10 QUESTIONS
10 QUESTIONS WITH… DR KAREN MCDONNELL
Each issue we ask an industry professional the Tomorrow’s Health & Safety 10 Questions. This month we spoke to Dr Karen McDonnell, President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
Q6 Q7
Q1 Q2
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? I worked at the Scottish Plant
Breeding Station, just outside of Edinburgh, over the summer in 1978.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY
INDUSTRY? During my PhD - which focused on the thermal environment in hotel kitchens - I had the opportunity to consider the potential impact of heat stress on workers and my interest grew from there.
Q3 Q4
Q5 56
WHO IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Leif Svandstrom, Professor Emeritus at Karolinska Institutet.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY INDUSTRY? The theme during my IOSH presidential year is partnership working. I would like the health and safety network globally to adopt even more cohesive ways of working to reduce the burden of injury on the global economy.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COMBAT NEGATIVE ATTITUDES
TOWARDS HEALTH AND SAFETY? To be able to present convincing arguments around 'what works' in language that everyone understands.
www.tomorrowshs.com
WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO
SOMEONE NEW COMING INTO THE PROFESSION? Connect to your local health and safety network at the earliest opportunity so you can benefit from other people’s knowledge and experience.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY INDUSTRY? Opportunities for personal and organisational development emerge daily. Seek to gain an holistic understanding of the issues and position yourself accordingly.
Q8
IF YOU COULD HAVE A DINNER PARTY WITH ANY
THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD THEY BE AND WHY? Robert Burns and Hans Christian Andersen, who are both recognised globally and have similar roots. A conversation about hardship and how to communicate the value of the working person would be interesting. I’d also invited my mum as she introduced me to their work.
Q9
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN A FUTURE ISSUE OF
TOMORROW’S HEALTH & SAFETY? A profile on the forthcoming IOSH Competency Framework, which will assist businesses to understand the value that OSH professionals add to their organisations.
Q10
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN
YOUR JOB ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS? Ensuring the work of the safety and health practitioner is heard.
www.iosh.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62