Sir Paul Kenny appointed as an HSE Board Member

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has announced the appointment of Sir Paul Kenny as a member of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has today (16 July 2018) announced the appointment of Sir Paul Kenny as a member of the Board of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The appointment begins with immediate effect until 31 July 2019.

HSE has a tripartite structure under legislation, with representatives of employers, employees and independents. The legislation states that HSE should have equal numbers of employer and employee representation on the board. The appointment of Sir Paul Kenny will bring the board up to full complement.

Sir Paul Kenny is a former HSE Board member. He has an excellent track record and brings extensive expertise in health and safety and workforce issues. Sir Paul was elected General Secretary of the GMB trade union in May 2006, held the role until March 2016 and was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday 2015 Honours list for his services to trade unions. Sir Paul stepped down as a board member in September 2016.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments has been consulted under paragraph 3.3 of the Governance Code by the department to make this appointment, exceptionally, without a competition.

The Secretary of State will be starting a recruitment exercise in September 2018 to fill this and another employee representative board member role which will become vacant in January 2020.