The ninth UKATA Annual General Meeting and Asbestos Conference concluded on Thursday 6 July; having seen the appointment of three new directors and a moving account of mesothelioma by self-styled “Meso Warrior”, Mavis Nye and the launch of her new foundation set to help others with the deadly disease. Mavis was followed by Harry Steinberg QC, who delivered a revealing presentation concerning asbestos litigation that proved so interesting, people forgot about lunch!
The afternoon sessions were taken up by Seamus Lefroy Brookes, who brought conference back down to earth on asbestos in soils and a welcome return to conference for Dr Martin Gibson of the Health and Safety Executive, who delivered outlined the potential effects of HSG 247/248 on training providers. For the finale, UKATA Director Professor Roger Willey captivated the audience with a keynote speech that took listers on a walk through the health and safety regulations of history; from the time of the first bicycle and began with the creation of planet Earth!
Formal AGM business commenced in the morning, with Acting Chair Graham O’Mahony reporting on achievements over the past year. This concluded, several new members were elected to the Board, including Mr Gareth Jones; Mr Craig Dennis and Gemma Voaden. After a short break, delegates gathered once more to hear from the series of superb keynote speakers assembled for the 2017 AGM and Conference, which included some new faces together with some old friends.
Husband and wife team Mavis and Ray Nye stepped forward first to deliver an intensely personal and moving account of their lives in the shadow of asbestos, after Mavis was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009. Ray spoke of how he had worked in a dockyard and unwittingly transferred asbestos fibres from his clothes to Mavis. From this heart-breaking take, self-confessed “Meso Warrior” Mavis took up the story moving from helplessness to hope; becoming the first person to go into remission from mesothelioma. Mavis focused on the launch of the Mavis Nye Foundation, launched to help others fight a killer disease, that until Mavis, had no known cure or survivor. “I want them to have hope,” said Mavis Nye. “I want people to see that you can live with a terminal illness and fight, but at the same time educate people about asbestos and the disease it causes.”
The Meso Warrior was followed by Harry Steinberg QC who spoke about some of the asbestos cases he has worked on. The law has a reputation for being a dry subject, yet Harry’s engaging style brought litigation to life for many members unfamiliar with the subject. He also made clear that despite predictions to the contrary, asbestos related claims show no sign of slowing down. Harry’s talk prompted many questions from delegates, answered in Harry’s measured and knowledgeable style, so engagingly delivered that delegates had to be reminded about lunch!
Geologist, Civil Engineer and Environmentalist, Seamus Lefroy-Brooks got the afternoon underway with his presentation on asbestos in soils. Given UKATA’s new courses on the topic, Seamus’ speech was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the day, from one of the specialists in land contamination and one of 12 government appointed experts on the National Expert Panel, assisting with the regulation on Contaminated land. Seamus also kindly delivered the slides of his collage Stephen Forster, who was sadly unable to attend, covering CAR-SOIL guidance and what it means for the asbestos industry.
The 2017 conference saw the welcome return of Dr Martin Gibson, who leads technical policy at the HSE on all things asbestos. He began with Asbestos Licenced Training for the Future, including the latest available data on mesothelioma and projections of annual mortality – a subject given added impetus with the story of Ray and Mavis so fresh in the minds of everyone present. Dr Gibson covered air sampling, analysis and improving standards, and concluded with information on AIB ceiling tile removal.
Last, but by no means least, a busy AGM and Conference was brought to a thrilling climax by the keynote presentation of UKATA director and world authority on asbestos, Professor Roger Willey. His presentations for UKATA at other events have proved to be sell-outs and Professor Willey demonstrated why that is to conference. The professor captivated the crowd early on, by beginning with the creation of Planet Earth, and moving onto health and safety regulations throughout history, using his own personal stories to demonstrate the importance of regulation brought the subject to life.
The heart-breaking story of Ray and Mavis shows that the issues surrounding asbestos can be depressing, yet Roger’s satirical style of presentation achieved the perfect balance of laughter and solemnity, given the seriousness of the topics under discussion. His presentation concluded with a general discussion centering on if the current system is ‘fit for purpose’ in the rapidly changing modern age and landscape of a de-industrialised UK.
Once more Mesothelioma UK and the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team (DAST) were in attendance and provided another important link in the chain of why UKATA continues to strive for excellence in training and greater awareness of asbestos nationwide.
“This year’s AGM has proved to be the best so far, I would like to thank everyone who spoke and attended,” added Craig Evens, General Manager of UKATA. “We look forward to seeing you at the next AGM.”
UKATA is now the leading authority in all levels of asbestos training in the UK.
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Published on Monday 29th January 2018