Five companies will be sentenced on Friday for their part in the explosions at the Buncefield fuel depot, which caused the largest fire in Europe since the Second World War.

Logistics provider Stobart Group has launched a safety campaign aimed at reducing accidents by promoting safe working practices among its staff.

“If you don’t get the leadership right, you may as well go home” - this was the stark message delivered by Professor Neil Budworth, corporate H&S manager at energy company E.ON UK, who was speaking at the Sperian round table on changing the safety culture of an organisation.

To open the second session of Day 1 of IOSH 10, conference chair Gavin Esler cut to the chase with keynote interviewee John Crackett by asking: do you really care about health and safety.

An independent study group of academics has criticised Lord Gill’s report into the ICL Plastics explosion over its failure to address a number of issues related to the general health and safety culture of the Glasgow plant.

The operator of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) must pay nearly £500,000 in fine and costs after a member of the public fell on the track and was crushed to death by a train.

Richard Byrne reminds practitioners that to create a safety leadership programme for managers they must first understand the leadership styles of those in charge in their organisation and then demonstrate to them how these can be exploited, in tandem with their own personal approaches, to develop a sound safety culture.

Stuart Bower describes the process his organisation undertakes to ensure that it is confident in its performance on health and safety.

Tim Marsh discusses new thinking on safety culture, which practitioners can use to inform and convince senior management, and those holding the purse strings, that the recession is no time to cut back on, or abandon, good health and safety practices.

While some feel the answer to this question is “absolutely nothing”, the Chinese warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu had other ideas – many of which have direct relevance to the safety and health practitioner, as Nigel Heaton explains.

In the February 2006 issue of SHP, Percy Smyth gave his take on what he feels are some of the myths and legends that have grown up around safety management. Here, he takes the debate further, challenging more concepts that he believes are built on foundations of sand.

The Health and Safety Laboratory has developed a new tool in the battle to reduce workplace injuries.