C014:07  1st October 2007

Health and safety improvement needs boardroom leadership, says new Chair of HSC

On her first day in office the Health and Safety Commission’s (HSC) new Chair, Judith Hackitt CBE, has called for more board level engagement and ownership on health and safety issues. Judith Hackitt, who has been a commissioner with HSC, returns from an assignment as Director of the Chemistry for Europe project with the European Chemical Industry Council, to take up the top post as the HSC and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) gear up to face challenging times ahead including a proposed merger to create a single regulatory body.

Ms Hackitt, who brings extensive industry experience particularly in the field of health and safety, said, “I am delighted to return to HSC and lead an organisation that has played a crucial role in improving Britain’s health and safety record. I look forward to working with members of the Commission, the Health and Safety Executive, our partners in local government, trade unions and business leaders who have all played a vital role in influencing the safety culture in this country.”

“With the latest figures showing 241 workplace fatalities, 146,000 serious injuries and two million reported cases of work-related ill-health, there is no room for complacency. More needs to be done in addressing the enormous challenges of improving health and safety in our workplaces. To improve our safety record we need strong and committed boardroom leadership that focuses on real causes of harm in the workplace and not trivia.”

 Notes to editors

1. Judith Hackitt’s appointment commences on 1st October 2007 and will be for a term of five years. Her appointment will be on a three day per week basis.
2. Judith Hackitt was trained as a Chemical Engineer at Imperial College, London. She was previously employed as Group Risk Manager at Elementis PLC with world-wide responsibility for health and safety insurance and litigation. In 1998 she joined the Chemical Industries Association as Director of Business and Environment. She became Director General of the Association in April 2002. She was appointed as a member of the Health and Safety Commission on the same date. She held that post until December 2005.
3. Judith Hackitt was awarded a CBE in June 2006 for her services to health and safety at work.
4. The HSC has overall responsibility for occupational health and safety regulations in Great Britain. The Commission consists of 10 people nominated by bodies with an interest in workplace health and safety. They are sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP minister for occupational health and safety is Lord McKenzie of Luton.
5. The HSE and Local Authorities are the enforcing authorities that work in support of the Commission.

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