New appointment at the British Safety Council

Safety charity announces the appointment of Louise Ward as policy and standards director

THE British Safety Council has announced the appointment of Louise Ward, head of health, safety and well-being at Thames Water, as the charity and member body’s new policy and standards director, with effect from 16 May 2016.

Neal Stone, the current incumbent and former acting chief executive of the British Safety Council, will retire from the organization on 19 May 2016.

Louise Ward (pictured) is a highly experienced and well-respected health and safety practitioner. Her career includes appointments in blue-chip companies in a number of industries, including utilities, rail and defence.

She also spent a period at EEF, the UK trade association for engineering and manufacturing businesses, where she served as head of health and safety policy.

Mike Robinson, chief executive of the British Safety Council, said: ‘We are delighted to be welcoming Louise to the British Safety Council and to our executive team. In her capacity as an executive director, she will be helping to shape and position the Council in the evolving landscape of health and safety.

‘It is a particularly exciting moment as health and well-being at work become a stronger component of that discussion. The case for it has become more widely acknowledged, although the importance of maintaining good safety remains equally strong.

‘To a charity that believes no one should be injured or made ill at work, Louise will bring her breadth of knowledge, professional experience and insights that will help us champion the business case for sensible and proportionate health and safety management.’

Commenting on her appointment, Louise Ward said: ‘Proportionate and effective management of health and safety is an enabler of business activity, and I have focused my career on delivering this in a wide range of industrial, commercial and public sector organizations.

‘I’m really looking forward to taking up my new role with the British Safety Council. It’s an interesting time for the profession. Recent publication of the new sentencing guidelines has highlighted the importance of proactive and effective management of health and safety risk.’