Hundreds of delegates discussed health and safety at an annual conference. It was Brent s third meeting on the topic, and speakers, including councillors and trade union officers, talked about the benefits health and safety brought to communities. Cllr

Hundreds of delegates discussed health and safety at an annual conference.

It was Brent's third meeting on the topic, and speakers, including councillors and trade union officers, talked about the benefits health and safety brought to communities.

Cllr Bob Wharton, the lead member for schools and families, opened the conference with a moving speech in which he recounted witnessing how regulation saved the lives of many coalminers, when he worked in his first job for the national coal board.

Other guest speakers included Judith Hackitt, head of the health and safety executive, John Bradbury, deputy assistant commissioner, who spoke about fire safety in schools, and John Richards, director of Thames Laboratories, who discussed the latest asbestos surveys.

Hank Roberts, chairman of Brent's corporate health and safety committee and co-chair said: "Brent authority had been extremely helpful and generous in ensuring that health and safety of pupils and staff is put at the top of the agenda. This was a brilliant conference.