Melissa achieves 40 under 40 recognition

Longworth is pleased to announce that Melissa Fazackerley has been included among Health and Safety at Work magazine’s listing of 40 under 40 achievers.

2018 saw Health and Safety at Work mark its 40th anniversary in print. In a campaign to celebrate all the positive advancements in health and safety since 1978 – the year Health and Safety at Work launched – the magazine began a search for 40 leading health and safety practitioners representing the best of the younger generation.

Around 160 safety specialists put themselves forward, ranging from professionals making their mark at the beginning of their careers, to mid-career practitioners with significant achievements under their belt.

While more than half the entrants were working in the UK, there were also entries from Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, India, Singapore and countries across Africa.

For each entrant, Health and Safety at Work took up a reference from an independent supporter, who was invited to give an objective appraisal of the candidates’ achievements.

Seventy of the most impressive profiles were selected for submission to the judging panel, who scored each candidate in three areas: personal and professional achievement; evidence of innovation or creative thinking; and contribution to safety in its wider sense.

The judges included Philip White, the HSE’s head of regulation, leading health and safety lawyer Steffan Groch, and Tania Barker and Liam Mihell of NEBOSH represented the campaign’s sponsor.

More details on the judging process are available here.

The 40 professionals who were selected as the best representatives of the rising generation of safety practitioners have all positively influenced safety and occupational health in their organisations, raising aspirations and standards to help keep workers safe.

“Both the editorial team and the judges were highly impressed by the candidates’ sheer ability to make things happen, to not accept the status quo, and above all to take safety messages beyond their own organisations,” said Elaine Knutt, editor of Health and Safety at Work.

“We hope that readers also find fresh perspectives and new ideas in the profiles, and that they help to promote the sharing of best practice that many of the 40 exemplify. We’d also like to thank everyone who entered, or nominated, or provided a reference for a candidate, for their help in demonstrating to our readership and the wider world that the future of health and safety management is in extremely good hands.”

The successful 40 have been profiled in a special article on Health and Safety at Work’s website, and in the January issue of the magazine.