Career focus on our health and safety team

Steve Underwood is our manager of HSEQ - or health and safety, the environment and quality. As such it's a very broad role and Steve has been building a team to expand the skills and experience we have across this entire area.

Steve has developed a business plan for our HSEQ work which will see TPN as the leading light in the field. His two most recent recruits Julia and Soheal are busy training in all of the legal compliance, operational safety standards and environmental targets which TPN is obliged to meet either by law, or by our own exacting standards and aspirations.

Steve says: "My work is very diverse and no two days are the same. We want our team to continue growing skills in new areas, and to really set the standard for what can be achieved."

TPN has gained ISOs 27001, 14001, 9001, 45001, covering quality, environmental management, data management and health and safety management. However, the goals are constantly moving.

"As a company we are currently making headway towards the ISO 50001 Energy Management Certificate which will lead into our SECR (Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reduction) statements. Standards evolve and goals become more aspirational over time, so you can never be complacent in this job. There is always some improvement to strive for," says Steve.

Ultimately his job is to ensure that TPN's people and the public are as safe as possible, that our environmental impact is always diminishing, and that our commitment to quality across the operation never fails.

"I have been involved in HS/project work for the last 20 years or so and am confident our goals will be reached," says Steve. "What I enjoy about TPN the most is working alongside the directors, because they want to be involved. This is never a tick box exercise for us, it is always about achieving excellence from top to bottom. It's important to have buy-in from all levels of the business."