Qualifications
Degree in Microbiology & Biotechnology (Napier University)
Introductory Certificate in Project Management (APM)
Quality Management System Auditor/Lead Auditor (BSI)
CQI Diploma in Quality Modules and Assessments (Adam Smith College)
Module D1 – Introduction to Quality
Module D2 – Quality Management
Module D3 – Tools & Techniques
Module D4 – Communication and Project Management
Module D6 – Quality & Environmental Management
NEBOSH General Certificate (Santia)
Basic Sea Survival (NEFTA)
Risk Assessment (Evolve)
COSHH Practical Assessment & Control (Health & Safety Laboratory)
Personal Survival Training (Falck Nutec)
NEBOSH Diploma (Evolve)
Accident and Incident Investigation Training (ROSPA)
CDM 2015 Duty Holders and Responsibilities
Scotland Mental Health First Aid
Memberships to professional Institutions
Institute of Occupational Safety & Health – Grade: Affiliate
Career History
Robert Gordon University
Occupational Health & Safety Adviser
April 2016 – Present
My role at the University is to support each School/Department to meet their roles and responsibilities in managing health & safety of their employees, customers and contractors. The principle process of achieving this for my role is implementing an H&S audit programme that regularly audits each school/department on the basis of risk. Although there is always the opportunity for Schools/Departments to request support whenever required. This role has resulted in numerous activities. Some examples include:
- Training of Staff on topics ranging from Manual Handling to Spill Management.
- Creating documentation, ranging from local rules on laser safety to procedures on electrical safety.
- Investigating accidents, including RIDDOR reportable ones and recommending actions to mitigate future occurrences.
- Reviewing and approving Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMs) from Contractors.
- Undertaking Display Screen Equipment assessments for employees suffering discomfort at their workstation and recommending actions to mitigate and improve.
Marine Scotland
Health & Safety Adviser
April 2011 – April 2016
My role in Marine Scotland is to provide health & safety advice to the Science Division ensuring health & safety performance is compliant with appropriate legislation, policy and continuously improved. To achieve this I have begun work in implementing a health and safety management system compliant with HSG65. In addition to this I provide H&S support to an organisation consisting of 260 staff members located across 4 main sites around Scotland. Including Aberdeen, Montrose, Pitlochry and Strathcarron. I achieve this through prioritising the requests as they come into the office.
Achievements prior to moving on:
- Definition and agreement from Senior Management to implement a strategy for an H&S management system.
- Roll-out of an organisation wide H&S Policy.
- Communication of H&S Roles & Responsibilities to the whole organisation through training of senior management and presentation to staff.
- Definition and roll-out of a consistent risk assessment procedure.
- Identification, training and support of Health & Safety Liaison Officers (H&S champions) in all areas of the business.
- Definition and implementation of a piece of H&S record management Software which stores all training and medical records.
- Roll-out of an ENG1 policy for all sea going staff.
- Roll-out of a document management system for the effective storage and access of H&S policies, procedures and assessments (including Risk and COSHH).
- Investigation and closure of numerous incidents and accidents, relating to noise exposure, chemical exposure and slips, trips and falls.
- Development of a Health and Safety Management system that has greatly improved the H&S performance of the organisation. So much so this resulted in a significantly improved result to a ROSPA assessment held in November 2014.
- Successfully influencing numerous contracts let by Scottish Government ensuring H&S is considered effectively and monitored. This includes numerous high risk contracts including Cockle Fishing.
Current projects being progressed:
- Developing, communicating and achieving buy-in to the recommendations made from the ROSPA assessment.
- Maintenance of the now completed SG employee protection system roll-out (the use of technology to protect staff in lone working conditions)
- Development and roll-out of Risk Assessment Training to be provide by myself.
- Development of H&S presentations to train staff on the scope of the management system and their roles and responsibilities within it.
- The development, agreement, implementation of an effective fitness facility for staff. To support staff in meeting the ENG1 medical policy for sea going employees.
- Effective Management and development of the H&S Assistant to create a more robust H&S advisory service.
Transport Scotland
Senior Policy Officer
October 2010 – April 2011
Upon setting up a quality management system within the Rail Delivery Directorate I was asked to begin looking at outputs and outcomes of Network Rail. The purpose of this review was to put in place a process that will determine in Scottish Ministers are getting what they are supposed too from the owner of Britain’s rail infrastructure. This project has so far required me to research the rail industry within Scotland and Britain as a whole. Due to not originally being educated in the Rail Industry. From this research I have begun to develop processes that will help determine the answer to the above question in a quantitative manner.
In addition to this project I have been required to undertake:
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- Correspondence on behalf of Scottish Ministers
- Correspondence on behalf of the chief Executive
- Replying to Correspondence as an Official of Transport Scotland
- Monitoring and improving records management within the directorate
- Supporting the implementation of an environmental management system
Transport Scotland
Quality & ICT Adviser
2008 – 2010
My role as Quality & ICT Manager involved setting up a quality management system compliant with the requirements of ISO 9001:2008: Quality Management System Requirements. This project involved, project planning, project implementation and project closure. The planning element required me to develop and use project management tools and techniques to ensure the project was controlled and delivered to time and cost. The implementation involved learning the nature of the work of each team in the directorate. Identification of core processes (undertaken by all) and technical or specific processes (undertaken by a select few). The whole project resulted in the documentation and control of approximately 60 processes. The effective control of which required the development of an IT system to ensure that the most current version is available for use by staff. As well as the development of an audit programme to continually monitor and improve the processes of the directorate. Additional things required by their project were:
- Achieving Staff buy-in through effective communication (presentations etc)
- Agency buy-in through the selling of the project to other directorates
- Reporting of project progress to senior management
In addition to this project the post also required me to support and improve records management of the directorate and to some degree the agency. This required me to be the lead Information Management Support Officer within the Directorate. As well as provide general ICT advice and support when required. Some examples of this are the implementation of MS SharePoint, Advice and support of WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT and OUTLOOK.
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
Deputy Quality Manager and Training Liaison Officer
2003 – 2008
This role began with a project to develop a quality management system to ISO 9001:2000 for the Pesticide Survey Unit of the Agency. This project then expanded to cover the setting up of a system for the whole of the Agency.
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
Plant Pathologist
August 2001 – 2003
This post required the running and maintenance of the Media preparation laboratory of the Agency.