The British Occupational Hygiene Society, a Scientific charity and the Chartered Society for worker health protection is hosting its OH2021 Sustainable Workplace Health Conference in Nottingham from Monday 28 June to Thursday 1 July.
Amid continuing concern about COVID-19, the Society has worked with the conference venue to provide a COVID-secure face-to-face event, while running parallel virtual sessions from an international line-up of speakers. For the first time, the conference can also be fully attended using a digital pass, allowing for access to all the sessions at the convenience of the participant.
With workplace health continuing to be a national concern, the coronavirus pandemic and lessons being learned from it will certainly feature on the agenda. However, the Society has much else to focus on. World Health Organisation figures show a worker dying from non-COVID health related issues every 30 seconds and UK Health and Safety Executive statistics show 1.6 million people suffering from work-related illnesses between 2019 and 2020. This compares to the UK’s working population of 32.6 million people.
The conference will address the latest scientific and technical developments in the protection of people in the workplace. Over four days, it will cover subjects ranging from causes of lung disease, risk management and perception, scientific innovation and new technology. An International Day will take place on 1 July, drawing on speakers from around the world, focusing on how to have a lasting effect on the improvement of workplace health.
The event will also include free to attend Professional Development Sessions for professional Occupational Hygienists, including workshops with topics around leadership, mentoring, ethics and isocyanate testing. A wide range of exhibitors will be highlighting the latest in health protection technology.
Speaking about the event, the CEO of the British Occupational Hygiene Society, Professor Kevin Bampton commented, “We are, of course, very cautious about the risks of running a conference while there is still uncertainty about COVID-19 and the Delta variant. However, by applying careful controls to ensure the safety of delegates and venue staff, we are assured that these can be effectively managed.”
He went on to say, “This conference will be one of the first scientific conferences to take place in person since the start of the pandemic. We know that networking and creative conversations are essential to the development of new scientific and technical ideas. We are greatly looking forward to our members having the opportunity to come together to focus on how we best tackle the many health problems that the UK is facing in the workplace.”
