This week we are speaking to Mark Duffy. With a wealth of experience and a passion for ensuring safe operations, Mark plays a critical role in navigating the complexities of technical safety and hazardous substances regulations for our clients at CORGI. Learn more about him and what he does below.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what do you like to do outside of work?
I'm from Portsmouth and have a grown-up daughter who works in Manchester and son who works in Portsmouth. I keep fit with a number of sports including boxing, swimming, and circuit training. I love watching rugby and football (yes both) and I support Portsmouth FC and Liverpool FC - my dad’s side of the family are from Liverpool and I grew up watching them. I play pool in the top division of Portsmouth's pool league. My main passion however is music and art, and I spend most of my free time writing music for piano, guitar and vocals. I also like to paint and sketch.
Tell us about your job and what it entails.
My day to day involves supporting our clients, our members and my colleagues. We have a talented team here and we all help each other as we are a very diverse team. I get involved in several areas including quality control, auditing, consultation, risk assessment and training.
Can you tell us about some of the most common problems found in auditing and how we can help avoid them?
I feel the biggest problem with auditing is the lack of it. There are still a number of organisations who do not undertake continuous or robust auditing and don't recognise the implications of not suitably supervising their undertaking. I understand the dilemma that many organisations have with funding compliance and QC, however it’s a fundamental part of reducing risk.
How does the work you do impact the sector?
I love my job and it's incredibly rewarding to think that the support you give and the work you do might make a difference. Prior to working here, I was in operational management and training. It’s great to teach and develop people, but since being involved in the Grenfell investigation , I've developed a real passion for reducing and managing risk, not only to people's safety but also to reduce risk for individuals and organisations involved in all areas of safety and compliance. I've never met anyone in my working life who sets out to cause safety issues or breaches in regulation, and I can think of nothing worse than an individual being in the dock grilled by a barrister through lack of support or training, especially when its available to them. If I can help people in this way, and if my efforts even go a little way to prevent harm to people, then I consider that important.
What is happening in the sector at the moment and how can CORGI Technical Services help?
The main technical and compliance concerns I'm noticing are the DSEAR and IGEM/G/5 compliance issues. Some organisations still haven't begun a program of DSEAR risk assessment for relevant properties, despite it being a legal requirement, and we can help organisations in this area. There are also a number of IGEM/G/5 issues that most organisations are facing in relation to new builds and existing properties, where they are not designed or adapted to comply with standards, and again this is an area we have expertise in and can support with.
Thanks, Mark!
If you are interested in learning more about DSEAR, you can talk to a member of our team.
You can also download your free guide ‘Unlock the Ultimate Guide to DSEAR Compliance’ now and take control of your responsibilities today.
