At the beginning of the year, we had a serious accident on a construction site. The employees had opened up a scaffolding just enough to set up the supports that secured the ceiling parts to be cut. On the last piece, the chunk that was hanging on the crane that was briefly worked on by the employee came loose. This only gave the employee a quick nudge but this was enough to throw him off balance making him take a step to the side... into space. He fell around 3m and severely injured his knee. The employee has been ill for months, cannot work and is in great pain.

One thing is clear: the most valuable thing next to our beloved families is the lives and health of our employees. They are the ones who achieve incredible things every day with their expertise, their strength and their physical commitment. The work that is required of them is strenuous and exhausting. And what is also clear is that the health and performance of our employees is our greatest asset. They must be protected and preserved. And every investment in their training, their health and in accident prevention is a good investment in our future also.

We have done a lot in recent years to make dangerous work safer. Much has been achieved and much still lies ahead of us. But together we can do it.

I would also like to point out that in October we will be celebrating the IACDS Annual Meeting & Networking event 2022 at Bauma. It will be held on October 27th, at 15:00h at Hall B1 – Room B11.

It is an important one because after three and a half years a new President, Treasurer, and Vice President will be elected this year. The Diamond Award ceremony will take place after the Annual General Meeting. If you would like to participate with an exciting project or an innovative product, please submit your application via www.iacds.org/annual-meeting.

Have a good summer and I hope to see you all at bauma.