BESA expert to Chair Safety and Health Engineering Partnership

BESA’s Rebecca Crosland has been elected as the new chair of the Safety and Health Engineering Partnership (SHEP).

Ms Crosland, who serves as the current health and safety head for SHEP member BESA, will be the second ever Chair of the partnership since it was established in 2018 to represent the concerns of the engineering sector to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A major focus for her work will be on supporting the HSE, which is presently involved in establishing a new Building Safety Regulator, with feedback and guidance from building engineering specialists.

BESA has held a series of SHEP webinars that have included advice and guidance on engineering issues during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Lydia Barber, acting secretary for SHEP, said Ms Crosland had been integral to the wider work of SHEP in recent years as well as supporting the construction sector’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said, “I am confident that her enthusiasm and commitment will help to ensure that it continues to be a very useful forum for all involved.”

Ms Crosland’s recent work has included serving as chair of the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum with the aim of openly discussing industry issues during the pandemic.

She has also established the BESA/ECA Health & Safety Managers’ Group in order to bring together expertise from across the sector in dealing with health and safety issues faced from site work and when visiting domestic and commercial properties.

This work saw Ms Crosland receiving the Outstanding Achievement Awards at the 2020 H&V News awards for representing and updating the building engineering sector during the first year of the pandemic on best practice and relevant guidance for continuing work safely.

Ms Crosland said she would be succeeding Christopher Buxton, chief executive of the British Fluid Power Association as SHEP Chair. She said Mr Buxton had helped build SHEP into a highly valued organisation.

She added, “I am so proud to have been elected as the new chair of the group and have no doubt that SHEP and its members will continue to provide vital information and guidance in the years to come.”