- Kenneth Woodward
Kenneth (Ken) Woodward is a holder of the OBE for work in
health and safety , which he commenced following an industrial accident, and the first person to be awarded the medal for work in that field.http://www.ioshsoutheast.co.uk/pdf/Meeting%2014%20Nov%20notes.doc - IOSH South-east meeting, 14th November 2006]Personal life
Ken Woodard was born in 1950 in
Birmingham, England . He is married with three boys and one girl.Career and incident
In November of 1990, Woodward - at that time employed by
Coca-Cola Schweppes - was involved in a factory incident during which he inadvertently handled chemicals in a dangerous manner, as a result of his and others failure to comply with full safety procedures, combined with poor training by their employer. [http://www.iosh.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.release&id=361 Institution of Occupational Safety and Health |News Centre ] ] The resulting explosion cost him his sight.A subsequent investigation revealed that there had been at least two previous near misses that were not investigated properly and had been put down to operator clumsiness. A memo suggesting that the process be changed for safety reasons was still sitting on the relevant manager’s desk waiting for action when this accident occurred. The reaction was traced to
stabiliser s in the two chemicals, that had acted ascatalyst s in the resultingexothermic reaction.The company was fined, as well as taking a loss estimated at £2.6 million. The company changed their approach to safety, and following the incident, Ken became an advocate of safety standards and practices. In 2006, Kenneth Woodward was awarded the O.B.E in the Queen's
Birthday Honours for services to Health and Safety. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/the_hitch/article675647.ece?token=null&offset=36 - Times Online, June 17, 2006] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5089316.stm BBC NEWS | England | Dozens win awards for commitment ] ]References
External links
* [http://www.kenwoodward.co.uk www.kenwoodward.co.uk] - website
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