Awards recognise health and safety excellence at Imperial

Rector presents awards to staff and students for dedication to health and safety - News

Tuesday 18 March 2008
By Abigail Smith

Awards for outstanding commitment to health and safety at Imperial were presented to staff and students during a meeting of the College's Court last Friday.

The winners of the annual Rector's Award for Health and Safety and two Commendation Awards represent the Departments of Life Sciences and Physics plus, for the first time, an Imperial College Union student society.

Rector Sir Richard Sykes, who presented the awards, thanked them for their work above and beyond the usual line of duty. He said:

"Health and safety issues have to be among the most critical organisational risks facing the College. They are the responsibility of us all and everyone can make an impact on improving management, development and practice in a wide variety of ways."

Sir Richard congratulates the winners. From left, Emma Keller, Sir Richard, David Gentry and Stefan Hoyle

The Rector's Award for Health and Safety was won by David Gentry, Safety Manager in the Department of Physics, who has set up a system that ensures that safety is incorporated into all the management processes of the department through induction, training and guidance.

Describing himself as "flattered though slightly embarrassed" to win the award, Mr Gentry, said:

"I have always tried to personally approach people in order to encourage good practice and proactive attitudes to safety. I've continued to develop a system of key safety personnel within the departmental structure who are the important trained eyes and ears of safety, and I thank them for their assistance and enthusiasm."

Stressing the collaborative nature of health and safety work, he added: "I'm indebted to the members of the Safety Unit for my training and their continued assistance. I'm also very pleased and reassured to have such able and practical colleagues as Stefan Hoyle and Jan De Abela Borg, the other Faculty Safety Managers, working alongside me."

Mr Gentry has worked at Imperial since 1966, joining as an electronics apprentice and becoming a research technician before moving into health and safety work. "After being here all this time, I'm amazed that Imperial had any surprises left for me," he said.

Stefan Hoyle, Safety Manager in the Department of Life Sciences, was also recognised with a Commendation Award for his work in transforming safety practices and procedures by carrying out an in depth safety audit, setting up training programmes and making safety information available online.

"We all have a moral duty to ensure that individuals don't get harmed while at work and to prevent work activities from harming anyone else," he commented. "This is only possible due to the actions of staff and students in the department who help me to coordinate information and make sure it gets to where it is needed."

Paying tribute to everyone in the department who helps to keep the profile of health and safety raised, he added: "I'm sure next year will see other nominations from the Department of Life Sciences."

A second Commendation Award was presented to the Imperial College Union Underwater Club, which organises diving trips in the UK and abroad, for the priority that it gives to health and safety requirements in all its operations. The award was collected by Natural Sciences undergraduate Emma Keller, who said:

"The nature of SCUBA diving means that health and safety is a number one priority. All club members have put a lot of work into making sure that rules and regulations are followed and that procedures and equipment are checked and double checked. It's fantastic to be recognised by the College with this award."

The three winners were nominated by their colleagues and managers, and the final winners chosen by a judging panel made up of Professor John Wood, Principal of the Faculty of Engineering and Chair of the Health and Safety Management Committee, Ian Gillett, Safety Director, and Chris Gosling, HR Director.