UKATA’s first ever attendance at the Safety and Health Expo has been hailed as a great success by the Association’s Managers and Directors. In the wake of huge interest and an unprecedented number of enquiries from some of the UK’s leading blue chip companies and service providers, UKATA was in a position to offer valuable information to a wide range of organisations. The interest in the new levels of Corporate Membership and Associate Membership launched at the Expo on stand R2100 was particularly strong, with hundreds of potential enquiries.
“As this was our first attendance at the Expo, we were delighted with the numbers of enquiries from the outset, which exceeded even our wildest expectations,” said UKATA General Manager Craig Evans. “Suffice to say, if all these leads became members, it would double or even triple our membership overnight, so the value of attending cannot be questioned.”
Corporate membership was very well received and attracted some of the biggest names in the public sector, services and retailing in the UK. As concern grows over a so called ‘Third Wave’ of asbestos claims from retail and office environments where asbestos wasn’t detected, the interest of retailers, local authorities and emergency services is inevitable. The success at the Expo confirms that the need and demand is out there for asbestos awareness and training. All that remains is to continue to build on what has been a tremendously successful event and use this success as a springboard to elevate UKATA membership to the next level.
The Expo is the market leading annual exhibition for the Health and Safety industry and run exclusively with the support of IOSH, RoSPA and the BSIF. The event has established itself as the definitive event, offering three days of educational programmes, suppliers, products and much, much more, making this a natural place for UKATA to deliver its asbestos message.
“Interest from UK organisations is what we were anticipating, but added interest from international delegates was a welcome surprise,” added Jacqui Royall, Director of UKATA and Chair of the Development and Marketing Committee. “While asbestos remains the biggest single cause of work related deaths in the UK, it is a massive problem overseas. While offering guidance to UK retailers, contractors and others regarding their duties with regard to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR), showcasing our expertise to a global audience was a positive bonus.”
International interest in UKATA and its members came in from the four corners of the globe, including Sweden, Asia, Australia, America, Russia, China to mention a few. The UK continues to pay the price for years of exposure to asbestos in the past, but the picture overseas is far worse, as much of the world continues to use asbestos in alarming quantities. The popularity of asbestos in the developing world is actually accelerating, fuelled by demand for cheap, mass produced building materials. China consumed an astonishing 626,000 metric tons of asbestos in 2007 alone.
To read the full report on UKATA’s attendance at the Safety & Health Expo 2014, please view UKATA Matters, Edition 4
View the full gallery of photos from the Safety & Health Expo 2014
Published on Thursday 19th June 2014