The SHE Show North West 2018 produced one of the most thought-proving conferences we’ve ever had. Our conference theme was “Culture… a journey beyond compliance”, exploring the concept of safety culture, behaviour change, the importance of mental wellbeing and developing resilience through positive psychology.

Our conference speakers delivered powerful personal stories of tragedy, resilience and the determination to make the workplace safer for all and the world a cleaner place for future generations.

Culture and behavioural change

Can business save the environment? Chris Hines (A Grain of Sand) put it this way: “There is no business to be done on a dead planet.” There are indeed huge challenges ahead if we are to significantly reduce the amount of polluting waste we produce and use our planet’s energy resources more efficiently. Chris believes that small changes make a big difference. Ask what you could change in your supply chain e.g. could your suppliers use reusable packaging instead of cardboard boxes? Oh, and be a bit mad and have some fun doing it – the 21st Century needs us!

Duncan Aspin (VolkerStevin) gave us fantastic insights into behavioural safety – and how the implementation of change has to be well thought out. Duncan gave us a starting point: “If you want to change behaviour, you need to know which behaviour you want to change.” Encourage participation – remember that those that do the work are best placed to develop the solutions. Develop a coaching style of management and encourage that participation – positive behaviours improve attitudes, which in turn reinforce positive behaviours.

Duncan also did a fantastic job as master of ceremonies at our event. Thank you, Duncan.

Mental wellbeing

Did you know that 98% of your thoughts are repeats? Matt Coleclough (Mindsafe) described the role of the amygdala, a group of neurons located in the brain’s medial temporal lobe, as a “hidden pair of eyes” that have a big impact on your emotional state. This is important as your thoughts significantly affect your behaviour. Matt’s advice: Catch your breath through mindfulness – focus on your breathing and your body and don’t worry about the past – live in the present.

UK construction workers are at least 100 times more likely to die from an occupational disease than from an accident – a sobering statistic given to us by Clive Johnson (Landsec). This leads to the conclusion that we must give health the same billing as safety. Clive explained how Landsec has created the right environment to enable people to strive – it’s all about creating a collaborative framework to facilitate people-powered health and wellbeing. Let’s all do our utmost to create a future where no-one is made ill by work.

Matt Hazelton (Four Friends Behavioural Safety Speaker) came to The SHE Show to share his personal experience of a truly traumatic event that saw the loss of his two brothers and two friends. The audience was moved at the gravity of the story, but also at the power of Matt’s message. Matt’s mantra is something we should all adhere to: “If it can’t be done safely, don’t do it.” We’ll remember it, Matt. If you haven’t seen “Four Friends”, please make sure you do – it’s a massive warning to directors and senior managers to be more responsible for their actions.

Resilience, positive psychology and the law

Proud2bSafe’s Jason Anker MBE gave a fascinating talk about the utility of positive psychology, and how it helped him become more resilient and to rebuild his own life following a debilitating fall. Jason took us through his rehabilitation and pointed out that his treatment was all physical, with no mental health support. Safety, health and wellbeing go together and are interconnected and inter-reliant, Jason told us, and “If you believe in something, and give it enough thought, it’ll happen.” Jason’s story shows how important building resilience really is.

How good is your record-keeping? Could you produce a written record of how you selected a specific course of action from the alternatives available? What if you needed to in a future court case? These are the thought-provoking questions Mark Scoggins (Fisher Scoggins Waters) raised with delegates in the final conference session. The message is clear: Employers need to create credible evidence of a rational and reasonable process of decision-making. Should a serious accident happen, regulators will want to see the reasoning behind decisions. Food for thought!

A word about our valued sponsors and partners

We are grateful to our sponsors and partners for making this amazing event the success it turned out to be. Our headline sponsors Honeywell Industrial Safety, VolkerStevin and Linde Material Handling were key players, adding so much throughout the show.

Our networking drinks reception, sponsored by Mirashare Health & Safety Software, was a big hit with delegates as usual. It’s a well-loved ice-breaker, but Russ Brown made it special as he entertained delegates with amazing card tricks. Our reception really is a super way to kick start the evening prior to the show.

Following on from the drinks reception we had the opportunity to enjoy a lovely three course meal with light-hearted after dinner entertainment provided by Tim Marsh. Tim gave us an insight into some of the more interesting, amusing and enlightening people and events he’s encountered in his 25 years of consultancy work. Sponsored by Honeywell Industrial Safety, our much-loved networking dinner reception proved very popular this year.

Honeywell Industrial Safety helps organisations build enduring safety cultures across a wide range of markets. The company is a leading manufacturer of premium protective eye and face products that set the standard for comfortable, high quality protection at work.

VolkerStevin provides complex engineering solutions across a wide range of sectors including civil engineering, land remediation and regeneration, water and marine infrastructure and flood and coastal protection.

Linde Material Handling  develops high-performance solutions for intralogistics. The basis for this are electric and diesel forklift trucks, warehouse equipment, fleet management software, automation solutions, driver assistance systems, financing offers as well as services around the forklift truck and operator training.

Shirley Parsons is a professional talent practice specialising in the health, safety, environmental, and quality professions. It is the only specialist agency headed by a chartered safety professional (Shirley Parsons has CMIOSH accreditation).

Nourish You Group provides powerful personal online coaching that helps people of all ages and abilities to realise their inner potential and achieve things they previously thought impossible. Nourish You Group is unique in design, operating as a team to fulfil the needs of each and every client.

Just Drama Based Training can help you to identify, challenge and change unacceptable behaviour in the workplace. From behavioural safety to bullying and harassment, we can provide ongoing support to sustain positive improvement in the culture of your organisation.

Anker & Marsh can help you design, refine and integrate a risk driven safety, wellbeing and mental health. Assessment tools available include culture, safety culture and behavioural bench-marking. Training courses include safety leadership, behavioural safety and individual resilience training.

PPE is the specialist in social media support for firms in the safety, health, environment and allied industries. The company is a media partner of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and is a member of the British Safety Industry Federation.

Thank you to all of our valued sponsors and partners for helping make The SHE Show North West a fantastic success.

Market-leading exhibitors light up The SHE Show North West

We had a stunning array of world class companies exhibiting in Blackpool this year. Delegates had many opportunities throughout the day to talk to the manufacturers, distributors and service providers exhibiting at the event. We had everything from manufacturers and distributors of safety equipment and emergency response planning companies to medical technology companies and SHEQ talent practices.

As delegates made their way around exhibitors’ stands we had Just Drama Based Training carrying out interviews and talking to delegates about how changing behaviour can positively impact safety and health in an organisation.