As many of you will be aware, the European Week for Safety and Health at
Work took place in October 2001 and many IOSH members and branches seized the
opportunity to take the week’s message, "Safety is no accident", out
into their communities.
Reports have filtered back to IOSH of the numerous projects that members
were involved in. Many approached local schools, under their own initiative,
and engaged young children in activities and competitions introducing them to
the concept of health and safety, while others participated in special events
to highlight the week’s theme.
Andrea Alexander, a member of IOSH’s technical affairs team at head office,
designed a health and safety quiz for four- to five-year-olds. It was
distributed to primary schools across Leicestershire with the winning pupil,
five-year-old Fionn Boyd and her class, being invited to The Grange for the day
to collect their prizes.
The quiz could also be downloaded from the IOSH website, making it available
to members across the country. This proved a very popular move and IOSH has
since received feedbackfrom members and schools commending the institution on
the initiative and relaying how popular it was with their children.
One member, Patrick Fowler MIOSH, proprietor of Professional Independent
Practitioners, chose the European week to launch his new mobile occupational
health nursing service.
Based in Devon and known locally as "Patrick the nurse", he
operates around the South West of the country visiting customers, on site, in
his fully equipped "clinic" – a converted van. Fowler, who has been
an occupational health nurse for 14 years, said "I was aware that
employers require occupational health services that cause minimum disruption
and financial outlay".
