More than 80 business leaders from across the Sheffield City Region attended an inaugural Health and Safety Conference.

Organised by the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and staged at Brinsworth Academy of Engineering in Rotherham, the conference looked at behavioural safety and alterations to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Guest speakers included Paul Spurrier, head of operations for Yorkshire and the Humber Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Dr John Herbert, managing director of Peak HSE Ltd, a health, safety and environmental consultancy based in Sheffield.

David Egan, Partner in the Regulatory and Criminal Investigations group at Irwin Mitchell LLP provided an update on legal and legislative issues.

The event also included case-studies from Samantha Crehan, health and safety manager at Sheffield Forgemasters International and Pat Smith, general manager at Don Valley Stadium.

It was the first health and safety conference staged by the Sheffield Chamber and, following the success of the event, the business support organisation is now looking to make it a regular fixture on its events calendar. 

Alison Tilley, event coordinator at Sheffield Chamber, said: "We received a high attendance at the conference, which was excellent and shows how relevant this topic is to businesses.

"The speakers provided a valuable mix, each with their own experiences and knowledge which they were happy to share with the audience. We will definitely be looking to make this an annual event."

Sheffield Chamber member Arden Winch, which provides personal protective equipment, uniforms, workwear and janitorial supplies to businesses, attended the conference.

John Steel, sales director at Arden Winch, added: "We thought the speakers were excellent. They provided an interesting insight into important areas of health and safety.

"The conference will certainly help raise awareness of the industry, which can only be a good thing. It was a positive event that allowed safety people to talk to safety people."