At the heart of RoSPA’s vision of an accident free world is our incredible policy team—a group of dedicated experts tirelessly working to share advice and help keep people safe across roads, workplaces, homes, and leisure activities.

Led by the visionary Director of Policy, Campaigns, and Public Affairs, Steve Cole, our team embodies RoSPA's commitment to excellence in safety. Steve gives us an overview of the RoSPA policy team, its work and who the team members are.
 

The visionaries behind the mission and vision...

I joined RoSPA in August 2023 and the time has absolutely flown past. My background covers two key areas: organisational strategy (with a particular focus on charities); and political advocacy campaigning. I’ve worked for and with very large (Clarion Housing Group), very influential (Make UK), very small (the Landscape Institute), and very old (RHS). The opportunity to join an organisation with such a diverse brief and important mission as RoSPA was just too good to turn down.

RoSPA policy is a really diverse team whose work is focused on four core policy areas or pillars. These are road, workplace, home and leisure safety. We partner with a range of different governmental, business and charitable organisations to identify key issues and trends facing these sectors and design policy interventions to solve these problems. In addition, we often campaign on specific major issues facing these sectors, for example, our work with businesses across the country on the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill in 2022 and 2023.

I’m lucky enough to lead a fantastic and highly expert team:

Adrian Simpson

Head of Policy, is the team’s newest recruit, joining us from the British Retail Consortium in August 2024. Adrian is a chartered trading standards officer by background.

Dr James Broun

RoSPA’s Research Manager. As an evidence-based charity, research is fundamental to everything we do. Previously with Make UK, the manufacturers trade body, James leads all of our research work.

Carlene McAvoy MPH, MSc, MA

RoSPA’s Senior Policy Manager for leisure. Overseeing networks in Scotland, Wales and England, she is one of the leading authorities on drowning prevention.

Rebecca Guy

RoSPA’s Senior Policy Manager for road and home safety. Becky recently took the lead of our hugely experienced team, having delivered significant impact as our road safety manager previously.

Dr Karen McDonnell

RoSPA’s Head of Global Relations, is a past-president of IOSH and a leading expert on workplace and OSH safety. She leads RoSPA’s global work on enhancing health and safety.

 

 

Shaping a safer future together

Our policy team doesn’t just respond to safety issues—they anticipate and address them with proactive solutions. This year, they’re  pushing for the new Government to introduce a National Accident Prevention Strategy headed up by a Minister, without portfolio, to overcome the siloed working in Government which means that, too often, Government agencies who benefit from accident reduction (such as the NHS) are not the ones who can actual reduce accident rates (e.g. the Department for Transport).

By working closely with our members—industry leaders, community advocates, and safety professionals—they help ensure that every initiative is rooted in real-world experience and addresses the safety challenges faced by society. This collaborative approach allows RoSPA to push forward innovative safety strategies that protect lives, reduce accidents, and foster a culture of safety across society. Our members are at the heart of this mission, helping us turn vision into reality.
 

Look out for more articles from our policy team members, starting September 2024.