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Environmental Health Scotland

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Senior Vice-President: Martin KeeleyPast President: Bernard ForteathNorthern Centre Chairman: Patricia SheldonNorthern Centre Secretary: Bob DrummondHonorary Treasurer: Martin Henry

Junior Vice-President: Kofi AidooPast President: Paul BradleySouthern Centre Chairman: David DuffySouthern Centre Secretary: Pat HoeyCourses Co-ordinator: Martin Keeley

Members of council

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Honorary Vice-presidents

Brian LawrieLorrainne MacGillivraySarah MacLeod-BonnarGeorge McCrackenAlan MorrisonChristine MorrisonGraham RobertsonJohn Sleith

Officers of the Institute

The Royal Environmental HealthInstitute of scotland19 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8HXTel: 0131 229 2968 Fax: 0131 228 2926 Website: www.rehis.com

President: Colin Wallace

Chief Executive: Tom Bell

Young SamanyikaJohn Scott MSPDr Jim Smith

Wendy BarrieLouise CunninghamHeather DickGeorge Fairgrieve OBEChristine FraserSandy FraserDrew HallRaymond HubbocksGwyneth Kerwin

George GeorgallasKenneth Macintosh MSPStewart Maxwell MSPAnn Marie Part

Director of Training: Jackie McCabeDirector of Professional Development: Brian AuldTraining Adviser: Dr Jane Bunting


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cOntentsThe Chief Executive’s View 4‘Recycling on the Go’ at Edinburgh Airport 5Management Committee 13Food Standards Agency Scotland News 14Scottish Food Safety Officers’ Registration Board 14Examinations and Professional StandardsCommittee 15Environmental Health Promotion Committee 16HSE LAU News 17Membership, Education and Training Committee 18SEPA News 19Scottish Green Apple Environment Awards 20IFEH News 21Food Matters 22World No Tobacco Day - 31 May 2014 23Southern Centre News 24Scottish Pollution Control Co-ordinating Committee 25Jackie McCabe - Director of Training 26Brian Auld - Director of Professional Development 27Professional Development 28Community Training 29

ISSN 0950-3277

Environmental Health ScotlandVolume 26, Number 1 Spring 2014

The Journal of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland

Environmental Health Scotland is published by the Council of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.Editor: Tom Bell

The views expressed in this Journal are not necessarily those of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland, the publisher or the editor. Articles, news items or letters are welcomed for publication but the publisher reserves the right to edit contributions as the editor sees fit. At the editor’s discretion, items submitted for publication will be peer reviewed. All material is submitted at owner’s risk. The publisher cannot be held responsible for loss or damage, however caused.

Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

On the cover: The Institute’s offices.


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THE cHIEF EXEcuTIVE’S VIEW

2014 - a year full of challenge and change.As we approach 18 September and the referendum on Scottish independence I am increasingly asked what the Institute’s stance on this hugely important issue is. Colin Wallace, in his President’s View (Environmental Health Scotland Volume 25, Number 4, Winter 2013), comprehensively addresses this question and I’m happy to reiterate that the Institute takes an apolitical stance on this issue and on all political issues.With further restrictions on the funding of local authority services in Scotland in the new financial year and with the introduction of the Food (Scotland) Bill at Holyrood to create the new food body for Scotland there has been much discussion on how these matters will affect the duties and performance of local authorities and the role of Environmental Health Officers, Food Safety Officers and others in the local authority workforce. A second question I am increasingly being asked is ‘Where is the Environmental Health Service best positioned to ensure that it can, as effectively as possible, continue to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people?’. This matter has been discussed within the Institute’s committees and by the Council and I can advise that the Institute’s position is that the Environmental Health Service in Scotland should continue to be delivered locally, be sustainably resourced and be aligned with national priorities for the protection of health and wellbeing. This position will be reviewed as and when required.The programme for this year’s Annual Conference, which will be held in Edinburgh on 7 and 8 May, has just been finalised. The first day covers a wide range

of environmental health-related topics and includes the Presidential Address and papers on human bio-monitoring and the impact on the health of the public from exposure to asbestos, from shale gas extraction and from climate change. Also covered on the first day are tobacco control, reducing alcohol harm and the contribution of drug misuse to morbidity and mortality. The first day finishes off with papers on occupational health and safety, and a perspective on offshore environmental health. The second day begins with a Ministerial Address from Michael Matheson MSP, Minister for Public Health, and the remainder of the day is devoted to food-related issues with a range of presentations covering an FSA Scotland perspective, Campylobacter, HACCP and food security, and food and health. Colin Wallace, President, and his Conference Working Group are to be congratulated on drawing together such an interesting programme.With the recent retirals of Robert Howe and Graham Walker, Directors of Professional Development and Training respectively, the office has lost a great deal of experience and expertise. Robert and Graham are hugely respected by the Profession, the membership, the training community and by staff and elected members of our many partner agencies and organisations and I wish them and their families best wishes for the future. With every departure comes an opportunity for new staff to come on board and I am delighted that Jackie McCabe, the new Director of Training, has already made a very positive contribution to the Institute’s community training activities. Brian Auld has only just joined the staff as Director of Professional Development and I look forward to working with them both to drive on the work of the Institute.The Scottish Environmental Health community was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of Ian McGruther, a Chartered Environmental Health Officer member and one of the Institute’s two Training Advisers, who collapsed and died while officiating as an Observer at the spring diet of the Professional Examination in Edinburgh on Friday 28 March. Ian is survived by his wife Margaret, daughter Claire and son-in-law Stuart. I’m sure all who knew Ian will join the Council, staff and wider membership in extending their deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends.

Tom Bell


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‘REcyclINg ON THE gO’ aT EdINbuRgH aIRpORTby Oyunn Anshus, Graduate Trainee Environmental Health Officer, Dundee City Council

The Scottish Government aims to achieve 70% recycling by 2025 in Scotland. To realise this target, businesses are required to separately collect dry recyclates in accordance with the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012, henceforth known as the waste regulations. ‘Recycling on the Go’ encourages the public to separate their waste in publicly accessible places and is one of the methods advocated by Zero Waste Scotland to help businesses comply with the new waste regulations. In August 2012 it launched a ‘Recycling on the Go’ fund to facilitate the introduction of recycling collection facilities in public spaces. Edinburgh Airport is one of the recipients of this funding. The airport has over nine million visitors every year from all over the world. This makes the airport unique in that it has the opportunity to encourage a large number of people to recycle and exhibit Scotland’s commitment towards a Zero Waste society. The result of the collaboration between Edinburgh Airport and Zero Waste Scotland was the introduction of a new type of dual bin on 8 February 2013 in all public areas of the airport (see Fig 1). I carried out a small study in July 2013 attempting to discover how well the new recycling facilities at Edinburgh Airport were understood by visitors, whether the bins were used appropriately, and whether the comingled recycling system employed at the airport complied with the waste regulations.

Background Comingled collections are linked with less waste going to landfill as it is easier for people to participate and take up less space than single-stream recycling systems (Keramitsoglou and Tsagarakis, 2013; Lane and Wagner, 2013). At Edinburgh Airport this waste is sent to a materials recycling facility (MRF) where automatic and manual separation of waste takes place. The MRF system is a popular method used for comingled recycling because if used correctly the quality of each recyclate is maintained despite being collected in the same container (Shanks, 2013). Comingled recycling is also known as ‘dry waste’ for this reason, as food and liquids are the main contaminants. Food and liquid contamination can restrict the type of reprocessing available and can lead to materials being unsuitable for recycling. The MRF separation speed is also dependent on the level of contamination present. This is why waste companies may reject highly contaminated waste as the time and effort taken to recover recyclables outweigh profits (U.S. Environment Protection Agency, 2013). Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012The Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, known as the Waste Framework Directive, was implemented into Scottish law through the waste regulations in May 2012 (European Commission, 2013). It states that all businesses must present metal, plastic, glass, paper and card for separate collection from 1 January 2014.

Fig 1. Artist impression of the dual ‘Recycling on the Go’ bin, and associated signage created with the help of Zero Waste Scotland guidance (2012), produced by

Wybone Limited for Edinburgh Airport. The design is known as the Torpedo double.


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A ‘Duty of Care: A Code of Practice’ describes the duties businesses have under the waste regulations under section 34(7) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This duty can be used as evidence in court (Scottish Government, 2012). Waste collected from publicly available areas such as transportation hubs are obligated to comply with waste collection duties from January this year. It states that recycling services must be ‘designed and operated to promote ‘high quality’ recycling’ and ‘Ensure recyclable materials are not mixed with other wastes in a manner which may hamper recycling’ (Scottish Government, 2012).Public recycling behaviourLane and Wagner (2013) suggest there is a broad agreement among researchers that demographics and socio-economic factors influence recycling behaviour. Gender, age, income and education are typical variables studied (Sidique et al, 2010). Other factors such as environmental concerns, social norms and attitudes towards recycling are also strongly linked to willingness to recycle (Halvorsen, 2012). Price and Pitt (2012) summarise the main drivers behind recycling to be environmental values, situational factors and psychological variables.Timlett and Williams (2011) report that much research has concluded that recycling is habit forming and people who participate in recycling at home start to include recycling as part of their normal household routines. Once recycling has become a habit other factors such as environmental concern becomes less important in determining actions and it becomes an accepted part of everyday life. For this behaviour to continue in public places, people need to be confronted with situations where recycling facilities are convenient, easy to understand and familiar (Klöckner and Oppedal, 2011; Timlett and Williams, 2011). The need for familiarity is important because people faced with recycling systems that are noticeably different may refrain from using them or use them incorrectly. This poses a challenge for businesses as recycling facilities typically differ between local authorities, different types of housing and between different types of businesses. There are however typical similarities between most recycling systems such as colour-coding and the use of graphic illustrations to depict the recyclates targeted, which can be utilised to encourage correct use.

The studyMy study included a snap-shot survey, a waste audit of 40 waste bags and an investigation into recycling contamination issues. I sought views on recycling from 120 airport visitors to ascertain whether publicly

available recycling facilities can act to improve perceived corporate social responsibilities among companies who wish to employ ‘Recycling on the Go’.The surveyThe survey was divided into demographical questions, questions about bin usage and bin signage understanding and their personal views of recycling. The questions were drafted based on discussions with Julie McKinney, the Energy and Waste Manager at Edinburgh Airport (personal communication, 26 April 2013), and was also influenced by the ‘Recycling on the Go’ guide available from Zero Waste Scotland (2012). The survey itself required approval from Edinburgh Airport, whose main activity is commercial. As such, only people not engaged in any activities could be approached to take part. This was achieved by only intercepting people sitting in the public areas of the airport, who were not eating, engaged in conversation or otherwise occupied. Visitors who chose not to sit down in the public areas were not represented in this study. Other limitations included a statistically non-significant sample, only capturing people seated in the public areas not engaged in any activity and not representing people with little or no English. Also, people flying from the airport to other destinations were more likely to be approached than people arriving to the airport, as the latter are likely to spend less time in the airport and would not be present in the secure airside area of the airport unless travelling in transit.The waste auditSimilar to the recycling survey, the waste audit was only a snap-shot sample of the waste collected from the dual bins. Time constraints and access were the main factors limiting sampling. Only bags from the landside part of the airport could be accessed and it is likely that bags from the airside may contain a smaller diversity of items and may contain less liquid. The bags had also been in the dual bins for different lengths of time depending on usage as only full bags are replaced by staff. The bags were therefore only assessed based on the amount of contamination of the recycling, misplaced recyclates in the general waste and the quantity of liquid - a form of contamination not captured by the bin signage.

ResultsRecycling bin usageEveryone taking part in the study was asked whether they noticed the recycling facilities and if they knew what they could recycle. Sixty-three percent had noticed them (see Fig 2). Of them, 84% thought they


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knew what they could recycle, with plastic bottles and paper correctly identified by 70% and 68% respectively. Only 40% mentioned cans, while 47% thought plastics other than plastic bottles, such as plastic containers and cups, could be recycled. Glass, cardboard and food were also mentioned by a few people.Nearly half of the people who knew recycling was available had recycled. The majority had used the bin for recyclable items including plastic bottles (71%), paper (26%) and cans (9%). A few also said they had recycled items which were not recyclable

according to the dual bin signage. The most common items incorrectly recycled were plastics other than plastic bottles such as plastic cups and food packaging. Interestingly this could be related to a misunderstanding of the rubbish bin signage, where people mistakenly may have thought they were recycling when using the rubbish bin. It was linked to the fact that the presence of symbols appeared to be associated with recycling activities.Fewer people said they had used the rubbish part of the dual bin (23%) than said they had recycled (see Fig 3). This may indicate that the recycling service includes

Fig 2. Charts exhibiting awareness and knowledge of recycling facilities at Edinburgh Airport among interviewees. The left-hand pie-chart includes all people interviewed and shows recycling awareness

(n=120). The middle pie-chart shows whether people who had noticed recycling knew what could be recycled (n=75) and right-hand bar chart shows what people thought could be recycled (n=63, multiple answers possible).

Fig 3. Charts exhibiting rubbish bin usage. The left-hand chart includes everyone interviewed at Edinburgh Airport (n=120). The right-hand chart shows what people who had used

the rubbish bin threw away (n=28, multiple answers possible).


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the most common items disposed of. The people who had used the rubbish bin threw away mostly plastics other than plastic bottles (39%) or food (36%). Food is one of the items the airport specifically wants to avoid in the recycling stream because it degrades the quality of the paper and is a contaminant mentioned in the waste regulations (The Stationery Office, 2013). Coffee cups and used paper were also quite common. Two people identified items which could have been recycled, indicating that were unlikely to have read the signage or were against recycling in general.Dual bin symbols and signageThere are six symbols on the dual bin signage used at Edinburgh Airport (see Fig 1). The symbols were

shown individually to each visitor interviewed and they were asked to identify what they thought the signs meant. The symbol which caused most confusion was the ‘food and packaging’ symbol on the rubbish sign (see Fig 4). The most common misconception was that the symbol was thought to be a pile of paper (13%). Another 13% were unable to give suggestions because the symbol meant nothing to them; 37% of the Americans were in this category. A likely reason for this is that food containers in USA do not look like the symbol used. Only one person thought the symbol represented food, which the symbol was meant to suggest.

Fig 4. Different interpretations of the symbols used on the dual bin signage at Edinburgh Airport by visitors (n=120). The plastic bottle, can and paper symbols were used on the recycling sign and the

hot drinks cup, food and packaging and other rubbish symbols was used on the rubbish sign.


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The symbols on the recycling sign were more clearly understood than the symbols on the rubbish sign. No-one expressed confusion over the ‘plastic bottle’ symbol, though 3% did think its presence meant all plastics could be recycled. This is not a major issue as the airport is able to recycle most plastics as long as they are relatively clean. The ‘drinks cans’ symbol was not as clear to people as the ‘plastic bottles’ symbol. Interpretation suggestions included aluminium (10%) and tins (7%). Many drinks cans are made of aluminium and tins can also be recycled at the airport, so this does not represent recycling contamination problem for the airport. The Americans were most likely to interpret the ‘can’ symbol to stand for aluminium (26%). The least understood item on the recycling sign was the ‘paper’ symbol, which caused confusion in 6% of visitors.The majority of visitors (96%) found the recycling sign as a whole easy to understand. Forty found that the combination of the text and the symbols used on the sign were important for clarity. The colour combination on the recycling sign was also particularly highlighted by 25%, as many felt the strong colours drew attention towards the signage symbols and text. Many also associated the colour green with recycling. The only minor criticism was the paper symbol, which a few people thought should be replaced. People from outside the UK were more likely than the British to specify that the combination of text and symbols, or the symbols by themselves was important to aid their understanding of the recycling sign (see Fig 5). Taken together with the overall high

level of accuracy in the symbol interpretation (see Fig 4), this indicates that the symbols are internationally recognisable and should help people with limited English language skills to understand the signage.Only 53% thought the rubbish signage was clear (see Fig 6). People typically spent longer looking at the rubbish sign than the recycling sign before giving their opinion about it. The main criticism of the rubbish sign was that the symbols used on it should be changed (54%). Forty-one percent thought the black and white used made it harder to read than the recycling sign and 29% said they expected recycling to take place when symbols were present. Some people even expressed surprise when they realised that the rubbish sign was indicating non-recyclable items. This may explain why some people thought they had recycled when using the rubbish compartment of the dual bin. From this it is plain that many associate the presence of symbols with recycling. To reduce this misconception symbols specific to certain types of waste would need to be removed.Recycling perceptionsThe majority of the people surveyed (92%) were in favour of recycling, while the remainder expressed some scepticism. The most popular reason for being in favour of recycling was that they were used to it (42%). Twenty-three percent of the visitors who expressed being in favour of recycling did not elaborate their views any further. The remaining 77% were more specific and in some cases expressed what appeared to be opposing views on recycling.

Fig 5. Reasons given for finding the recycling signage used at Edinburgh Airport easy to understand (n=115) sub-divided by nationality categories.


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One person for example thought recycling was very important, but also expressed the view that it was too expensive. Another thought recycling should have been introduced sooner, but did not think the recyclable items collected were being recycled. These apparent conflicts may be present in response to perceived social pressure, where some may have felt the need to justify negative views on recycling.The presence of recycling facilities improved their impression of the airport among 85% of the people surveyed. It may be of commercial value that 33% expressed the opinion that the presence of recycling facilities showed corporate responsibility. Some also suggested that recycling improved the international reputation of the airport (7%) and made the airport appear cleaner (8%). Interestingly over half of the people whose opinion of the airport remained unaffected said they expected recycling to be present. Anecdotally some of these people said the absence of recycling facilities would have negatively impacted their opinion of the airport.Waste compositionAll the bags collected were inspected for the presence of items identified on the dual bin signage. The majority of plastic bottles and drinks cans were found in the recycling bags and the bulk of hot drinks and food and packaging were found in the rubbish bags in line with the signage (see Fig 7). There were

slightly more pieces of paper in the rubbish than in the recycling. The paper added to the recycling was cleaner and included all the newspapers and 75% of the magazines found. Used napkins and tissues made up approximately 50% of the paper found in the rubbish bags.The recycling bags inspected weighed 23.8kg in total, while the rubbish bags only weighed 13.6kg. The weight difference was likely due to the weight of the plastic bottles, which mostly contained liquids and may also be a consequence of more frequent bag changes for the rubbish as reported by cleaning staff. The bags collected from the areas closest to café businesses appeared to be more likely to be contaminated with liquids than other areas. The recycling bags had a higher amount of contained liquids than the rubbish bags. Fifty-six percent of the waste collected from the dual bins was composed of liquids (see Table 1).

DiscussionZero Waste Scotland provided Edinburgh Airport with the symbols used on the recycling signage. These symbols are increasingly used across Scotland for ‘Recycling on the Go’ facilities, local recycling points and recycling centres. The more widely the symbols are used the more they are likely to be recognised by the general public. It was clear from the responses to the recycling survey that the recycling signage used at

Fig 6. Charts of visitors’ responses to rubbish signage on the dual bins used at Edinburgh Airport. The left-hand pie-chart shows who thought the signage was clear (n=120). The middle bar chart gives reasons for finding the

signage clear (n=64, multiple answers possible) while the right-hand bar chart shows the responses from the people who found the signage unclear (n=56, multiple answers possible).


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Edinburgh Airport is working well in terms of clarity. This was also reflected in the waste audit where the majority of plastic bottles and cans were correctly recycled and most of the higher quality paper such as magazines and other printed paper were added to the recycling bin. The presence of symbols on the rubbish signage and people’s interpretation of them was less clear. As such it is perhaps best to remove symbols from the general waste signage altogether to avoid confusion.Wet paper represents the biggest contamination issue in the comingled recycling at the airport, as it is clear that the current system is not able to ensure dry waste collection from the landside dual bins (see Table 1). Steps taken to reduce liquids in the comingled recycling by adding the hot drinks cup to the rubbish have not been as effective as hoped. Some people ignore or do not understand the signage and the liquids inside the recycling bags appeared to mainly originate from the water and soft drink bottles added. This contravenes the waste regulations in the sense that high quality recycling is not effectively promoted.Introducing a separate collection of paper would improve the quality of the paper collected and increase the avenues available for reprocessing. This would however also mean less paper is likely to be captured than with the current system as comingled recycling typically increases recycling tonnage (Keramitsoglou and Tsagarakis, 2013; Miranda et al, 2013). The extra space and staff time required for a single paper collection makes this an unattractive option for many companies and to comply with the regulations

other avenues need to be explored to achieve a drier comingled recycling collection for publicly available recycling systems.Though there was more paper in the rubbish than in the comingled recycling audited, most of the paper in the former was composed of lower quality grades which have a limited recycling spectrum and may be more suitable for Energy from Waste incineration than recycling (Wang et al, 2012). It was clear from the audit that visitors using the recycling bin would mainly add paper they felt was recyclable, and as such paper is subject to individual classifications the airport cannot influence when offering paper recycling facilities. It is as yet unclear from the waste regulations whether achieving a greater recycling level is more desirable than maintaining the quality of the recyclates.A possible solution to the liquid problem in the comingled recycling would be to try to encourage visitors to remove the liquid inside the plastic containers before adding them to the recycling bins. This could be trialled through adding a liquid collection station to a dual bin and encourage visitors to used it. If it proves effective it is possible that instead of rubbish and a comingled recycling station you could have a general waste and dry recyclable waste dual bin. This system is more likely to achieve waste streams which comply with the waste regulations (The Stationery Office, 2013). The drawback, as with the current system, would be visitors using the bins incorrectly or purposefully not recycling leading to contamination of the dry waste.

Fig 7. Plastic bottles, paper, drinks cans, hot drinks cups and food and packaging found in 20 rubbish bags and 20 recycling bags collected at Edinburgh Airport from 10 landside

‘Recycling on the Go’ bins on 3 July and 5 July 2013.


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ConclusionNinety-two percent of the individuals interviewed in this study were in favour of recycling and 85% had an improved impression of Edinburgh Airport because of the presence of recycling facilities. This leads to the conclusion that publicly available recycling systems can improve the impression of businesses confirming the claims made by Zero Waste Scotland (2012) that implementing publicly available recycling helps to exhibit corporate social responsibility and demonstrates environmental commitment.Recommendation: Invest in publicly available recycling systems to improve public image, increase recycling and assist with Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 compliance.Symbols on the rubbish bin signage employed by Edinburgh Airport confused many of the people interviewed, with many articulating that they associated the presence of symbols with recycling. In total, 47% found the rubbish signage unclear and the main criticism was about the symbols used on the rubbish sign. This suggests that the presence of symbols on rubbish signs can be easily misinterpreted and may make people falsely believe that recycling is taking place.Recommendation: Clear recycling signage should be prioritised and symbols of non-recyclable items need be avoided on rubbish bin signage to ensure customers are aware that those bins are not for recycling.

The ‘Recycling on the Go’ signage employed at Edinburgh Airport was clearly understood by 96% of the people interviewed. This indicates that the recycling signage and apertures advocated by Zero Waste Scotland works well for a British, as well as international audience. The colour green was associated with recycling by people from many different nationalities suggesting it is internationally associated with recycling.Recommendation: In order to increase recycling awareness colourful recycling signage and bin apertures should be used and the colour green should feature strongly.This study provides evidence in favour of recycling becoming increasingly common, accepted and even expected in publicly accessible areas such as Edinburgh Airport. With recycling participation on the increase we can anticipate greater engagement with ‘Recycling on the Go’ schemes making it easier for businesses to enlist the public’s help in meeting the waste regulation obligations.

ReferencesReferences are available on request.

A special thank you to Julie McKinney and others at Edinburgh Airport and Dr Tara Beattie, University of Strathclyde, without whose help this study would not have been possible.


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MAnAGeMent cOMMItteeby Martin Keeley, Chairman

‘The Environmental Health Service – Where to Now?’During a previous discussion of this item by the committee, a decision was taken to consider the status quo of a locally-delivered service. It was agreed that local delivery must be the dominant feature of the way forward. At its most recent meeting in January, the committee considered reports from both the President and the Institute’s Chief Executive together. The Institute’s current position was endorsed to the effect that the Environmental Health Service in Scotland should continue to be delivered locally, be sustainably resourced and be aligned with national priorities for the protection of health and wellbeing.

Scottish Government VTEC/E.coli O157 Action Plan for Scotland, 2013-2017The Action Plan was published in November 2013 and sets out 86 recommendations designed to tackle VTEC/E.coli O157 infection in Scotland. The recommendations are the result of the multi-agency Action Group, which considered ways to disrupt the transmission of VTEC from source to human beings. Implementation of the recommendations will be overseen by the Action Group. The Action Plan is an important step in tackling VTEC/E.coli O157 in Scotland and the REHIS Management Committee reviewed the Action Plan recommendations that relate to the Institute. It was noted that the Institute had robust systems in place to deliver on the required actions and critical actions had already been carried out or were substantially underway. The committee agreed that the Chief Executive will respond to the authors of the report and advise them of the Institute’s actions and commitment to help tackle VTEC/E.coli O157 in Scotland.

REHIS website managementThe Institute has benefited from Graham Walker managing uploads to the Institute’s website for a number of years. With Graham’s departure, the committee agreed to invite him to continue to provide a service, as a consultant, in the short term after his retirement.

Annual Conference 2014The committee noted the decision of Council to present the Annual Conference at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on 7 and 8 May. A Conference Working Group was set up to organise and manage the progression and delivery of the event and this has been completed with a schedule of high

profile speakers contributing to the programme. The committee noted the work carried out by the working group and welcomed the high quality conference programme.

International Federation of Environmental HealthThe committee considered a report from the President following his representation along with the REHIS Senior Vice-President at the European Federation of Environmental Health (EFEH) meeting in Paris on 17 January. Janet Russell (CIEH) will become the IFEH’s e-Newsletter editor. Peter Archer (CIEH) promoted a ‘postcard’ approach to highlighting examples of social determinants of health encountered by environmental health professionals. Jan Homma and Steve Cooper were elected as the EFEH’s new Chairman and Secretary respectively. Items relating to the benchmarking of environmental health qualifications and curriculum were discussed. The Institute takes a keen interest in these international matters which can affect its members in Scotland and around the world.

IFEH Council and Annual General Meetings, and the World Congress on Environmental Health, Las Vegas, USA, July 2014The committee agreed that the Institute will be represented at the Federation’s Council meetings and Annual General Meeting, at the International Environmental Health Faculty Forum meeting, and at the World Congress by Colin Wallace and Martin Keeley. They will represent the Institute and ensure that the improvement and protection of public health remains at the forefront of discussions in all IFEH dealings, both professional and academic. The committee noted the importance of engagement with its international partners on Environmental Health matters in order to deliver the desired public health improvement and protection.

Malawi Environmental Health AssociationREHIS has long worked in partnership with the Malawi Environmental Health Association and supports its efforts to actively participate in world environmental health affairs. To this end, the Institute will provide a top-up grant to MEHA to have one of its office-bearers travel to the World Congress in Las Vegas to enable the promotion of the 2016 World Congress in Lilongwe, Malawi. The Institute looks forward to supporting MEHA in its efforts to deliver the World Congress in 2016.


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FOOd STaNdaRdS agENcy ScOTlaNd NEWSDevelopment of new guidance for the management of biotoxin risks in shellfish harvested in ScotlandDuring 2013, shellfish waters in Scotland were affected by unprecedented levels of naturally occurring algal biotoxins, which resulted in a large number of commercial harvesting areas being closed through the FSA’s Official Control (OC) monitoring programme. The waters around Shetland were particularly affected by blooms of Dinophysis, a species of algae which produces the toxins responsible for Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning or DSP. Mussels harvested from Shetland were implicated in an outbreak of DSP which affected over 70 consumers in England in July 2013.Following the outbreak, discussions with enforcement authorities and the shellfish industry in Scotland highlighted the need for clearer guidance on the management of biotoxin risks. FSA in Scotland collaborated with the businesses involved in the outbreak to develop a ‘risk matrix’ guidance package to assist shellfish harvesters and processors in developing their own food safety controls and end product testing regimes which take account of biotoxin trends in their area. The guidance can also be used by local authorities to assess whether businesses are managing the risks from biotoxins effectively.The risk matrix uses a traffic lights approach to identify the circumstances in which additional end product testing or a precautionary suspension of

harvesting should be considered by businesses, when areas remain open but monitoring results are showing rising levels of biotoxins. The guidance package is being consulted on during February and March 2014, and will be piloted in Scotland during FY 2014/15. Please see attached link for further details: http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/consultations/consultations-scotland/2014/shellfish-guidance-scot.

Consumer forums to improve our understanding of food hygiene practices in the over 60s age groupIndividuals belonging to the over 60s age group are known to be particularly susceptible to foodborne disease and it is an observed trend that foodborne disease incidence in the over 60s is increasing. In Scotland during 2011, this age group accounted for the highest percentage of laboratory reports for Campylobacter and Listeria monocytogenes, the two priority pathogens in the Food Standard Agency’s Foodborne Disease Strategy. To understand better the reasons behind this trend and to be able to target our food safety messages in the general population in Scotland, we have arranged a series of consumer forums for those aged 60+. The aim of the forums is to understand their attitudes and behaviours to food safety and their perception of risk. Additionally the forums will explore how this age group access public health information and their preferred format, to enable FSA to target future food safety messages more effectively.

ScOTTISH FOOd SaFETy OFFIcERS’ REgISTRaTION bOaRdby Professor Kofi Aidoo, Chairman

The remit of the committee includes matters relating to examinations for Food Safety Officers, their pre-entry/pre-registration academic standards and liaison with the Food Standards Agency and with other awarding bodies offering equivalent qualifications. The membership of the Board comprises representatives from REHIS, FSA Scotland, IFST, AMI and SFEOA.The Board received three enquiries last year to ascertain suitability of the courses offered by university and further education colleges in meeting the entry requirements. In 2013 there were no registrations for

the Higher Certificate in Food Premises Inspection and Higher Certificate in Food Standards Inspection but there was one candidate for each of the certificates in the examination diets. No meetings were held due to very little business.After the successful delivery of the meat hygiene and inspection element of the syllabus for the Higher Certificate in Official Control held at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine and funded by FSAS, candidates have still not submitted the four reports (dairy products, fish, meat and imported foods).

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EXamINaTIONS aNd pROFESSIONal STaNdaRdS cOmmITTEEby Lorrainne MacGillivray, Chairman

BSc (Hons)/MSc Environmental Health degree courses at the University of StrathclydeAt the the bi-annual meeting at the University on 13 December 2013 it was pleasing to note that students on both the BSc (Hons) and MSc in Environmental Health at the University continue to progress well. In particular, current student research projects are directly benefiting from a £6 million laboratory refurbishment, providing new state of the art laboratory facilities for environmental microbiology, environmental analytical chemistry and environmental pollution monitoring. Several graduates including Sandra Currie, Jonathan Gillespie, Nicola Masey, and Eliani Ezani have successfully progressed from undergraduate/BSc level to PhD programmes and are making excellent progress in these new facilities.Another notable achievement is that Stephanie Burns in the final year of the BSc (Hons) Environmental Health programme has recently been successful in a national competition to present her Honours Year project on air quality and health research at the British Conference of Undergraduate Research 2014 at the University of Nottingham in April 2014. Following this success, Stephanie has also been asked by the University of Strathclyde Educational Enhancement Team to present a poster of her research at the Enhancement-led Institutional Review (ELIR) visit made to Strathclyde by a team of external reviewers. The ELIR is conducted by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Scotland every 4-5 years and is a significant and important review method for universities and higher education institutions. The ELIR focuses upon the University’s strategic approach and arrangements in place to support the academic standards of awards and the continuous enhancement of the student learning experience for all students. The MSc Environmental Health programme continues to develop well, with students attending from many different countries. This year three Scottish students have been joined by three Malaysian students and students from Bangladesh, Slovakia, and Greece.

BSc (Hons) Environmental Health degree course at the University of the West of ScotlandThe University of the West of Scotland (UWS) received full accreditation for its BSc (Hons) Environmental Health at the REHIS Council meeting on 7 December 2013. The main condition that the University was required to satisfy was associated with the Meat Inspection Module. The approach taken

to resolve this was to employ a current EHO (and former Meat Inspector) from East Ayrshire Council, Pat Smyth. In collaboration with the University, Pat took an innovative ‘Farm to Fork’ approach with respect to module content and delivery such that the main focus would be on practical site visits that would be built upon with formal classroom material. The taught material commenced with a visit to Paisley (Sandyford) abattoir where the students spent three hours with the plant manager and Pat going through the slaughter process. Subsequent site visits in 2013 comprised Grampian Foods (poultry), Braehead Foods (game), and Glasgow Fish Market. In 2014 the site visits comprised WW Wales (meat cutting), Brownings (processed food products), and Grants (specialist meat food products).The benefits from this practical approach to the students were clearly evident at the last meeting with the University and it is anticipated that this will continue.The next meeting with the University is scheduled to take place on 21 March 2014.

MSc Environmental Health course at the University of DerbyFollowing the re-accreditation visit on 11 September 2013 where the requirements of the core curriculum were found to have been met in full, Council also agreed to the re-accreditation of this course on 7 December 2013. This course is also progressing well and a number of REHIS students have recently graduated with their MSc in Environmental Health. Special congratulations go to both Sheena Redmond and Andrew Smith from South Lanarkshire Council who both received a Merit for their degree.

Scheme of Professional Practice for Student/ Graduate Trainee Environmental Health OfficersA total of 19 student Environmental Health Officers have now registered under the Scheme of Professional Practice that was introduced in January last year. Seven of these students are currently unattached which demonstrates their commitment and willingness to undertake their training to become Environmental Health Officers. I am delighted to be able to report that one of these students is currently working with the company ACS Physical Risk Control Ltd to undertake her training, which reflects the value given to the role of Environmental Health Officers in the private sector.


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The Institute has made substantial financial contributions in recent years to assist with the provision of additional places for practical training for Student/Graduate Trainee Environmental Health Officers. In addition, recognition is also due to the Food Standards Agency Scotland and the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland for the significant support given by them in this regard.

Continuing Professional DevelopmentIt is pleasing to report that 180 officers have attained Chartered Environmental Health Officer status this year.The review of our CPD Scheme to align it with that of the Scheme of Professional Practice is ongoing and any concerns or ideas can be raised with either myself or the Director of Professional Development.

enVIrOnMentAL HeALtH prOMOtIOn cOMMItteeby Drew Hall, Chairman

The most recent meeting was held in Edinburgh on 5 February 2014 which was the first meeting following the AGM in November 2013. The Chair of the committee for the second year is Drew Hall. Paul Bradley was welcomed as Vice-Chair of the committee along with Christine Morrison from the Western Isles who participated in the meeting via Skype.The following summarises the main issues discussed:

Public Health Resource Group (PHRG)The PHRG is a sub-group of the committee and has helped develop a number of briefing notes to aid members of various topics of the profession, these are available on the REHIS website. This group is ably supported by Jim Thomson, Policy/Professional Development Officer. The committee approved the revised Community Training Briefing Note; a number of other briefing notes are under development.

Technical Working GroupsThe committee reviews minutes of the Technical Working Groups these being:• Scottish Pollution Control Co-ordinating

Committee (SPCCC)• Health and Safety Co-ordinating Group

(HASCOG)• Public Health and Housing Working Group

(PHHWG).These provide a great resource for members to share information, good practice and agreeing consensus on new issues and developments. Members should also be aware that any related Environmental Health work/professional issues that might need the support

of REHIS can be raised through these groups, which then can be considered by this committee.

Consultations The Chief Executive reported that responses to three consultation documents had been made since the last meeting of the committee. These responses were to: • The Food Law Code of Practice Review -

English Version• The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Scotland)

Regulations 2014• The Food Law Code of Practice (Scotland)

Review.

e-NewsletterThe editor of the e-Newsletter, Jim Thomson, has developed the newsletter to provide an increasing range of current content. Jim was congratulated on his successful efforts with this publication.

Annual Review 2013The Chief Executive reported that he awaited copy for the Review and that he hoped to produce a first draft by late February/early March. The aim is to launch the Review at the Annual Conference in May.

REHIS JournalThe Chief Executive reported that the winter edition of the Journal had just been published and that invitations to submit copy had recently been sent to the usual circulation list for the spring edition.Members are reminded that we wish to hear about pieces of research, interesting projects, new ways of working, etc, that would be interesting to the rest of the membership. Your contributions are always appreciated.

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HSE lau NEWSby Tracy McTaggart, Health and Safety Executive, Local Authority Unit

Triennial reviewThe triennial review of HSE I have previously mentioned is now complete and the independent review led by Martin Temple, Chair of EEF (formerly the Engineering Employers’ Association) - the manufacturers’ organisation - concluded that the functions performed by HSE are still required, and it should be retained as a non-departmental public body. Specific recommendations relevant to local authorities include:• HSE reviews local authorities’ annual returns

on their inspection and advisory activities. Where there is evidence of significant deviations from the norm they should explore the reasons with the outliers. HSE should draw the attention of the appropriate political leader of those local authorities where its performance is significantly out of step of the potential risk this may pose.

• The National Local Authority Enforcement Code is reviewed in 2014 in the light of experience to identify areas for change and amendment.

• HSE’s local authority liaison groups should be strengthened and maintained and that HSE’s role in those groups should be to provide expert professional guidance, constructive challenge and leadership.

It also recognised the value of local authorities working together and in partnership with HSE to ensure value for money. A further recommendation is that, ideally, there should be a senior champion, and a single point of contact and single regulatory organisation in each local authority or grouping of local authorities. But what works well locally and local political accountability is just as important.

The government is currently preparing a response which is due in April this year, and I should be able to give you more information about this in the next edition.

LAE1s - mid year returnsThe LAE1 half year voluntary data exercise concluded in November last year. UK-wide there was a 46% response rate with 174 local authorities submitting. In Scotland there was a 53% return with 17 submissions from local authorities. The data indicated a 44% drop in inspections to businesses rated Category A. The data provided was statistically modelled to produce an annual estimated projection for 2013/14 for all 380 local authorities, and predicted that 8,000 proactive inspections would take place. (There were 14,400 inspections in 2012/2013). The National Code requires local authorities to share their LAE1 data with HSE and this will be published and can be used in the peer review process.

Legionella intervention programmeAs part of the current legionella intervention programme, both local authority and HSE inspectors have been undertaking targeted inspections at premises with cooling towers/evaporative condensers. UK-wide 40% still require inspection, but in Scotland, there are only four sites still requiring a visit. This is high priority work, so well done to all those local authorities who have completed their inspections before the end of the work year.

Chair and Secretaries meetingIn the last edition I told you that the Local Authority Unit is due to hold meetings for Chairs and Secretaries of local authority liaison groups. We will shortly be holding one event in Manchester and one in London, but worry not, we haven’t forgotten you. Once the meetings have taken place down south, we will look at arranging an event for those in Scotland.

HASCOG SCOTLAND MEETINGTHURSDAY 17 JULY

EDINBURGH

HEALTH AND SAFETYUPDATE 2014

WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBEREDINBURGH


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mEmbERSHIp, EducaTION aNd TRaININg cOmmITTEEby Professor Kofi Aidoo, Chairman

Committee remitThe remit of the committee includes matters relating to membership and advising membership applications to Council, Centres, community training, professional courses and CPD training provision.

Roadshow eventThe committee noted that the roadshow event in Aberdeen, aimed at taking REHIS to the membership and the public at large, was successful and will now be presented every three years across Scotland; the next event is planned for 2016. A new four-page leaflet is also available for promoting Environmental Health and a career as an Environmental Health Officer in Scotland.

Northern and Southern Centre eventsThe committee received reports about the activities of the centres. The Northern Centre activities included port health and windfarm events and the assistance from the Southern Centre with event ideas and delivery were noted. The Northern Centre is planning further events. The Southern Centre presented a range of training events and other activities included a windfarm event and a tolerable standard electrical safety in housing event. The committee commended the Northern and Southern Centres for providing events including seminars, which were well organised and well attended. Such events provide members of the Institute with good return of their membership and enhance continuing professional development (CPD). The Institute’s website highlights a wide range of events all of which have CPD value.

Professional update coursesThe committee reviewed the professional update courses offered and these were health and safety, food and environmental health. Although these courses were well attended particularly the Food Update (over 80 delegates and speakers), the committee would like to see improved attendance for future update courses. Crime Investigation and Statement Writing and Witness Familiarisation courses are also being offered and will be launched on the Institute’s website.

Community trainingThe committee noted with satisfaction the provisional community training statistics for 2013. The committee was informed that the Food Standards Agency Scotland funding for training in Scottish secondary schools is due to end in 2015. The Food and Health Trainers’ Update seminar 2014 was also noted. Development of the Elementary Cleaning and Disinfection Course was progressing and a pilot will be delivered at an Approved Training Centre. The committee also agreed to the development of a six-hour Health and Safety Course - Emergency First Aid Course at Work and delivery of a pilot by Safety Training Scotland. The Elementary Practical Cooking Skills Course, which was supported by Community Food and Health is now available as one of REHIS’s courses. The committee would like to thank Clare Ireland for the development of the Legionella Awareness courses now available as a three-hour awareness course and a six-hour elementary level course. Any of the Institute’s existing Health and Safety Training Centres would be able to deliver these courses. The committee also commended the working groups for training in food hygiene, food and health, and health and safety who have been having discussions quite successfully on course development through email communications.

Joint awardsThe committee received an update on a joint award for a Gluten-free Foods: Preparing and delivering Safe Choices and considered and approved a joint award for a Food Security HACCP course recommended by the Institute’s Director of Training.

...and thanks to...The committee would like to thank the Northern and Southern Centres, the Approved Training Centres, Institute’s working groups, other groups and individuals for their hard work in promoting and furthering the Environmental Health profession in Scotland. A special thank you to the outgoing Director of Training, Graham Walker for his immense contribution to the work of the Institute, we all wish him a happy retirement and a warm welcome to Director of Training, Jackie McCabe.


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SEpa NEWSNew flood maps for Scotland now LIVE!!Could the area where you live or work be affected by flooding?There is now more information available on flooding than ever before, helping you to understand how flooding can affect your community. SEPA’s flood maps (which can be viewed at http://map.sepa.org.uk/floodmap/map.htm) now feature additional information about the sources and impacts of flooding (including information on flooding from rivers, the sea and, for the first time, surface water).The maps are a key milestone of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act (2009), which introduced a co-ordinated partnership approach to developing strategies and plans to tackle flood risk in Scotland, and can be used by everyone to help increase awareness and understanding of flooding. Understanding how flooding can affect you is the first step you can take to minimise your own flood risk and the impact a flood could have on you.

SEPA’s new facility pays tribute to ‘father of acid rain’SEPA recently honoured environmental pioneer Dr Robert Angus Smith with the formal opening of its new flagship facility at Maxim Park, Eurocentral in December 2013.Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, officially opened the Angus Smith Building, which brings together over 400 staff from SEPA’s scientific, regulatory and other teams into a single, modern, fit-for-purpose facility.To pay tribute to Angus Smith, whose work led to the discovery of what became known as ‘acid rain’, a specially commissioned bust of the environmental pioneer was unveiled at the official opening by the Minister.

How will the maps affect you?As well as helping you to understand the sources and impacts of flooding, the maps will also help organisations and local authorities make more effective decisions on how to tackle flooding. The flood maps provide information on existing flood risk and don’t change how your area is affected by flooding. The maps don’t show individual properties and are designed to help community level decision-making. They also can’t be used for commercial purposes for insurance, or other commercial purposes, as all users have to agree to our terms and conditions before viewing the information. From left to right: James Curran, SEPA Chief Executive,

David Sigsworth, SEPA Chairman, and Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, with

the specially commissioned bust of Dr Robert Angus Smith at the building launch.


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SEPA admits it’s not easy being green - but sustainability is a worthwhile challengeSEPA has recently published its new ‘Sustainable SEPA’ report (which can be viewed at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/about_us/publications/greening_sepa.aspx). The report provides an annual update (for the period covering 2012-2013) on how SEPA is keeping pace with its internal targets to improve its own sustainability, and also explains its activities in response to its duties under Scotland’s ambitious climate change act.

SEPA welcomes new Board membersMinister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, recently announced the appointment of four new members to the Board of SEPA.The appointment of Michelle Francis, Dr Jackie Hyland, Nick Martin and Trisha McAuley, who all started in their new posts on a part-time basis from 1 January 2014, will each bring a wealth of new experience and expertise to the SEPA Board.

Public consultations launched on the challenges for improving Scotland’s water environmentTwo public consultations have been launched by SEPA to help inform the next stage of Scotland’s

plans for sustainable management of rivers, lochs, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater.Officially launched in December 2013 on SEPA’s website, the six month consultations are aimed at local authorities, stakeholder groups and water users to help protect and improve the quality of the water environment within the Scotland and Solway Tweed, River Basin districts. Further info is available at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning/significant_issues.aspx.

ProsecutionsAn Ayrshire company was fined £12,000 at Ayr Sheriff Court for failing to prevent the spillage of 6,600 litres of whisky spirit, of which approximately 5,000 litres of 67% strength entered the River Ayr.Scottish Water was fined £10,000 at Alloa Sheriff Court for two pollution incidents in 2011 in Clackmannanshire that, between them, resulted in the pollution of the River Devon and the Goudnie Burn.A Glasgow man was sentenced to 135 hours of unpaid work in the community, at Glasgow Sheriff Court, for waste offences.Details of all prosecutions, and news stories, can be found on the ‘News’ section of our website.

ScOTTISH gREEN applE ENVIRONmENT aWaRdS

The Institute is once again supporting one of the country’s top environmental awards campaigns. The Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice began in 1994 and winners can also represent Scotland in the European Business Awards for the Environment, as the Green Apple Awards is one of the few accredited feeder schemes into this Brussels-led initiative.There is no entry fee and the top prize is a trip for two to the world’s greenest resort, AquaCity in Slovakia.Winners will also be invited to collect their trophies at a glittering presentation ceremony in Edinburgh - and automatically progress into the UK finals.Free entries close on 30 April, and the annual campaign aims to recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice. Any council, company or organisation in Scotland can apply for a Scottish Green Apple Environment Award - as long as they are doing something that benefits the environment. There is no entry fee and there are three chances to win - with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each category.

If you, your company or council is doing anything that benefits the environment, then you are eligible for a Scottish Green Apple Award.The campaign is run by The Green Organisation – an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.You can enter at www.thegreenorganisation.info.

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IFEH NEWS by Bernard Forteath, IFEH representative

The 13th IFEH World Congress, in partnership with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) 2014 and 78th Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition (AEC), will bring the latest innovations and unique responses to environmental health and public protection problems. The IFEH 13th World Congress and NEHA 2014/AEC will take place at The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas from 7 to 10 July 2014.A unique aspect of this congress is that for those unable to travel to Las Vegas they can take part in the congress proceedings via the ‘virtual conference’. The IFEH and NEHA will stream part of this event online. Attending online provides the opportunity to access the conference from home or work where you can:• view some educational sessions live as they

happen• participate in educational sessions and submit

questions• network with other environmental health

professionals, speakers, and exhibitors• access video archives of educational sessions,

as well as speaker presentations and other conference materials.

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be the keynote speaker at this event.Prior to the start of the congress the IFEH Council, AGM, and International Faculty Forum meetings will take place on Saturday and Sunday, 5 and 6 July. REHIS will be represented at these meetings, and the congress, by Colin Wallace and Martin Keeley.In the last Journal mention was made of the new bursary scheme, sponsored by Hedgerow Software Ltd of Canada, to support members from developing countries to attend IFEH Council meetings/AGM. Four applications to attend the World Congress in July have been received from Malawi, Jamaica, Uganda, and Liberia. This award covers travel costs only.The College of Health Technology of Coimbra, Portugal, in association with the IFEH, will be holding an Academic Conference in 2015. This will be the first conference held specifically for academic members involved in environmental health education, and will be different from the bi-annual meeting of the International Faculty Forum held at the World Congress. IFEH member organisations are being asked to encourage attendance from academic institutions within their country.In the last Journal it was reported that the full membership of the Federation (national environmental health organisations, one per member country) had risen to 41 following the entry of the Chamber of Sanitary Engineers of Slovenia. A further new member, the Korean Society of Environmental Health, was recently admitted bringing the number of full members to 42.

The IFEH and NEHA are pleased to announce that Mark Keim, MD, Associate Director for Science in the Office for Environmental Health Emergencies, National Centre for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the


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FOOD MAttersby George Fairgrieve OBE, Member of the REHIS Council with responsibility for food safety and food standards matters

Proposed New Food Body for ScotlandThe Working with Others Project Board continues to meet and discuss various ideas but no firm conclusions will be reached until the final report from the Working Group has been received and studied.

Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC)SFELC met in Glasgow on 14 February 2014. Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of the Scottish Government Regulatory Review Group, along with Joe Brown and Sandra Reid attended to give an update on the Regulatory Review Group and the Scottish Regulators’ Strategic Code of Practice.Russel Griggs spoke as Chair of the Better Regulation Review Group first. The two main parts of the discussion were working to deliver better regulation and a move towards an enabling, outcomes-based approach within the context of the five key principles of better regulation which are proportionality, consistency, transparency, accountability and targeting. The second was on the topic of a move toward an enabling, outcomes-based approach. Good discussion followed on whether it would be practicable to build new structures on the basis of old information and whether change would be required. It was identified that this present situation comes at a very timely moment for a potential change and that if sensible and rational items are put forward to the Scottish Government that people would listen, a suggested example was a shared Environmental Health service for Scotland. There is a capacity to generate national standards as exemplified by the mobile traders’ national standard. Going forward, as there is a case to be made to develop what is best for Scotland it is considered that those with interests representing a single shared Environmental Health service for Scotland including; local authorities, CoSLA, professional bodies and Scottish Government could all meet to discuss the potential interests, challenges, opportunities and processes involved.Sandra Reid then further updated on the Scottish Regulators’ Strategic Code of Practice consultation and Joe Brown added his thanks to SFELC for the mobile traders’ national standards document noting that it is a hugely significant piece of work.

Philip Randles, FSA, was in attendance and spoke on the FSA Intelligence Hub. He introduced his presentation by discussing what the FSA Intelligence Hub is and the various challenges it faces in operating successfully. He went on to explain that the Intelligence Hub was set up as a result of recommendations from the Troop report, and also what is involved in gathering intelligence, how information can be obtained, pieced together and used in the right way. The presentation stimulated a variety of questions, including what are the mechanics for feeding into, and obtaining information from the system.Following the discussions it was considered that there will be a small agenda item on the April 2014 agenda entitled, ‘Intelligence Hub - unexpected, suspicious and unusual items’. It should also be considered that this feature as a standing item on future SFELC agenda.Peter Midgley, FSAS, reported that he had recently met with the trading law managers of several large retailers that represent a benchmarking group. For the meeting the individuals were representing this group and not their own retailers. The meeting was to discuss how things were done in Scotland.The main discussion items were specific applications of the cross contamination guidance within retail and issues of consistency. They also raised discussions on the primary authority scheme, and food hygiene information/rating scheme (FHIS/FHRS). The group also raised the topic of liquor licensing conditions in relation to food and Peter advised that he would take this matter up with the Scottish Government better regulation team.There are opportunities to improve engagement with the companies and in particular the door to the benchmarking group was opened which could lead to joint working and training between enforcers and industry. It was suggested this engagement could possibly take place through the sub-committees.

Resources Working GroupThe Resources Working Group met on 13 February and concentrated on two main items. The first item under discussion relates to the identification of funding streams in relation to workforce planning and training strategies. It has been discovered that there are joint funding streams


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between Scottish Government and the EU provided to each local authority to assist with the training of unemployed graduates. It is up to each local authority to determine how this money is used. It is however up to each Environmental Health Department to find the contact within their own authority that holds the purse strings on this issue. Craig Brown agreed to circulate a summary document with the information on this funding stream.The second item for discussion was the Code of Practice review and the progress since the event on 4 February 2014. The Group concluded it would be better for the Annex 5A Risk Assessment System to be compiled by a SFELC working group, rather than by parties who had no direct practical knowledge, to create a document fit for purpose. Also it was deemed

timely to commence work on an amendment to the risk rating for food businesses in Scotland with the approach of the new Food Standards Scotland. It was noted that there were two working groups recently concluded which therefore exceeds the ‘1 in 1 out’ challenge. The Chair requested and obtained the consent of SFELC to set up a working group to take this forward.

New Code of PracticeREHIS has submitted a response to the consultation on the new Code of Practice and continues to oppose any weakening of requirements in relation to qualifications and experience of the Lead Food Officers.

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WORld NO TObaccO day - 31 may 2014

from the World Health Organisation Media Centre

Raise taxes on tobaccoThe global tobacco epidemic kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than eight million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low-and middle-income countries.For World No Tobacco Day 2014, WHO and partners call on countries to raise taxes on tobacco.

Reduce tobacco consumption, save livesUnder the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), countries should implement tax and price policies on tobacco products as a way to reduce tobacco consumption. Research shows that higher taxes are especially effective in reducing tobacco use among lower-income groups and in preventing young people from starting to smoke. A tax increase that increases tobacco prices by 10% decreases tobacco consumption by about 4% in high-income countries and by up to 8% in most low- and middle-income countries.Furthermore, increasing excise taxes on tobacco is considered to be the most cost-effective tobacco control measure. The World Health Report 2010 indicated that a 50% increase in tobacco excise taxes

would generate a little more than US$ 1.4 billion in additional funds in 22 low-income countries. If allocated to health, government health spending in these countries could increase by up to 50%.

GoalsThe ultimate goal of World No Tobacco Day is to contribute to protecting present and future generations not only from the devastating health consequences due to tobacco, but also from the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.Specific goals of the 2014 campaign are that:• governments increase taxes on tobacco to

levels that reduce tobacco consumption;• individuals and civil society organisations

encourage their governments to increase taxes on tobacco to levels that reduce consumption.

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners everywhere mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for 10% of adult deaths worldwide.


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SOuTHERN cENTRE NEWSby Pat Hoey, Southern Centre Secretary

We start 2014 with a spring in our step and look forward to the delivery of further courses on behalf of the membership and the general environmental health profession. Drew Hall has finally left the Southern Centre to its own devices and I am grateful to him and David Duffy for keeping the centre running whilst I recovered from a recent illness. My thanks also to REHIS colleagues for their good wishes during this period.We have been involved in organising several events since the autumn including a much-requested windfarm training event which was held in September 2013 at Chatelherault in Hamilton. This was a one day course attended by 40 delegates from all over Scotland. The Overall Satisfaction Rate (OSR) was 87% and the comments indicated that most delegates were delighted that they were able to attend such a relevant course.It is difficult to know where to pitch this type of workshop or training course when there is such a variation in the knowledge and experience of the delegates. One of the benefits of attending events like this is that you get to discuss particular scenarios with colleagues from other authorities who may already have dealt with something similar. The opportunity to network with environmental health professionals with specialist knowledge should not be underestimated. We are grateful to David Duffy and South Lanarkshire Council for organising and hosting this event.In October 2013 we held a practical training day on Electrical Safety in Housing Assessments for officers involved in assessing domestic properties for compliance with the Tolerable Standard. It was also designed to assist officers involved in the HMO inspection regime. The course was attended by 15 delegates in Clydebank Town Hall and the overall feedback was excellent. Clearly, those who attended have provided such positive feedback that we have been able to run the course again.On 21 May 2014 we will run the course in Dunfermline and on 23 May 2014 we will repeat the course in Clydebank. These courses are already fully booked but if there is sufficient interest we could consider

running it again later in the year. My thanks to Lisa McCann for assisting with the organisation of the Dunfermline event.On 24 February John Sleith kindly organised another Port Health and Ship Sanitation Certificates course at Paisley Abbey. This was previously held in July 2013 and a further 23 delegates attended on this occasion. At the time of writing we have not received feedback on this but expect it to be of great value to those who work in the field of Port Health. It is practical training events like this that the membership are requesting and we are grateful to John for his input.Currently we are looking at providing other practical courses including Legionella in Cooling Towers, Air Quality and Biomass Fuels, Private Water Supplies, and Housing Surveying for Disrepair. Keep an eye on the REHIS website for announcements as these develop.It is our intention to provide CPD opportunities at minimal cost and we hope to continue presenting lunchtime events free to the membership as the year goes on. In order to keep costs down, we rely on colleagues in the profession who are happy to share their specialist knowledge or provide practical case studies, so if you or anyone you know has something to share with the profession, we will be delighted to hear from you.We have introduced some new blood to the committee and hope that their youthful enthusiasm will rub off on some of their more mature colleagues. We welcome two new student members, Lyndsay Sedgeworth (Strathclyde University), and Kirstin Walsh (University of the West of Scotland). Other committee members are: David Duffy (Chair), Pat Hoey (Secretary), Lorrainne MacGillivray, Lisa McCann, Anna Brown, Karen Keeley and Andrew McPherson.If you wish to come along to a committee meeting to assist us in providing events for the membership, please feel free to do so. Your contribution would be welcome.If you wish to contact us with ideas for courses, contact a committee member or e-mail [email protected].


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scOttIsH pOLLutIOn cOntrOL cO-OrDInAtInG cOMMItteeby David Duffy, Member of the REHIS Council with responsibility for pollution control

The work of the committee continues under the stewardship of Iris Coghill (Chair) and Sharon Lindsay (Secretary). The committee, one of the Institute’s working groups, comprises representatives of the local liaison groups and their sub-groups (Central and West, Central and East, South East and North), the Scottish Government, the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland, SEPA, Environmental Protection Scotland, Health Protection Scotland and, of course, REHIS. The areas covered are noise, air quality and land contamination, as you can imagine the scope is wide and the input varied. After the most recent meeting on 27 February there are a host of things to let you know about. A short-life sub-group has been charged with the difficult task of drafting up a FAQ or briefing note around the subject of wind turbines and noise, an increasingly sensitive issue. The group, chaired by Joe May (Aberdeenshire Council) has already met once and the membership has requested that any interested parties send on their questions or queries on the subject of wind turbine noise via your local liaison group representative. Having seen the minutes of the first meeting it’s clear that the membership has been made up of those closely involved in tackling such issues and those clearly competent to express opinions on the complexities involved. REHIS and SPCCC thank those that have volunteered their time to this; we know who you are even if you have not managed to get a name check here.Continuing on the theme of noise, I would draw your attention to the briefing note on the REHIS website in relation to PAN2011. This is the work of another short-life sub-group of a regional liaison group who provided a starting point for professionals liaising with their planning colleagues to potentially prepare their own tailored Supplementary Planning Guidance on developmental controls in relation to noise. This had been asked for by REHIS membership both at the launch of PAN2011 and in subsequent liaison groups and at training events. A commitment has also been ‘volunteered’ from the sub-group membership to deliver a briefing on the document to REHIS members. With my Southern Centre Chair hat on now, I know that we are progressing this and dates will be announced in the usual way in the near future.Still on the subject of noise, the Scottish Government (Linda Story) will be issuing a call for evidence on the existing ASB delivery of noise provisions.

Comments are welcomed via the consultation. You may also note that the Better Regulation Bill removed the facility to use Noise Abatement Zones, as far as the SPCCC membership could establish these had never been used by a Scottish local authority. The Code of Practice on Audible Intruder Alarms (1982) is likely to be replaced (in England) by a British Standard and also expect a new British Standard to replace the Code of Practice on Control of Noise from Construction (in England). SPCCC would be happy to hear your thoughts on the new British Standards when they are available. There has also been a recent Supreme Court ruling in relation to Planning and Nuisance (Noise), in particular Lord Carnwath’s comments, however the whole document I found to be a worthwhile overview of how the court considers this area of nuisance. And in relation to the Environmental Noise Directive, the second round agglomeration information was out for consideration before Christmas.In relation to air quality, Andrew Taylor (Scottish Government) updated that the consultation exercise for the LAQM process was completed and over the summer Scottish Government will be working on embodying the responses in to technical guidance and also potentially changes to legislation where needed. Highlighting the removal of the need to undertake a standalone further assessment following declaration of an AQMA, as amended by the Better Regulation Bill, as an example. Further work is ongoing on a Low Emission Strategy through joint working of Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and SEPA. Each local authority should have by now received their submission papers for the fund streams offered by Scottish Government in relation to air quality. The EU has started infraction proceedings for failures in air quality against the UK Government. The Scottish Government was represented at the group by Neil Ritchie and he highlighted work on the IOM-commissioned benchmarking dose which is ongoing, with assistance from the steering group.Unfortunately my closing note is a sad one. Francis Brewis (Scottish Government official with responsibility for contaminated land) whom many within the profession will have known, passed away quite suddenly through illness. The Chair extended the committee’s sympathies via the Scottish Government representatives who were in attendance and I echo these on behalf of REHIS. Francis had been a long time contributor to the SPCCC.


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JacKIE mccabE - dIREcTOR OF TRaININg

Jackie McCabe was appointed Director of Training in succession to Graham Walker who retired in March. Before this appointment she held the position of Training Manager for 14 years with the long-established food wholesalers, C J Lang and Son Limited in Dundee. Jackie joins us with a diverse background within the food industry.After completing an HND in Hotel Catering and Institutional Management at Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh, Jackie started her career in the Health Service as a Support Services Manager and undertook further studies within the Health Service Graduate Management Scheme.During her time in the Health Service, Jackie worked in various hospitals including the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Stirling Royal Infirmary, Royal Dundee Liff Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. It was at this time she became a REHIS Food Hygiene Course Presenter - nearly 20 years ago! She also worked with the local Environmental Health Department in Dundee to develop HACCP procedures for the hospital catering department. Jackie then went on to become a REHIS Course Presenter for the HACCP for Caterers Certificate.After a break to travel overseas, Jackie decided to take on a new challenge. She went back to study at Fife College and graduated as a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development. Jackie concentrated her career purely in the learning and

development field and joined C J Lang in 1999 as their Training Manager. Jackie was responsible for designing and delivering training to meet the needs of the business which involved all aspects of compliance training and the development of an in-house management development programme which she had accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). Jackie was responsible for the design and delivery of this programme and was delighted when it won the Supreme Award at the National Industry Training Awards, London in 2009. Jackie is also a qualified health and safety trainer after having completed the IOSH and NEBOSH qualifications. She has worked with various awarding bodies but in particular REHIS, ILM and SQA.In addition to her training role, she provided generalist HR support to C J Lang and Son Limited dealing with all aspects of personnel and saw the company expand from under 1,000 employees to over 2,000. She also lectured students on the Certificate in Personnel Practice at Perth College.Jackie’s experience of working in the food industry, HR and training has given her the wealth of knowledge that will stand her in good stead for her new position. Her focus will be to continue to strengthen the community training activities and to ensure that the REHIS suite of qualifications meets the needs of the candidate and industry, whilst maintaining the REHIS objective of improving and protecting health and wellbeing in Scotland.


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bRIaN auld - dIREcTOR OF pROFESSIONal dEVElOpmENT

Brian Auld started work with the City of Edinburgh Council in 2003 as a Graduate Trainee Environmental Health Officer. After passing the REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health in 2004, Brian remained with the City of Edinburgh Council as an Environmental Health Officer working firstly in infectious disease and food standards before moving to health education and improvement. Brian spent his final two years working with the Public Health team where he was responsible for the investigation of statutory nuisance and the licensing of caravan sites. Throughout his time with the City of Edinburgh Council, Brian was a lead officer for the environmental health standby team. Working on a rotational basis, this involved the investigation of environmental health complaints and enquiries covering the principal areas of professional practice including foodborne outbreaks, port health, health and safety incidents, statutory nuisance and anti-social behaviour. Brian achieved Chartered Environmental Health Officer status whilst working with the City of Edinburgh Council in 2008.In 2009, Brian was one of the first Environmental Health Officers appointed to the newly-formed Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI). The HEI was established by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to provide independent assurance to the public, patients, NHS boards, and the Scottish Government that NHS acute hospitals in Scotland are safe and clean. This was achieved through a

rigorous programme of inspections where NHS boards are inspected against the NHS QIS standards for Healthcare Associated Infections. Whilst working for the HEI, Brian was responsible for the design, development and implementation of a model for involving members of the public as volunteer inspectors in the inspection of healthcare services in Scotland. The role of Public Partner Inspectors is to engage with patients, carers and visitors to ensure that service user and public opinion is reflected within the final published inspection reports. This innovative approach to public engagement has been adopted throughout a number of different regulatory and scrutiny work streams.In 2011, Brian was seconded to the position of Regional Inspector with Healthcare Improvement Scotland with responsibility for managing and leading a team of inspectors on the registration, inspection, and regulation of independent healthcare services (IHC) in Scotland. As a member of the Senior Management Team, Brian worked across professional and organisational boundaries to lead on the integration of Best of Regulatory Practice for IHC regulation. On his return from secondment in 2012, Brian continued to work as an inspector with the HEI, leading multi-disciplinary inspection teams on the inspection of NHS acute and community services across Scotland and developing the public partner role further.Throughout his career, Brian has promoted collaborative and partnership working, and has often sought out new ways of working with different stakeholders. He has recently just completed work on the design of a new national scrutiny award in conjunction with the Care Inspectorate, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Education Scotland to ensure a consistent approach to inspection, regulation and enforcement across the scrutiny landscape in Scotland. The award is currently out to tender, with the winning university expected to begin offering the degree level programme from September 2015.Brian is passionate about evidence-based public health practice and is a keen researcher in areas such as regulatory design, public involvement and evaluation design. He completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Practice at Queen Margaret University in 2013 and has been accepted on to the LLB law programme at Napier University on a part-time basis starting September 2014.


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prOFessIOnAL DeVeLOpMentby Robert Howe, Director of Professional Development

In the winter edition of the Journal the impending changes to the Scheme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) were outlined for the benefit of members who participate and submit CPD on an annual basis. It is important that members are familiar with the changes to ensure that everyone can plan and prepare for the changes that will have an effect on CPD submissions. I therefore make no apology for detailing the changes to the Scheme of Continuing Professional Development again and I have no doubt that further efforts are made throughout the year to ensure that members have had every opportunity to be fully appraised of the changes. I anticipate that the following will represent frequently asked questions about the changes to the Scheme. It is hoped that the answers provided will give members a grasp of the implications of the changes.

When will the changes to the Scheme of Continuing Professional Development come into effect?The amended Scheme of CPD will be introduced on 1 January 2015.

Will it affect my CPD submission for 2014?No, it will have no effect on 2014 CPD submissions.

What is the main change to the Scheme of Continuing Professional Development?The fundamental change to the Scheme is that participants must submit a written report of at least 2,000 words incorporating at least one of the following elements of underpinning skills and knowledge: evaluative practice, sustainable development, environmental epidemiology, communication, collaborative working, and public health challenges, within one of the seven areas of environmental health (food safety, food standards, occupational health and safety, public health, built environment, pollution control, waste management).

Should the report emanate from a particular work activity?The report can emanate from a specific project connected to work, a work-related activity which would lend itself to such a report, research activity or private study. The three important elements are that the report must contain at least one of the stated elements of underpinning skills and knowledge, be about one of the seven areas of environmental health and importantly represent new learning.

How often will I need to submit a report?A report will require to be submitted once within every consecutive three year period.

Could I submit a report more often than once within every consecutive three year period?Yes. If you wished to submit a report every year or twice within a consecutive three year period that would be acceptable provided the specified requirements are met.

What is the earliest that a report can be submitted?The changes will be introduced on 1 January 2015 and the first opportunity to submit a report will be no later than 31 January 2016 representing the 2015 CPD year.

What is the last date that a report can be submitted to remain CPD compliant?The last date that a report can be made to remain CPD compliant is at the end of the first three consecutive year period from the introduction of the changes. This will be 31 January 2018 representing the 2017 CPD year.

Do my CPD hours still require to be recorded on a record card for submission?Yes. The minimum number of CPD hours required has not changed and must be recorded on a CPD record card for submission. The hours taken to prepare, develop and complete the report should be recorded on the CPD record card.

Why is change to the Scheme of Continuing Professional Development necessary?CPD for all professions must be robust and be able to stand up to scrutiny. CPD schemes for health-related professionals can be subject to scrutiny by the Faculty of Public Health. It is therefore essential that the REHIS Scheme of CPD is made more robust to ensure that it demonstrates a route of Continuing Professional Development consistent with the principles now embedded in the REHIS Scheme of Professional Practice for qualifying EHOs.

This is my last Journal article as Director of Professional Development and it is appropriate that I wish Brian Auld well as the new Director of Professional Development. I am confident that Brian will serve you well.It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work as Director of Professional Development over a period of significant change and I wish the Institute well for the future.


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cOMMunItY trAInInGby Graham Walker, Director of Training

New joint awardA new joint award, entitled ‘Safe Working Practices’, has been agreed between Windmills Café and the Institute. Windmills Café is a training café based in Motherwell, providing training for young people with learning disabilities. Their ethos is based on the following principles:• Reflects the fact that their client group all

require a significant degree of additional support for learning and each will benefit from support to a greater or lesser extent in order to achieve success within Windmills Café

• Reflects that the young person has made a choice to join them

• Builds upon prior learning and experience of each young person

• As far as possible offers continuity and progression from previous experiences - school/college, etc

• Is established as hands-on experience backed by appropriate qualifications

• Offers each young person the opportunity to have a say in the running of Windmills via a trainee committee.

Their young people have very individual learning and support needs, and they have found that by tailoring training for staff to each placement, staff there are empowered in identifying where support may be required, what action to take and also in identifying where they themselves need more support. Job coaches monitor each placement and are thus a point of contact should more support be required.

By progressing through their training programme, they have trainees who can:• Work in the kitchen with a minimum of

supervision• Demonstrate a high standard of personal

hygiene• Use kitchen equipment safely: catering knives,

food processors, etc• Prepare and cook food: make catering-sized

pots of soup, prepare toasties, baked potatoes• Use regular catering equipment safely: cooker,

oven, grills, deep fat fryers• Provide customer service by taking orders,

setting and cleaning tables • Participate in health and safety checks, eg, fire

safety.They aim to support the young person in progressing through a three year programme with in-built flexibility which includes food hygiene and health and safety training.• Induction in skills and issues related to day-to-

day working in the café• Working towards accreditation and

qualifications• Continue with work towards accreditation and

qualifications• Consider work experience opportunities in

partnership with other external agencies• Where relevant, continue with work towards

accreditation and qualifications


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• Adopt a supportive/supervisory role with one new member

• Make a decision on future prospects.I would thank the staff at the Windmills Café for all their hard work and support, in particular Margery McBain, Manager, Jeanie Fraser, Project Supervisor and Mary Cartwright, Chairperson during the development of this joint award. The delivery of this training programme including ‘on the job’ experience increases the skills set of young people in extending knowledge, confidence and understanding of issues around food hygiene, and health and safety.

Trainers’ Seminar for Food and HealthA REHIS Trainers’ Seminar for Food and Health Course Presenters took place on 5 March in Edinburgh. This proved to be a very popular event with over 50 Course Presenters attending. The seminar provided an update on developments in the areas of food, nutrition and health. The event was chaired by Jackie McCabe. The early part of the morning included presentations from Jackie, Jane Bunting, Training Adviser (Food and Health), Susan Kennedy from NHS Forth Valley and Kim Newstead from Community Food and Health (Scotland). Jackie gave an update on Community Training matters, Jane and Susan gave a joint presentation on the new REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills Course and Kim delivered an update on the current activities and role of Community Food and Health (Scotland).After the morning break, Susan Pryde from the Food Standards Agency Scotland, gave an update on current food and health issues being dealt with at the Agency.

After lunch delegates took part in workshops. Three workshops based on the Food and Health Course, the Food and Health Course for Carers of Adults with a Learning Disability and the new Elementary Cooking Skills Course were offered to delegates. Thanks to Jane Bunting, Dalhia Campbell, Food and Nutrition Central and Wendy Handley, NHS Forth Valley for facilitating these workshops. Information stands were provided by REHIS, Community Food and Health (Scotland) and the healthyliving award.The presentations and workshops were very well received by the delegates and the Institute is very grateful to all the session presenters and the delegates for their participation in the event. Participation in this event gives the Institute’s Course Presenters an opportunity to update their knowledge and understanding of food, nutrition and health and to be able to pass this on to course participants.

The importance of trainingTraining has never been more important not only for legal compliance but in these challenging economic times, companies are recognising to increase the skills levels of their staff can translate to higher productivity for the business. This in turn means our Approved Training Centres have been busier than ever running courses. At the time of writing this article over 6,000 REHIS certificates have been issued since the start of the year.

This will be the last article that I will be contributing to as Director of Training as I retired at the end of March. I am pleased that this article covered a very worthwhile joint award with a training organisation that embodies the values of the Institute with regard to the promotion of education and training. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work as the Institute’s Director of Training since 2005. I take this opportunity to wish members of the Institute and all our Approved Training Centres the best of luck for the future and to thank everyone for their support of the Institute’s qualifications. I also take this opportunity to thank the Institute’s staff for their support and, in closing, to thank Jackie McCabe for her input to this article - I offer her my best wishes as the new Director of Training.


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The Royal Environmental HealthInstitute of Scotland

The Institute was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 16th February 1983, to give effect to the amalgamation of The Royal Sanitary Association of Scotland and The Scottish Institute of Environmental Health. The Institute was Incorporated by Royal Charter on 8th March 2001, following which the Company was wound up.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity, Number SC009406.

The objects for which the Institute is established, contained in Article 3 of the Charter, are for the benefit of the community to promote the advancement of Environmental Health by:

a. stimulating general interest in and disseminating knowledge concerning Environmental Health;b. promoting education and training in matters relating to Environmental Health; andc. maintaining, by examination or otherwise, high standards of professional practice and conduct on the part

of Environmental Health Officers in Scotland.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is an independent and self-financing organisation. It neither seeks nor receives grant aid. The Institute’s charitable activities are funded significantly by the subscriptions received from its members.

The Institute’s affairs are managed by a Council which is elected by members. The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is a founding member of the International Federation of Environmental Health.

The Institute frequently uses the acronym: REHIS®.

REHIS and the Crest device are registered trademarks of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.


32

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