OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2023-12-31-accounts

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

CHARITY NUMBER: NIC100743

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Contents
Trustees and other information
Trustees Report
Income and Expenditure Account
Balance Sheet
Notes to the Financial Statements
Independent Examiner’s Report		 Page
1-2
3-9
10
11
12-13
14

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Trustees and other information

TRUSTEES
TRUSTEES Wilson Lambe (President)
Wendy Beatty (Chairperson)
Wendy Moore (Vice-Chairperson)
Jimmy Fenton (PRO)
Ashleigh Birkett (Immediate Past Chair)
Ernie Spence (Joint Secretary/Treasurer)
Nicola McCracken (Joint Secretary)
Tom Stephenson
David Cooke
Priscilla Woods
Heather McKinstry
Mandy Nelson
Lyndsey Thompson
Ian McIlveen
Declan McLogan
John Thompson
Will Johnston (appointed Jan 2023)
Jim Hegarty (appointed Jan 2023)
PATRON Paul Walsh (ARCO – resigned Aug
2023)
Louise Armstrong (ARCO – commenced
Aug 2023)
REGISTERED ADDRESS Northern Ireland Safety Group
13 De Courcy Avenue
Carrickfergus
BT38 7LJ

Page 1

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

BANKERS

ACCOUNTANTS

Ulster Bank Limited Connswater Branch Arches Retail Park Belfast BT5 4AF Hopper & Co Chartered Accountants 6 Doagh Road Ballyclare BT39 9BG

Page 2

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Trustees Report for year ended 31 December 2023

The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023

Reference and Administrative Details

Northern Ireland Safety Group 13 De Courcy Avenue Carrickfergus BT38 7LJ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 100743)

Charity Trustees/Dircetors

The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were

Wilson Lambe (President) Wendy Beatty (Chairperson) Wendy Moore (Vice-Chairperson) Jimmy Fenton (PRO) Ashleigh Birkett (Immediate Past Chair) Ernie Spence (Joint Secretary/Treasurer) Nicola McCracken (Joint Secretary) Tom Stephenson David Cooke Priscilla Woods Heather McKinstry Mandy Nelson Lyndsey Thompson Ian McIlveen Declan McLogan John Thompson Will Johnston Jim Hegarty

Status

The Charity is registered with the NI Charities Commission under reference NIC100743

The Charity has also been accepted as a charity by HMRC under UTR number 0115305845 and as such no provision for taxation has been made.

Page 3

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Structure & Management

Northern Ireland Safety Group is a charity which is governed by its Constitution.

The organisation is primarily managed by an Executive Committee made up of the Office bearers, 8 other committee members and 4 technical advisors on the committee.

There are no employees. However, 2 members of the Executive Committee function as Secretaries and tender for their services on a 3-year contract.

Through the period the payments to the two Executive Committee members were:-

Ernie Spence £37,873.95 Nicola McCracken £22,455.31

Description & Purpose

The principal aim and objective of the Charity is to promote occupational health and safety amongst all people in the workplace and as such raise awareness of the reduction of work-related fatalities, workplace incidents and cases of ill health in Northern Ireland for the public benefit.

Activities & Objectives

This is carried out by running monthly meetings which allow health and safety practitioners (and other interested parties) to network together, share ideas and in general strive to improve the overall health and safety of and for the workforce and those who come into contact with them.

The Trustees are greatly appreciative of all their funders and the continued support of their members, without whose help the charity could not fulfil its charitable aims and objectives.

Other activities carried out by the Group include the running of seminars, running of a safety quiz, running of a Safety Conference, management of a Safety Awards scheme (in conjunction with the National Irish Safety Organisation), and the promotion of health and safety to those in secondary education about to embark on work placement.

Page 4

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Achievements & Performance

2023 has been a landmark year for the organisation, as we reached our 70th anniversary. Whilst completing the normal full programme of events we also planned and held a 70th Anniversary Conference and Gala Awards Dinner in November 2023 to mark this milestone.

We continued to follow the hybrid format of mixing in-person meetings with online webinars throughout the year, and also returned to holding practical Workshops, which can provide hands-on learning for our members.

A total of thirteen meetings were held and the stats below show the numbers for the various meetings and views of any webinar recordings.

Month Meeting type Attendees: In-
person or Online		 No of Webinar
Recording
Views		 Total views
(Actual
Attendees plus
Recording
Views
Jan In-person 58 N/A 58
Feb In-person 61 N/A 61
Mar Webinar 65 162 227
April In-person
Workshop		 75 N/A 75
April In-person
Workshop		 59 N/A 59
May Online
Webinar		 38 4 42
May Online
Webinar		 120 630 750
June Online
Webinar		 76 145 221
June In-person
Workshop
(restricted
numbers)		 37 N/A 37
Aug Webinar 70 167 237
Sept In person
Workshop
(restricted
numbers)		 37 N/A 37
Oct Webinar 92 282 374
Dec Webinar 55 Not uploaded as
yet		 TBA

Page 5

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

A key benefit of running in-person meetings is that we are able to facilitate member networking at these events, which is greatly beneficial to the health and safety community and welcomed by the membership. The online webinars offer the benefit of being easy to access and questions are posted anonymously for the presenters, via the Q&A function on the Zoom call. The recording adds another tier of viewers, and, as can be seen above, greatly expands the overall numbers of people who are able to gain knowledge from topical presentations.

Our e-zine continues to be the mainstay of how we communicate to those that interact with us. Our subscriber list witnessed real growth through the year (see below).

Subscribers at start
of year		 919 Subscribers at
end of year		 988 Net increase
of
subscribers		 7.5%
The actual number of new subscribers was 98 but we had 29 un-subscriptions over
the year.

Ezine open rates continued to be high, with numbers averaging from around 200 to 250 no. opening each ezines (note that many subscribers will only open ezines that are of particular interest to them). The number of ezines sent out this year have also increased, so it is pleasing to see open rates remain high.

Membership numbers (paid members) increased in the year from 282 to 294 (nett increase to also take in account members who left.

The annual Occupational Health and Safety Quiz took place in University of Ulster Belfast Campus in February, with the university coming on board as an additional sponsor. The winner of both Previous Entrants and Novice Categories then attended the All-Ireland NISO / NISG Quiz Finals in Sligo in April.

Our annual NISO / NISG All Ireland Occupational Health & Safety Awards saw ten entries from NISG and four of these entries achieved Category 1 awards, the top category. NISG members continue to score very well across the board. It is also interesting to see repeat entrants year on year, showing that our members value this benchmarking with their peers.

The John Gordon Safety Person of the Year Award received eight entries this year, many of them from organisations who have not previously entered. Two worthy nominees won overall, both from a non-H & S background, showing that good health and safety practice is active outside of the H &S professional who would be our main member contacts.

Our Farming Sub committee saw a flurry of activity in the second half of the year, with representation at Clougher Valley Show. Collaboration then took place with the Young Farmers Club, following a positive meeting with their new Chief Executive.

Page 6

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

This resulted in NISG Executive Committee members becoming judges at the Young Farmers Annual Public Speaking Competition throughout the Province. This partnership is due to continue with the aim of interacting with young people early in order to engage them and encourage them to adopt good practice on local farms going forward. A new Farming Sponsor, Lakeland Dairies, was also signed up during the year, providing financial and contact resources for this busy sub committee.

NISG are Affiliate Members of the Farm Safety Partnership in Northern Ireland, and work alongside organisations such as HSENI; DAERA; UFU; FSF; NFUM; YFCU. This year we received recognition of our work in improving health and safety in farming at the Farming Life Awards and we won the Farm Safety Affiliate Award, a great achievement as competition came from much larger organisations than ours.

The most active sub committee in 2023 was the 70th Events one, which was formed last year to plan for our 70th Anniversary celebrations. A celebration conference – “Learning from the Past, Planning for the Future” saw almost 250no. people attend La Mon Hotel in November. The morning presentations focused on reviewing health and safety legislation and practice since 1953, when NISG was formed, Taster Workshops provided a hand-on experience during the lunch break and throughout the day with Machine Eye; 3M Ear Fit Validation; EHS International showcasing the Avenger Fire Robot; Iyengar Yoga for the Workplace with Jayne Bailie; Working Beside Railway Lines Video Demo with Translink and Health Matters’ MOT Health Checks Van in operation.

An exhibition of over 30 stands showcasing local health and safety Apps; tech products; PPE innovation and training consultancy organisation, many of whom support the construction industry, was also viewed by the 200 attendees from all sectors of the Northern Ireland workforce. As the largest gathering of health and safety personnel since before Covid, it provided an excellent networking forum for sharing knowledge.

The afternoon session was a panel forum on new and emerging risks, which organisations such as Belfast Harbour Commission; P&O Ferries; Translink and EHS International showcasing the tech and innovation they are using now and planning to engage for the future.

We also held an evening Gala Dinner provided a fitting backdrop for the NISG / NISO All-Ireland Occupational Safety Awards 2023; the NISG John Gordon Awards 2023 and long service presentations to long-standing NISG Executive Committee members being presented. We had almost 180 no. in attendance, and this proved a fitting finale to our 2023 celebrations. A ballot also took place during the event, with an amazing total of £2100 donated to our chosen local charity - Air Ambulance.

Our other sub committees including Development & Governance, Driving, and Education continued to meet during the course of the year and much of their activity assisted both the programme of meetings and workshops and the 70th Conference.

Page 7

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Collaboration with others was strengthened with activity taking place with Building Mental Health Alliance, Workplace Health Leadership Group and Buildhealth, to name a few.

It has been an extremely busy year for the organisation, and we look forward to 2024 with a clear mission to promote occupational health and safety across all of Northern Ireland and continue to provide relevant knowledge and learning for all of our stakeholders.

Public Benefit Statement

The Northern Ireland Safety Group meets the public benefit requirement as follows:

The direct benefits which flow from the purpose are the improvement of safety and health knowledge in the workforce leading to the reduction of accidents/incidents and ill health at work. These benefits are evidenced through the increase in Group membership, the numbers who attend monthly meetings, feedback from Conferences and seminars that the organisation run, the growing number of subscribers to the organisation's e-zine, the increasing numbers who attend the Annual Safety Quiz and the increased numbers of organisations who enter the All Ireland Safety Awards. There is no harm from the activities pursued by the organisation. The Charity's beneficiaries are Safety Group members and the wider safety and health profession in

Northern Ireland and those people working for or with them be they employers, employees, self-employed or sub-contractors and young people who will be entering the workforce in the future.

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2008 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland

Financial Review

The Financial Statements show a Deficit for the period of £3,978 (2022: deficit £1,764).

Reserves Policy

The Trustees of the charity have established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets ('the free reserves') held by the charity should amount to between 2 and 6 months’ worth of the resources expended which equates to between £21,607 and £64,821 in general funds. At this level, the Trustees feel that they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity in the event of a significant drop in funding; however, it would obviously be necessary to consider how the funding would be replaced or activities changed.

Page 8

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

At present the free reserves (which exclude designated reserves), amount to £25,254 and are inside the Trustees' target range. The Trustees continue to work towards maintaining their free reserves target.

Designated reserves for Workplace Health (promotion) was reduced from £12,290 to £8,735

A new designated reserve was established to promote a Building Mental Health Alliance project, at the year end £2,371 was designated for this purpose.

Plans for the future

The charity plans to continue the activities outlined above in the forthcoming years subject to satisfactory funding arrangements.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of Financial Statements for each financial period which give a true and fair view of the surplus or deficit arising in the period and of the assets and liabilities of the Charity as at the end of the financial period.

The Financial Statements are to be prepared on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the Charity will continue in operation for at least 12 months following the period end date.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance of proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the Charity at any given time.

They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and for taking all necessary steps for the prevention or detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees:

………………………….. Wendy Beatty (Chairperson - Trustee)

Dated: 19 February 2024

………………………….. Ernie Spence (Secretary/Treasurer - Trustee)

Dated: 19 February 2024

Page 9

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Income:
Ulster Bank Interest
Subs
Safety award fees
70th Conference & Dinner Delegates
Quiz Sponsorship
Patronage
Sponsorship
Conference fees
Conference Sponsorship & Exhibitors
BMHA Income
Expenditure:
General Expenses
Printing & Stationery
Postage
Telephone
Insurance & Office Costs
Misc Expenses
Equipment & Maintenance
Secretary/Treasurer
Bad Debts
Bank Fees
Meeting & Events
Conference
Seminar costs
Awards scheme
Meetings Costs
Promotions/advertising
Quiz (NI)
Quiz (NISO)
Driving at Work NI
WHLG running costs
BMHA Expenditure
Farming Promotion Costs
Development & Governance costs
Web Site
Independent Examination
(Deficit)/Surplus for the period
Reserves Brought Forward
Reserves Carried Forward		 2023
2023
2023
£
£
£
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
163
163
48,932
48,932
5,170
5,170
8,625
8,625
2,000
2,000
4,000
4,000
200
2,500
2,700
18,868
18,868
17,345
17,345
19,500
19,500
124,802
2,500
127,302
246
246
6
6
420
420
1,123
1,123
328
328
1,894
1,894
24,784
24,784
-
-
626
626
23,351
23,351
21,665
21,665
5,120
5,120
2,644
2,644
12,790
12,790
3,839
3,839
5,827
5,827
638
-
638
3,421
3,421
17,129
17,129
1,638
1,638
2,179
2,179
1,361
1,361
252
252
129,642
1,638
131,280
(4,840)
862
(3,978)
41,209
2,722
43,931
36,369
3,585
39,953		 2022
£
Total
29
42,762
4,620
-
2,000
4,000
1,500
-
-
-
54,911
117
2
397
982
316
2,099
22,167
-
310
317
747
3,954
1,894
6,999
3,306
1,773
527
3,576
4,399
-
1,658
940
193
56,675
(1,764)
45,695
43,931

Page 10

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Balance Sheet

Current assets:
Debtors
Ulster Bank Current account
Ulster Bank Reserve account
Paypal account
Current liabilities:
Creditors
VAT
Accruals
Nat West Credit Card
Net Assets
Charity Reserves:
At 1 January
(Deficit)/Surplus
At 31 December
Unrestricted Reserves:
Designated Reserves
Workplace Health (promotion)
Building Mental Health Alliance
Free Reserves
Restricted Reserves:
Lakeland - Farming Promotion
Safety Sam		 2023
£
5,087
22,104
13,652
181
41,023
32
774
253
11
1,071
39,953
43,931
(3,978)
39,953
8,744
2,371
25,254
862
2,722
39,953		 2022
£
2,025
30,986
13,489
-
46,501
639
1,214
718
-
2,570
43,931
45,695
(1,764)
43,931
12,290
-
28,919
-
2,722
43,931

Approved by the Trustees on 19 February 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

…………………………..

Dated: 19 February 2024

Ernie Spence (Secretary/Treasurer - Trustee)

Page 11

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2023

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1 Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015.

Northern Ireland Safety Group meets the definition of a public benefit entity. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern nor any significant areas of uncertainty that affect the carrying value of assets held by the charity.

The charity opted to early adopt Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2017 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements.

1.2 Fund accounting

Incoming resources that may be applied for the Association’s general purposes are treated as ‘unrestricted’ incoming resources and are credited to the ‘unrestricted funds’. Funding for purposes designated for a specific purpose by Council is credited to ‘designated funds’. Where a donation or grant is required to be used for a specified purpose, the amount concerned is treated as a ‘restricted’ incoming resource and is credited to the appropriate ‘restricted fund’.

1.3 Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified.

Investment income is included when receivable.

Incoming resources from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables, are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.

Page 12

NORTHERN IRELAND SAFETY GROUP YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

1.4 Bank interest

Bank interest is recognised as an incoming resource when it is credited to the bank statement. All bank interest is treated as unrestricted income to the General Fund.

1.5 Resources Expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT that cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

1.6 Fixed assets

All items of capital expenditure below £1,000 are written off as incurred.

Page 13

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

I report on the financial statements of the Northern Ireland Safety Group for the year ended 31st December 2023.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and independent examiner

Northern Ireland Safety Group's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

Northern Ireland Safety Group's trustees consider that an audit is not required under section 65(2) (audit) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 for the year and that an independent examination under section 64(1) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 is required.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's report

My examination was carried out under Section 65 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements.

Independent examiner's statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

_______ S Hopper FCA Partner Hopper & Co

Date: 19 February 2024

Page 14