NEW HEAD FOR HSE HAZARDOUS INSTALLATIONS DIRECTORATE

HSE press release E009:03 - 20 January 2003

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has appointed a new head for its directorate which regulates health and safety in the offshore & onshore oil and gas industries, diving at work, the chemical and explosives industries and the mining industry.

Chris Willby took up post as Director of the HSE Hazardous Installations Directorate on 2 January 2003 following a Senior Civil Service competition. Mr Willby, who was born and brought up in Leeds, was previously HSE Director for the Yorkshire and North East Division. He replaces Paul Davies who becomes full-time HSE Chief Scientist.

Chris Willby commented:

"I am looking forward to the challenge of leading our drive to improve health and safety standards in the major hazards industries. I have greatly enjoyed the challenge of leading the drive towards greater health and safety in the workplace in such a diverse area as Yorkshire and the North East, and there is little that would have tempted me away again from my home turf, but the offer of this new post is one I simply could not refuse!"

Following graduation from Manchester University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chris Willby worked initially with the Central Electricity Generating Board on the design and construction of a number of power stations before transferring to the United Kingdom Atomics Energy Authority (UKAEA) and later the National Nuclear Corporation to lead teams working on the design and development of new nuclear reactors.

Mr Willby joined the chemical industry in 1978 to work as chief engineer of a specialist chemical company. Four years later he answered the call to join HSE, initially in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), later leading a policy division where one of the areas of his responsibility was health-related protection from ionising radiation. He briefly returned to NII as Deputy Chief Inspector before transferring in 1998 to HSE's Field Operations Directorate as the Director for Yorkshire and the North East.

Mr Willby is 57, divorced with two grown-up daughters.

The new director for HSE in Yorkshire and the North East will be Gordon MacDonald who brings with him recent experience of key policy and organisational development at the heart of HSE. Since March last year he has been leading the first phase of a major change programme for HSE. This followed periods as Head of the Strategy and Research Division of HSE's Nuclear Safety Directorate, and the Operations Unit charged with developing common standards for inspection, investigation and enforcement across all HSE's inspectorates.

Notes to editors

1. HID's vision is to improve the health and safety of people by being an independent, expert, effective and a fair regulator of the offshore & onshore oil and gas industries, diving at work, the chemical and explosives industries and the mining industry; and to be acknowledged as such by all our stakeholders, including ministers, employers, employees, the public and fellow regulators.

2. HID consists of three divisions. Land Division promotes and enforces health and safety standards for chemicals and major hazards, gas, pipelines, explosives and mines. Offshore Division ensures that risks to people who work offshore in the upstream petroleum industry and in the whole of the diving industry, both offshore and inland, are properly controlled. HID's divisions do this through a programme of inspection, assessment, investigation, enforcement, advice and education. Central Division works in support of, and in conjunction with, Offshore Division and Land Division, including developing policy and standards, providing guidance to industry and inspectors, providing technical support to field work, operating statutory schemes and carrying out corporate functions for the directorate.

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