Strategic health leader with 30 years’ experience in high hazard, safety critical industries delivering innovative solutions to achieve business, safety and health objectives. Global experience within the oil and gas, energy and airline industries. Results focused with key accomplishments in the areas of leadership, fatigue management and crisis response.
Expertise and capability
Developed and implemented a Fatigue Management Policy and process for BP’s global upstream business. The supporting material comprised a template local policy document, risk assessment tool, and an on-line risk-based overtime authorisation process. Also
Developed Group Guides on Fatigue Management providing recommendations for the establishment of fatigue risk management systems across all BP assets.
Developed a bow-tie fatigue risk assessment to enable the necessary risk mitigations to be visualised using the accepted company risk management tool.
Led the development of a suite of self-directed sleep and fatigue e-learning training modules with course assessment.
Managed scientific studies of sleep, alertness, and fatigue in offshore workers in the North Sea and gas-field workers in Oman.
International Association of Oil and Gas Producers and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IOGP/IPIECA) Fatigue Task Force Chair. Led the development of numerous guides, ultimately leading to publication of IOGP Report 626 Managing Fatigue in the Workplace comprising a comprehensive suite of practical guides https://www.iogp.org/managing-fatigue-in-the-workplace/
Led a task force comprising scientists and physicians from the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh, Harvard University, Université Paris Descartes, Paris and Keil Centre, Australia to develop a fatigue guide for physicians at the request of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
Member of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) President’s Task Force on Fatigue and co-author of the Guidance Statement on ‘Fatigue Risk Management in the Workplace’ https://acoem.org/Guidance-and-Position-Statements/Guidance-and-Position-Statements/Fatigue-Risk-Management-in-the-Workplace.
Steering Group Member and participant in the Flight Safety Foundation/Boeing/Airbus Industrie Ultra Long-Range Workshops which provided a framework for airlines to work with their national regulators to introduce ultra long haul passenger services https://flightsafety.org/asw-article/in-it-for-the-ultra-long-haul/.
Member of the airline transport group contributing to the US Department of Transportation Operator Fatigue Management handbook.
Working with British Airways’ Flight Operations, Cabin Services and Human Resources, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Université Paris Descartes and Airbus Industrie, developed an industry leading Alertness Management programme for flight and cabin crew. The programme included training of all crew members and the creation of fatigue management advice cards to assist the flight and cabin crew member to manage their sleep and light exposure to improve alertness.
Career background and experience
Prior to joining Baines Simmons in 2021, David spent 30 years practising occupational medicine in the nuclear, airline, gas and power, and oil and gas industries.
BP International, Global Senior Health Director
Centrica plc, Group Head of Occupational Health
British Airways plc, Consultant and Senior Consultant Occupational Physician
Additional roles:
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Fatigue Science, Vancouver
Member, Medical Committee, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Poole
Adjunct Professor, Appleton Institute, CQ University Australia, Adelaide
Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth
