2010-2012 IPS Advisory Committee

Jack Fearing, CPEA, Administrator

Jack Fearing, CPEA, is the Director of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) for DynCorp International and based in Falls Church, VA. He has more than 25 years of experience in occupational safety and health, EHS auditing, management systems and fleet safety. He previously worked as a Senior Consultant at Aon Global Risk Consulting,  an EHS Audit Program Director for a major multinational manufacturing company and as an Audit Team Leader for a leading pharmaceutical company. He has conducted over 250 EHS multimedia audits in 35 countries around the world.

He is a retired U.S. Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel and helicopter pilot with more than 20 years of aviation safety experience. During Operation Desert Storm, he was assigned to the Army Safety Office at the Pentagon and conducted numerous safety audits at Department of Defense operations throughout the U.S. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and Boston University. He may be contacted at (908) 303-8359 or at jjfearing@gmail.com.

Ashok Garlapati, CSP, QEP, G-IOSH, Assistant Administrator

Ashok Garlapati is an HSE Specialist working with the Exploration and Production Development Directorate of Kuwait Oil Company in the State of Kuwait. An environmental engineer, Garlapati holds an MBA and PG diploma in industrial pollution management. He has 20 years of experience in HSE consultancy and management within the oil and gas industries. He is also the lead auditor of the ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards and an approved OSHA outreach trainer. He has extensive experience in the implementation of HSE management systems for process industries.

Garlapati is a professional member of ASSE and a past president of ASSE's Kuwait Chapter. He played an important role in the Kuwait Chapter’s establishment, which is ASSE's largest international chapter. Currently, he is an advisory member of the Kuwait Chapter. He served as a member of ASSE's Global Taskforce and received the Charles V. Culbertson Award in 2007. He is the first international member to enter the President’s Court of Membership Honor Roll Club by sponsoring more than 160 members. He can be contacted at +965 23871487 or ashokcpcl@yahoo.com.

John Kanouse, CSP, ARM, Awards & Honors/Nominations Chair

John Kanouse is a Senior Casualty Loss Control Consultant in the Work Force Strategies Group of Marsh Risk Consulting (MRC). He has worked in the safety profession for over 25 years, specializing in the area of safety management systems, environmental liability and international safety issues. He currently serves a variety of Fortune 500 clients in the industrial and service industries with operations in over 35 countries.

Kanouse has considerable experience in the development and evaluation of automobile fleet, safety and health and workers’ compensation management programs. He is the office’s Lead Consultant for Workplace Productivity and Ergonomics and the Zone Consulting Representative for the company’s Retail and Life Sciences Practices.

Kanouse has spoken at various national/regional safety and risk conferences for the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS), ASSE, the National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).

He holds a BS degree in chemistry from Montclair State University and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation.

He is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), a professional ASSE member and an affiliate member of the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA). In 2003, he was named Safety Professional of the Year for ASSE’s International Practice Specialty.

Kathy Seabrook, CSP, CMIOSH, RSP (UK), Membership Development Chair

Kathy A. Seabrook is president of Global Solutions, Inc. She has more than 25 years of experience in the safety and health profession, and she is also Certified Safety Professional and a UK Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). She holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.

Seabrook is an international speaker, management consultant, seminar/workshop presenter, leadership educator, author, facilitator and strategic planner in the area of global environmental, health and safety management. Her work focuses on assisting multinational and midsize companies in strategically managing their safety and health risks around the globe. She has experience developing global safety and health strategies, corporate standards, leadership education workshops and risk assessment and audit processes. She is known for her global environmental health and safety management and introduction to European/UK health and safety regulations seminars.

Seabrook has spoken at national/international conferences for ASSE, the National Safety Council, the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Society of Human Resource Managers, the National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM), the Risk Insurance Management Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers/IMechE, UK, the XV World Congress on Safety and Health and IOSH.

Seabrook served/s on the original ANSI Z10 standard committee and current ANSI Z10 revision committee, the OHSAS 18002 Working Party, ASSE’s Board of Directors (two terms), ASSE’s Global Taskforce (Chair), ASSE’s UK Section executive board (founding member and first Chair) and ASSE’s International Practice Specialty (founding member/first Administrator). She is also a member of the ASSE national faculty and an author.

For her contributions to international safety, Seabrook received the IOSH Distinguished Service Award, ASSE’s International Practice Specialty Safety Professional of the Year, ASSE’s President’s Award and ASSE’s Charles V. Culberson Outstanding Volunteer Service Award.

Jeff Weldon, CSP, Professional Development/Seminars Chair

Jeffrey Weldon rejoined Bechtel in 1995 after working for Merck Pharmaceuticals for seven years. He performed his internship on Bechtel’s Susquehanna Nuclear Project in 1981. He is a Certified Safety Professional and has worked in all of Bechtel’s major business units. He has lived for extended periods in China, KSA, UK and Singapore and has worked extensively throughout the world in all aspects of SH&E management.

Weldon pioneered bringing the back end of construction to the front end of design and bringing safety and health review knowledge from engineering to construction for Bechtel. He has developed and implemented many SH&E management systems, which have included environmental management systems that meet 14001 standards and sustainable development.

Weldon is helping the Army safely destroy its chemical weapons stockpile. At the Aberdeen Chemical Destruction Facility, he developed innovative approaches to personal protective equipment, which enabled the project to exceed both schedule and cost objectives.

He is currently the Safety and Health Manager for the Bechtel-Parsons Joint Venture at the Blue Grass Army Depot and works on the front-end design and construction of the pilot facility that will ultimately destroy chemical weapons at the depot.

He holds a BA in safety management from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Joe Schwed, CSP, Website Development Chair

Joseph M. Schwed, CSP, FMA is the WTC Site Safety Director for The Port Authority of NY and NJ. He ensures coordination among Port Authority and contractor safety teams, striving to make the site one of the safest work locations in the NY/NJ Metropolitan Region.

Schwed has more than 15 years of experience and was previously the Corporate Manager of Global HSE Operations for Honeywell International in Morristown, NJ. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering, an M.S. in occupational safety and health engineering and an M.S. in environmental science from the NJ Institute of Technology. Schwed is dedicated to improving working conditions throughout the public and private sectors.

An ASSE professional member since 1993, he has held all offices in the NJ Chapter, served as Area Director for the Metropolitan Area from 2002-2006 and oversaw the operations of two NJ Chapters and two NY Chapters. During his term as president, he enhanced the use of technology and reduced operating costs in several areas. He gave those savings back to the members and to their communities through scholarships and SH&E books. His service also included executive board positions and networking chair.

Schwed was the recipient of a NIOSH scholarship grant for his higher education. He has presented on Six Sigma, measuring safety performance and how to manage safety at a multibillion-dollar construction site at professional development conferences. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the NJ State Industrial Safety Committee and is an emergency medical technician. Schwed is a recipient of ASSE’s Region 8 Safety Professional of the Year award for 2005-2006. Currently, he is Vice Chair of the NJ State Industrial Safety Committee, which focuses on improving worker safety in NJ.

Neil Dine, RSP, Asia/Pacific Rim Membership Liaison

Neil Dine is a Registered Safety Professional in Australia, a 35-year member of the Safety Institute of Australia, an Institute Fellow and a member of the Victorian State Chapter of the Institute. He is also an Australian Justice of the Peace.

As a member of both ASSE and the IPS, Dine represents the ASSE IPS in the Asia-Pacific area. He was the IPS’s 2005 recipient of the Safety Professional of the Year award.

Dine has been a safety and health professional for over 35 years and is a graduate of Ballarat University in Australia. He is currently Director of Corporate Health, Safety, Environment and Security for CSL.

Dine is also an active operational member and Honorary Director of Training for the St. John Ambulance Organization in Victoria.

Jitu C. Patel, CPEA, IPS Conferences & Seminars Chair, Middle East Membership Liaison

Jitu C. Patel is a senior health and safety consultant with 40+ years of SH&E experience in the chemical, oil and gas industries. For 21 years, he provided professional services to Aramco, a major oil and gas-producing and processing corporation in Saudi Arabia.

For 15 years, he provided technical training and conducted research in fire/explosions, health and environmental issues at a chemical manufacturing company for the safe processing, storage and distribution of products such as chlorine, bromine, halogenated hydrocarbons, anti-knock lead additives for gasoline, hydrogen, caustics and acids.

He has prepared many safety audit reports and has developed and conducted fire and safety seminars. He has also assisted in the development of safety engineering standards for Middle East countries. In addition, his work has been featured in several international publications, and he has presented at international conferences.

Patel is actively involved in ASSE’s Middle-East and Arizona Chapters. He holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and physics and an M.Phil in energy and fuel science from Leeds University.

Larry Shannon, Dip.SHWW, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, EurOSHM, PC, Ireland Liaison

Larry Shannon, Dip.SHWW, CMIOSH, MIIRSM, EurOSHM, PC, is the project, maintenance and construction safety specialist at Schering Plough/Merck’s Rathdrum API manufacturing site.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the safety profession, Larry has provided professional advice to the manufacturing and leisure industries as well as to the construction industry.

He is also a member of the Institution of Occupational Health and Safety serving on the Irish Branch National Executive, the International Institute for Risk Management and the Association for Project Safety.

Stuart Wood, MSc, CMIOSH, CPEA, CoPS Practice Specialty Liaison Coordinator

Stuart Wood is an independent consultant based in Alpharetta, GA. He has more than 20 years of experience leading quality, safety, health and environmental initiatives for major domestic and global industries and has spoken at many professional development conferences on the Business of Safety.

Wood is a past administrator of the International Practice Specialty (IPS), a founding member of IPS’s Global Task Force and a current member of The Value of the Safety Professional project.

He holds an MSc in occupational safety and health from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and he is a certified professional auditor, a professional member of ASSE and a Chartered Safety Practitioner member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health in the United Kingdom.

Richard Cooper, MSc, CMIOSH, MIRSM, MASSE, AIEMA, Europe/Middle East/Africa Membership Liaison

Richard Cooper, MSc, CMIOSH, MIRSM, MASSE, AIEMA, Europe/Middle East/Africa Membership Liaison, has been an ASSE member for more than ten years. A chartered member of IOSH, Cooper has worked in industrial sectors, such as construction and civil engineering, aviation, transport and telecommunications.

In addition to safety, which he sees as the first step in an overall loss control or risk management process, he has an interest in systems (quality assurance) and the environment, being a member by examination of an environmental management institute.

Cooper began his working life in the British Army (The Life Guards) and gradually moved into his current position. He holds a master’s degree in safety management.