New year gong for HSE deputy

He has been awarded a CBE for services to occupational safety and health some 38 years after joining HSE as a trainee factory inspector in 1976.

Kevin has held a number of diverse roles within the organisation following a range of operational posts in the field in London, East Anglia and the South West.

In the late ‘80’s he transferred to HSE’s London headquarters to support the deputy director general in setting up HSE’s Field Operations Directorate (FOD). In 1991 he helped set up the newly created Offshore Safety Division following the transfer of regulatory responsibility for that sector from the Department of Energy to HSE.

In 1993 Kevin was seconded to Brussels to work on the development of the ‘Seveso’ Directive and environmental auditing. Returning to HSE in late 1995, Kevin initially project managed the creation of a new Chemical and Hazardous Installations Division established to implement ‘Seveso’, and then took up a senior management post in the new Division – covering the Southern and Eastern parts of the country.

In 1998 Kevin was promoted to Home Counties regional director in HSE’s Field Operations Directorate (FOD). He was HSE’s chief inspector of Construction from January 2000 to April 2005 – establishing and leading a new GB-wide Construction Division in 2002.

In May 2005 Kevin became director of HSE’s Hazardous Installations Directorate (HID), with responsibility for HSE’s regulation of various ‘major hazard’ sectors including the onshore chemical industry, offshore oil and gas, high pressure gas storage and distribution, explosives, mining and biological agents. In October 2008 he was appointed HSE’s deputy chief executive to oversee the work of FOD, HID and Nuclear Safety.

Kevin said: "It is a real honour and privilege to be recognised in this way.  I see it as much as recognition of the important work of HSE as me personally. I’m pleased that awareness and standards of safety and health have improved so much over the years. But there’s still much to be done –we need to get people to focus on real health and safety issues rather than the urban ‘elf ‘n safety myths proliferated in some quarters.”

Chair of HSE, Judith Hackitt added: "Kevin’s lifelong commitment to the organisation has been fittingly recognised on HSE’s 40th anniversary with this New Year Honour. I can think of no better way to start HSE’s anniversary year than with seeing Kevin rightly recognised for his outstanding work for the organisation over four decades.”