HSE announces new Midlands regional director

Date:

17 August 2009

Release No:

HSE/WM/320/2009

Rosi Edwards, Regional Director for the Health and Safety Executive in the Midlands

Rosi Edwards has been appointed as the new Regional Director for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the Midlands.

She has taken over the top job after seven years as Head of Operations for the Construction Division for Midlands, Wales and the South West. In her new role she will oversee the work of HSE's staff dealing with a wide range of activities including manufacturing, education and health services across both the West and East of the region. Her predecessor, Nick Ratty, has moved to the HSE's operational policy unit in Manchester.

Ms Edwards said:

"There is a common misconception that HSE is there to hamper businesses, to control them with ever more stringent rules and regulations, but this is simply not the case.

"Our role is to ensure that every employee and member of the public can go about their daily lives in as safe an environment as possible. There are still too many firms that needlessly put people at risk by failing to follow easy and straightforward practices and it is these businesses we need to target."

"With my new team, I want to work closely with colleagues in Local Authorities, who are responsible for enforcing health and safety in a wide range of premises, including shops and offices, to make sure we are using our resources to target the activities which really are a risk to workers and the public."

In 2007/08, in the West Midlands region, there were 18 deaths and more than 2,500 reported major injuries to employees, plus a further 11,000 injuries keeping employees away from work for more than three days. HSE's five-year strategy that was announced earlier in the year set out how employees and employers should work together to minimise risks while maintaining business competitiveness.

Ms Edwards will be supported in her role by Samantha Peace, starting as Head of Operations in the East Midlands in November and Peter Galsworthy who starts as Head of Operations in the West Midlands in October.

Notes to editors

1. HSE's mission is to prevent death, injury and ill health in Great Britain's workplaces. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice and, working with local authority partners, by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. HSE ran a three-month consultation on the new strategy, and invited a wide range of stakeholders to take part. Further information on the consultation can be found here www.hse.gov.uk/strategy.

1. The Be Part of the Solution pledge is at www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/pledge. Business leaders are invited to sign up online to show their commitment to keeping workplaces safe.
2. For interview bids - contact COI News & PR (below)
3. Statistics are available via http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR West Midlands.