BOHS appoints new president

Slater holds a degree in chemistry from the University of Liverpool, an MSc in environmental decision making from the Open University and the Diploma of Professional Competence in Occupational Hygiene from BOHS. He is a Chartered Fellow of the UK Faculty of Occupational Hygiene. Having started his career in occupational hygiene at glass manufacturer Pilkington Brothers almost 40 years ago, Slater has subsequently advised and supported a wide variety of companies in the engineering, chemical, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors as joint managing director of Diamond Environmental, an occupational hygiene consultancy based in Chester and Wigan. He has also been involved in the training and development of occupational hygienists as an employer and through his consultancy's function as an approved training provider for BOHS modules. On plans for his presidential term, which extends to April 2015, Slater said: "For me, tackling the shocking incidence of occupational disease and protecting the workers of today and tomorrow is the single most important issue for BOHS and the occupational hygiene profession to address." He added: "In the UK there are currently approximately 12,000 deaths each year due to occupational respiratory diseases. That equates to 32 people per day, but it's not just about fatalities. "Occupational disease affects quality of life. Over a million people believe their health has been affected by their work. You don't hear about this on the news. These deaths aren't dramatic. They're 'slow'. They're not considered newsworthy and consequently they happen away from the public gaze. I think this lack of awareness is something we need to try to change."