A+A 2017 can already confirm at this stage that it will offer the full range of the latest global trends in industrial safety, health promotion in the workplace and safety management at work. The leading trade fair on occupational health and safety will be held in Düsseldorf from 17 to 20 October and will feature some 1,900 exhibitors. There has been brisk demand for exhibition space, and Halls 3 to 11 will be fully occupied. Companies from all continents have registered, wanting to present their innovative products in
- Safety at Work
- Health at Work
- Security at Work
Running alongside the A+A trade fair, the 35th International Congress on Occupational Health and Safety will provide comprehensive information on topical issues and challenges in the industry. As before, it will be organised by the German Federal Association for Occupational Safety and Health (Basi). Thematic planning is well underway, after numerous ideas and suggestions from the industry were received in the run-up to the end of last year. These are now being discussed by the various Basi committees, and the first general masterplan for the A+A Congress will be available in the spring. Again this year, the A+A Congress will include the conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as a major component in its programme. It will consist of three sessions in which experts on employment, health and safety will discuss the following topics:
- Occupational health and safety in the global supply chain
- How companies and employers can collect and analyse occupational health and safety data in order to improve safety and personal protection at work
- Violence and psycho-social risks in the workplace
In addition to the trade fair and congress, other well established A+A programme elements will be presented in a range of forums, theme parks and special shows. The trend forum Safety & Security, the theme park, Occupational Fire Protection, Emergency Management and Safe Rescue Operations at Heights and Depths, the stage programme on Workplace Design & Corporate Health, the Health and Safety Meeting Point and the A+A Fashion Show are all elements dedicated to certain aspects of the entire spectrum, showing specific solutions for individual sectors, while providing visitors with hands-on experience, not just theoretical knowledge.
The A+A 2017 ancillary programme also includes activities run by this year’s partner country, the UK, with the aim of encouraging German-British dialogue on industrial safety. The various events will be attended by representatives of important industry associations, institutions and policymakers. The trade fair, the special shows, the presentations at the Congress and the ILO Conference will all involve participation of the UK Health and Safety Executive, (HSE). The HSE is the national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. It acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain´s workplaces. Traditionally, the UK has provided the largest number of exhibitors at A+A: 85 UK companies exhibited in 2015, presenting their innovative products and services with a total display area of more than 3,700 square metres.
A+A visitors include experts on industrial health and safety management, HR managers, works councils, buyers from industry, company doctors, fire services, the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the police and owners of small businesses.
When A+A was launched in 1954, it was set up as a nationally focused event on “Occupational Health and Safety and Occupational Medicine”, but it has since developed into an internationally influential forum on health and safety at work. It is held every two years. In 2015 there were some 1,890 exhibitors and more than 65,000 trade visitors, thus setting a new record in the show’s history.
