EVENTS: A+A 2017 REVIEW
T
his year, A+A - the world’s leading trade fair for
safety, security and health at work - together with the
International Congress for Occupational Safety and
Occupational Medicine, successfully underlined the huge
importance of health and safety in the workplace.
The 31st edition of A+A was held from 17 to 20 October
in Düsseldorf, Germany. A total of 1,930 exhibitors from 63
nations showcased their products and innovations across
nine trade fair halls, occupying 70,733m2.
A+A is the world’s largest trade fair for the industry; this
year attracting more than 67,000 trade visitors (compared
to 65,000 in 2015) who discovered the latest trends in
occupational safety and learned about the promotion of
health at work and security management.
At 40%, the proportion of international visitors who
came from over 100 nations, also exceeded the share
recorded from the previous A+A event.
Forums, theme parks and special shows were also
offered on the A+A programme, providing visitors with
hands-on experience as well as theoretical knowledge.
Daily live demonstrations and informative presentations
gave vision to the measures that help to prevent accidents,
large-scale incidents and the need for rescue operations.
This included live rescue operations from a sunken car in
an enormous water tank. Professional fashion shows were
36
HSE INTERNATIONAL
a daily occurrence, presenting visitors with a vast range of
PPE and workwear innovations.
Investing in the health of employees pays off. It helps
to ensure the performance of the workforce and increase
productivity. It is all the more important to foster a
holistic approach to prevention that takes all aspects of
occupational health management, safety and workplace
design into consideration.
Against this backdrop, the new look of A+A focused on
what matters – people.
A+A CONGRESS
Over four days, 5,000 congress delegates streamed into
CCD (Congress Center Düsseldorf Süd) to hear about a wide
range of health, safety and wellness topics.
A 60 focal series tackled themes including production
operations with ageing workforces and the new demands
of the workplace for the younger generation. Other topics
addressed at the A+A Congress included positive aspects
of digitalisation and mental stress, with focus on small
businesses and their working conditions. Top events
included a focus on ‘Fighting Cancer at the Workplace’.
The A+A Congress was accompanied by the conference
of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and
the International Social Security Association (ISSA),