  • The use of social networking sites was discussed at some length and several suggestions were put forward including a jobs section and a link to the web page. G Musson informed the group that branch member Lizz Fields-Pattinson had agreed to set this up. Members were encouraged to befriend her on Facebook as a starting point. S Clark also told the group that he found RSS Feeds very useful.

Any other Business

John Johnstone informed the group that the editors of the magazines Safety Management and Health and Safety at Work had agreed to mention the branch as part of their report on the Health and Safety Expo.

A suggestion was put forward that a Branch Development Panel be formed with other branch chairmen as part of a continuing development programme.

Speaker – Tom Chapman (British Safety Council)

Tom gave a very interesting talk on the British Safety Council and how it is structured.His presentation included information on policy and awards, training, and membership. He then answered several questions from the group and exchanged details. The presentation will be put on the website for those that wish to view it

The next meeting will take place at 1pm on the 16thMay 2012 (Branch AGM)

We have two excellent speakers lined up for this meeting. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Meeting closed at 9:15 pm.