The start of April will see IOSH extend its reach to members in some of Scotland’s most remote areas, with a new Highlands and Islands Branch.

Born out of the former Inverness District of the North of Scotland Branch, this new addition takes the number of IOSH branches to 29.

From 1 April, the Highlands and Islands Branch committee members will be officially inaugurated, after which they will be able to organise events and provide a central point of contact for members from a much wider geographical area.

Branch chair Helen Beveridge will host the first meeting on Thursday 7 April, with the topic ‘Safety at Level Crossings’. And in the future, she will be encouraging the sharing of best practice on health and safety between members from a large area, stretching from Inverness to Moray in the east, to the far north coast of the mainland, the Western Isles, and the islands of Orkney and Shetland.

She said: “This is fantastic for the members and future members we have across the more remote areas of Scotland. Starting this Branch was about making sense of the geographical membership and getting the resources to go out and deliver the IOSH message to more places than are currently accessible.

“We felt quite remote as a district, and we imagined our members in places as far flung as Orkney felt so much more cut off than that, which is why we’ve changed all that. None of our members should be cut off from what IOSH has to offer.”

The branch is expecting that because the organisation is now definitively operating in these areas, it will receive more inquiries and new members who, otherwise, may not have heard about IOSH before.

Helen added: “There is a focus on construction in this region, as well as public services with councils, emergency services and the NHS being major employers across the Highlands and Islands. We also have extensive forestry, fishing and farming industries.

“We’ll also be there to help members progress in their careers through to becoming Chartered members, and I’m sure the locality of meetings and events will help them with IPD and CPD.”

As there are fewer events accessible to people in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, IOSH also works with a number of other professional bodies in the region. 

Helen added: “The end game of having more IOSH branches and groups is to improve standards of health and safety. And we hope that our increased presence across Scotland will do just that.”

Singapore branch launch

April is set to see IOSH grow even bigger internationally, with the launch of a new branch in Singapore. The launch of the new branch, on 28 April, will help support and serve IOSH members in Singapore and some areas of South East Asia.

Branch chairman-to-be Harry Ho said: “For Singapore, it is the right time for a reputable internationally-recognised OSH organisation, like IOSH, to establish itself.

“I hope that the creation of the branch will provide the opportunity for more interaction and learning between local and overseas OSH professionals. And, by working alongside local OSH bodies and industries, one of our aims is help to raise the standard of Singapore’s OSH record.”

IOSH has had a presence in Singapore since 1997 when members of the IOSH Presidential Team and Directorate started to attend occupational safety and health functions and events. Plans to set up an IOSH branch in Singapore began back in 2007 when an application was first submitted to The Grange for approval.

Sarah Hamilton, IOSH’s Networks and International director, said: “The International team here at The Grange has been working hard alongside members in Singapore to establish and launch this new and exciting branch. At last, the collaborative efforts are near to completion.

“The launch of the branch is just the beginning and we hope that the branch will meet the unique needs of its international members more effectively.”

The launch will be marked by the start of a two-day (half-day) event, which will run on 28 and 29 April. IOSH president Steve Granger will be conducting the opening ceremony. Members, representatives from existing OSH organisations, and a selection of high-level officials are expected to attend the event, which will host talks, best-practice discussions and networking.

Harry added: “I hope that the Singapore branch of IOSH will not only be reputable in Singapore but also across the Asia Pacific region, as an institution representing passion, integrity and quality for the occupational safety and health profession.”