Thank you, Karen, for taking the time to write this well considered tribute to Simon.
Simon was obviously a significant driver for occupational health practice. David Blunkett’s tribute is also interesting, he has a vested interest in promoting workplace health and safety. David’s own father fell into a vat of boiling liquid in the workplace suffering serious burns from which he died a few weeks later.
Anne
Anne Harriss
Course Director
LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY
On 03/12/2012 17:27, "Karen Coomer" <[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I first met Simon when working in Sheffield in the 1990’s, he very generously let me have the use of his OH resource library (this was the days before google) and his brilliant mind as I studied for my degree in OH. My lasting impression was someone who did not seek the limelight, was very modest and had a passion to improve working conditions for the ordinary working man/woman - a very clever inspirational man.
Simon Pickvance died on Friday November 23rd 2012. He had been diagnosed with mesothelioma two years ago, a consequence of one-time day job as a bricklayer as he developed innovative, worker-oriented occupational health support in primary care. In this Primary Care work, he spent his time listening to the concerns of workers and trying to improve their health by making connections with their ill health and their working conditions. He worked tirelessly to improve the lives of ordinary workers. Simon created Workers' Health International Newsletter, which consolidated international information exchange and cooperation between union and health and safety activists and sympathetic medics and scientists worldwide. He was one of the founders of the Sheffield Health Project, more about his work can be found on http://www.sohas.co.uk/
He was recently made an Emeritus Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini. His work was also recognised in awards from the grassroots Construction Safety Campaign and Hazards Campaign. His earlier work as a molecular biologist was noted in John Sulston’s 2002 Nobel Prize lecture. Simon was active in EWHN, European Work Hazards Network, right from the beginning.
This is what David Blunkett MP has to say about him:
"I knew Simon for very many years - his dedicated and committed work in seeking protection from industrial disease and redress for those who had been so grievously affected. It is a terrible twist of fate that saw mesothelioma strike him down, the very thing (industrial disease) he devoted his life to combating. It is thanks to his dedication and tenacity that others had at least some compensation, that there has been proper research and recognition, and with the years of support through the Sheffield Workplace Health Programme, GPs and public health workers have done so much to highlight the challenge and to do something about it. As new threats emerge, and as health and safety is seen as some over-regulatory burden, we will need the Simons of the future to address those entirely new challenges and to take on both ignorance about, and indifference to, those dangers. He will be sorely missed." David Blunkett MP
Sad loss to OH.
Karen
Karen Coomer
Occupational Health Nurse Specialist
KC Business Health Ltd
Tel: 01904 440323
Mobile: 07748 595028
Web: www.kcbusinesshealth.co.uk <http://www.kcbusinesshealth.co.uk/>
e-mail: [log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
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