IOSH president's diary

Goodbyee! Goodbyee! (part 3 – the finale)

So what now?

Well for me it is time to start thinking about what I do next. Do I go back into full time employment, do a bit of consultancy or continue with the retirement? I hope the coming year as Immediate Past President will afford me some opportunities to visit those four branches I never got to visit during the last year. It has been a whirlwind of things and events, things that 30 (or even 5) years ago I would not have thought possible. I have enjoyed the experience immensely and in particular the privilege of meeting so many members at many diverse events across not just the UK but around the rest of the globe.

Is there anything I won’t miss? Well, if I’m honest, it’ll be nice not to wake up at 2 am in a hotel room and wonder “where the heck am I?” or think “where am I supposed to be tomorrow?” In the words of an old Frank Sinatra song “It’s nice to go travelling, but so much nicer, yes it’s so much nicer to come home.”

I hope that I have served you well (but only time and history will tell) and represented IOSH and ultimately you to the best of my ability. I’ve not achieved all that I set out to do 12 months ago but my main aim was to try and dispel the dafter stories that crop up about OH&S and raise the positive profile of the profession and Institution. I believe that with the invaluable help of all the full time staff at the Grange we’ve achieved that aim and above all previous measure. We are being noticed and consulted by those who influence.

Thank you all most sincerely for allowing me the honour and privilege of serving as your president and most especially for the warm, generous and sincere welcomes that I have received as I have gone around the branches, IOSH is alive and well and flourishing thanks to you. I am humbled by what many of you do in both the day jobs and as IOSH volunteers.

I wish Nattasha every success in her coming year of office and know she will do everything in her power to continue to move IOSH and the profession forward. If she has as half a great time as I have had then she will be in for the best year of her career (so far).

Ray Hurst
November 2008

Time to catch up

Despite the feeling that I'm either living out of a suitcase permanently at the moment or on a train or plane to somewhere, I have once again been gently reminded that the time is long overdue for me to update this diary. I've just taken a week off from IOSH activities to get the driveway at home block paved - although the e-mail server has been humming with messages relating to IOSH business and the ‘phone calls from/to the Grange still come thick and fast.

So let me fill you in on what I’ve been up to since my last posting…

15 April: A visit to the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) with colleagues from the media team at The Grange. This visit was originally planned for Lisa during her presidential year, but other IOSH duties got in the way and I was lucky enough to have it offered to me. The visit was hosted by Amanda Squires, Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner and head of operations at the Hall. I’m a great fan of RAH, having visited it on numerous occasions in the past for concerts and to attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. It was fascinating to get an insider’s view.

We arrived a week too late the see the TARDIS materialise on the front steps (to promote the Doctor Who prom in July), but there was an Australian Pink Floyd concert setting up inside to give us some excitement. The Hall is the setting for all kinds of spectacular events, from Cirque de Soleil to the International Ballroom Dancing Championships. Clearly there is a family feeling about working at the RAH with staff turnover virtually non-existent. It was great to hear Amanda talk about her approach to managing operations at the Hall in such a positive can-do way, especially considering the unique challenges she and her team face.

Then into the bowels of the building to boldly go where few have gone before - I understand many of the staff don’t even know about what’s down there! I had to apologise to Amanda for the number of questions I asked, I got the feeling that my conversation style was a bit like a NEBOSH exam: “How about noise, especially now the entertainment industry have to comply? How about hand arm vibration/working at height/crowd control/fire etc.?” All patiently and competently answered – thank you for indulging me Amanda!

It was a useful, interesting and informative day (did you know that there are 9,999 pipes in the organ, and that the Hall has the largest single weave carpet in the world?). I especially enjoyed the quick look into the Royal ante room where the sovereign goes prior to and after events!

Seeing inside Sellafield

Nattasha Freeman, our new president-elect, and I were invited to visit the Sellafield Plant in Cumbria last week. My thanks to Josh Rice (safety advisor), Stephen Stagg (Information Officer) and Dave Mason (EHS&Q Director) for making the arrangements.

Before our trip to the plant, we presented to the North Cumbria District of the Manchester & North West Districts Branch of IOSH. It was great to see so many members turn out on what was a wet and windy evening. We also had a number of interesting questions and suggestions from members for which we are both grateful. I was also pleased to present a certificate to Andrew Lee for an IOSH accredited training course for window cleaners.

After a safety briefing in the Sellafield visitors centre the following day, Nattasha and I visited various areas of the plant including the chemical separation area, the Magnox reprocessing plant and the high level waste plant. I hadn’t realised the size and complexity of the plant and its activities! I’d like to thank all those who were kind enough to show us around, patiently explain what was happening and why and answer our (many) questions. I have to say a day just isn’t long enough.

I hope to get some photos uploaded to this blog soon to reflect everything that’s happened since the AGM – keep checking back.