UK safety leader to give talk at Aberdeen event

The head of a professional safety body is to give a key talk at Robert Gordon University on Thursday (April 25).

The presentation is the latest in the Real Projects series organised by Aberdeen-based social enterprise AFBE-UK Scotland, which encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to consider a career in the engineering sector.

The event, titled ‘There Is Safety In Numbers – True or False?’, is being jointly held with the Safety and Reliability Society (SaRS) at the Sir Ian Wood Building (Room N240/242), 6pm to 8pm.

Dr Emma Taylor, the national chair of SaRS, will give the presentation at RGU. A graduate from the University of Oxford and the University of Aberdeen, Emma is a chartered engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in aerospace, oil & gas and rail.

Her presentation will feature interactive discussions on where the challenges lie in safety; the broader picture around the technical assessment of risk, and what we need to know in order to manage risk better.

Dr Ollie Folayan, chair of AFBE-UK Scotland, said: “We’re delighted that Emma is presenting at our Real Projects event. Her depth of industry knowledge will provide valuable insight to all those attending the event.”

Emma said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to engage directly and share the best of what we do at SaRS. I’m looking forward to lively discussions, differing views and an interesting debate.”

Emma is currently listed in the Telegraph Top 50 Women In Engineering and has won or been a finalist at various awards, including WISE Woman in Industry, TechWomen100 and the Venus Award for Professional Excellence.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to join SaRS, the professional body for safety, reliability and risk management practitioners. Founded in 1980 in the UK, SaRS now has members and branches all over the world.

Thursday’s event is free but pre-registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/afbe-real-projects-sars-membership-event-there-is-safety-in-numbers-true-or-false-tickets-59461877075

AFBE-UK Scotland promotes diversity and inclusion. It encourages all young people, particularly those of black and minority ethic (BME) origin, to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The group, which has engaged with thousands of young people across Aberdeen, was established in 2011. Earlier this year, the organisation held its first event for students in Edinburgh.

AFBE-UK Scotland has two other engagement programmes: its schools programme, NextGen, in which industry professionals give up their time to highlight engineering as a career choice to pupils and Transition, which gives students and recent graduates practical career advice through talks, CV reviews and mock interviews. The next NextGen event takes place at Aberdeen’s Fernielea School on Thursday, May 16.

For more information about AFBE-UK Scotland visit: http://www.afbescotland.org/