The European Week for Safety and Health at Work has been launched at the ‘Success is No Accident’ Conference at Belfast City Hall on Wednesday October 15.

As the first of its kind, the Health and Safety Conference will specifically address the needs of the small firms economy in Northern Ireland.

A record-breaking number of small firms were represented at the conference organised by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), Belfast City Council, the Northern Ireland Safety Group and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Liam McBrinn, Chairperson HSENI, said: “The small business sector plays a crucial role in the Northern Ireland economy and is responsible for employing over a quarter of a million people.

“With this year’s European Week for Safety and Health focusing primarily on the prevention of accidents at work, this conference has sought to find better ways to assist small firms to embrace health and safety.

“By engaging with small firms, who are often viewed as the growth engine of the Northern Ireland economy, we are better able to understand the barriers that stand in the way of them addressing health and safety management.”

The conference also looked at how large companies can directly influence the small firms economy through the use of smaller contractors. LEDU, IDB, Premier Power, BT, Gallahers and Bombardiers all sponsored companies to attend the event.

Many companies are also undertaking their own events during European Week of Safety and Health, including Premier Power who launched their own multi-lingual on-site health and safety initiative. (MB)