NEWS RELEASE 29th October 2001

IS SICKNESS ABSENCE DAMAGING YOUR BUSINESS?

If your business has a problem with sickness absence and you would like to
know how to manage it better and maybe even avoid it, then the Forest
Occupational Health & Safety Group's monthly meeting on Tuesday 6th November
2001 is for you. The venue is the Ashwells Sports and Country Club,
Ashwells Road, Brentwood at 2.00pm. The speakers are Hilary Bate,
Occupational Health Manager for HCA International and Lorraine Barlow, Human
Resources Manager for the London Borough of Bexley.

Sickness absence can be a huge drain on the profitability and efficiency of
any business and it is essential that the issue is taken seriously and
effective measures are taken to ensure that your workforce is healthy and
motivated. The speakers will be examining the current wisdom on how to
manage sickness absence and giving some practical advice on how to keep your
workforce at work. There will be two twenty-minute presentations followed
by an open forum in which the audience can ask questions or contribute their
own experiences to the discussion.

The meetings are open to the public free of charge. Representatives from
local businesses are particularly welcome. For further information about
the meeting or about the Forest Group itself, contact Margaret Steggle at
the Group's Secretarial Business Centre on 01992-814354.

The aims and objectives of the Forest Group are to improve standards in
occupational health and safety in industry and commerce. The Group believes
that the best way to achieve this is through training, seminars and
consultation with senior practitioners in the relevant specialisms affecting
the working environment.

Ends
For information about this release contact Stuart Gulleford at the Forest
Group's Press Office on 01277-231837 or e-mail him at [log in to unmask]