Health and safety is a fundamental part of business. But for many reasons, justified or not, it can be seen as costly, a burden, an inhibitor and even nonsensical. Add in changing legislation, conflicting advice and C-suite belief, it can make creating confidence in your compliance feel a little bit of a game show. Sharing with you more than 30 years' experience in making health and safety work in organisations, Greg Davies of Assurity Consulting considers the current situation. So come and join him for an interactive morning and play The Compliance Conundrum

Despite all the marketing by fear and rumours that the world would end in May 2018, in the end GDPR landed with all the grace of a Chinese moon landing. However, much like the dark side of the moon, the real benefits to businesses of truly embracing good data protection practices remain largely hidden from view. This presentation will look at the benefits that can be leveraged by organisations by having a real world understanding of data protection act 2018 and GDPR and how, far from preventing business, if done properly, it can enable greater data analytics and improve business efficiencies

FMs are often at the mercy of sampling and consultants when it comes to understanding the condition of water systems under their responsibility. By using 24/7 remote monitoring, FMs can have a direct and continuous picture of condition, allowing them to react quickly to any changes in order to prevent corrosion, off-plan call outs, downtime and dilapidation, offering considerable savings - around £300k in one example. Crucially, this approach dramatically reduces the risk of being left with unchecked issues at handover, the point at which a system becomes the FM's problem

Brian Shillibeer, Chief Correspondent for ThisWeekinFM will give you an opportunity to discuss what you think is newsworthy and the educational features you are genuinely interested in.

With over 8 million tons of rubbish entering the world’s oceans each year, it is predicted that by 2050 there will be a heavier weight of plastic in the oceans than fish.

Humans produce nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single use - we simply cannot carry on consuming the incredible volume of single use plastic that we currently do. Changes are in motion and, thanks to the popularity of the BBC’s Blue Planet and similar television series, society is more aware of the importance of environmental sustainability.

But it’s now time to make these changes within the built environment sector. It’s important that the realms of FM, workplace, property, construction, architecture and design is seen to lead by example, embracing a movement that will go a long way in safeguarding our planet. Antony Law and Jo Sutherland, two directors from the IFMA UK chapter, are offering a preview of the IFMA-RICS Last Straw event, which will feature speakers from Greenpeace & Kids Against Plastic on the 16th April in London. Law and Sutherland will shine a light on how professionals within the built environment can play its part in reducing single use plastic.

Talk to consultants about benchmarking and they’ll tell you it’s all about comparing the cost of services at one site with an industry average figure or standard. But in facilities management, it’s about far more than that. It should also include exploring service standards and specifications, staff training, wages, productivity and engagement. By only looking at costs, most benchmarking exercises miss a substantial about of data and insight about their FM provision. In this session, Mike Boxall, managing director of Sitemark, the de facto standard for good buildings, explores what benchmarking should really include and how FMs can benefit from it

The fight on single use plastic is well documented and OCS is sharply focused on how it can limit the impact of its operations on the environment. In the UK OCS employs approximately 19,000 people and its business touches thousands more every week, meaning it is in a position to make positive changes. OCS UK has committed to reducing its single use plastic footprint. Yvonne Taylor, Head of Cleaning at OCS will talk about the commitments the business has made, working with suppliers to ensure that improvements are made holistically, and making sustainable changes that will have a positive impact

Facilities management is a key choice for many former military servicemen with numerous veterans serving the industry in many different roles. But what is it actually like to make the transition from the military to FM? What are the benefits of FM as a career? Are there any pitfalls? And what military skills are useful and where are there gaps? Bryan McLaggan, a former warrant officer in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, who has had a ten-year career in FM, including his current role as managing director of M&E firm CTS, will talk through his experiences and share some top tips

Employment status can often present issues for employers. If you have outsourced a function or set up your business so that all or some of the work is carried out by self-employed workers, this is the time to stop and consider whether you are at risk of a claim that, in fact, these individuals are, or should have equal status to, your employees. Recent high-profile legal cases have picked over the reality of employment status and clarified some key points that all employers need to consider when deciding upon how and by whom the work is carried out. This seminar will explore these cases and highlight the risks that you should be aware of.

Three allergen-related deaths have appeared in the news last autumn, bringing the topic of labelling to the forefront of caterers and FMs’ minds. But Pret didn’t break any laws in the way it displayed its allergen information. Will public opinion force retailers and workplace caterers to take a more proactive approach to allergen labelling? Could there be a change in the law and what might that mean? What is good and best practice in this area?

Many FM providers assume a level of responsibility for the fire life safety systems installed within their customers premises, and, as such it is imperative that they understand the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order and all associated legislation and British Standards. Mike Estall, Head of Contracts for BBC Fire & Security, discusses current legislation and British Standards, highlighting the areas of responsibility that FM providers should be aware of. Mike will guide the audience through their duties under these regulations, explaining delivery to customers and relevant service providers in order to ensure compliance and protection.

With the Government’s Clean Air Strategy (launched in January) putting air quality both outside and inside under scrutiny, our understanding of the effect of ‘bad air’; i.e. particulate matter, is under the spotlight and those responsible for our buildings must take-steps to ensure they become safe-havens - essential in our polluted city centres. Camfil’s Peter Dyment will explain the potential dangers within our buildings and what FMs can do to protect occupants - from choosing internal furnishing and decorations with low VOCs, to air filtration.

Life compliance can sometimes feel like a complete minefield. In this session we will unlock jargon and possible confusion related to lift projects and provide you with the information to obtain clarity on  lifts. The session will include mandatory legal requirements for lifts; the current lift standards and how they influence your future lift plans; safe working on lifts; The Equality Act; how Fire Control/Fire Fighters Lifts integrate with the building; and creating a lift improvement strategy