IOSH, Europe's leading body for health and safety professionals, represents 27,000 members in over 50 countries worldwide. IOSH was officially incorporated by Royal Charter on 1 April 2003. This is accompanied by a set of Byelaws approved by the Privy Council and which all members have to observe. All categories of membership are bound by the Code of Professional Conduct.

IOSH Yorkshire Branch

Yorkshire benefits from an innovative branch of the Institution and has its’ roots in the North Eastern Division of the Institute of Industrial Safety Officers.

Albert Kendell, a recipient of the President’s Distinguished Service Award, recalls a past boss (John Hayward) being a founder member of that organisation back in 1951, when meetings used to be held at the Yorkshire Parkside Safety Centre at Hunslet, Leeds and attracted 20 to 25 people.

The change to IOSH saw the meetings move from the wooden hut at Hunslet to the Selby Fork Motel, then Kellingley Miners Welfare at Knottingley before moving to the Parkside Hotel at Pontefract where, due to sheer size (2,425 members) and geography, the branch split to enable the continuation of the Yorkshire Branch (1,616) and a newly founded Humberside Branch (809) in April 1999.

Our current membership (approaching 2000) enjoys the settings of Rogerthorpe Manor, which has served us well since April 2002.

We believe that the first lady chair of an IOSH branch was our own Pat Harvey back in the 1980’s and she was followed in later years by Jean Illingworth then Nina Wrightson who, went on to become President of the Institution and receive the President’s Distinguished Service Award.