Professor Andrew Curran, Director of Science and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has been awarded a CBE for his significant contribution to public service in the King’s New Year Honours List 2023.
Professor Curran, who is also Deputy Head of the Government Science & Engineering Profession, has led crucial research into protecting people’s health and safety at work – from occupational diseases to reducing carbon emissions and exposure to harmful substances.
Most recently, he headed up the largest study in the world to better understand the transmission of Covid-19, which helped support the UK’s response to the pandemic.
Reacting to his award, Professor Curran said: “I am absolutely delighted, honoured and extremely proud. I see it as recognition of the contribution HSE’s scientists, engineers and analysts make to providing a strong evidence base for our policy and regulatory activity.
“Given the HSE’s wide remit, the variety of my job is incredible. It varies from large-scale, explosive tests using hydrogen to see how we can use it to help reduce our carbon emissions, deliberately damaging batteries to see how they behave under these conditions, to being an active SAGE participant and leading the largest study in the world into understanding the transmission of the Covid virus.
“All of this work has been delivered by scientists, engineers and analysis in both HSE and beyond, and I see this honour as recognising their efforts and the impact it has had on keeping Great Britain as one of the safest places to work in the world. I love my job because I genuinely learn something new every day. I believe I have one of the best jobs in science in the country. Our science really makes a difference. I can think of no greater motivator in what I do.”
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
