Gareth Broughton

Gareth began working in health and safety in as one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Factories (Trainee) in 1984 in London having graduated with a degree in Botany and Microbiology in 1981 and a post-grad Diploma in Air and water Pollution Control in 1983. After completing the required post-grad Diploma in Health and Safety as part of the 2 year trainee program he became an HM Inspector Health and Safety and began inspecting a wide variety of industries, local services and authorities and construction sites, investigating accidents and preparing and taking prosecutions for serious health and safety legal breaches. In 1992 he moved to Oxford was one of a number of Inspectors who pioneered a new 'management inspection' approach - applying this to complex workplaces such as the UK atomic Energy authority, Joint European Torus (JET Nuclear Fusion Project), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Oxford University amongst others. Gareth was then seconded to the Fire Service Training College as their first ever Health and Safety Tutor, teaching on both Command and Operational Training courses  and undergoing fire service training and advising on risk management of realistic fire service training in situ. Gareth continued teaching on these courses for the next 10 years but also later became the Conventional Safety and Management Systems inspector for the Atomic Weapons Establishment and related organisations. Gareth then spent some time in the inspectorates Headquarters Policy and Strategy Divisions helping deliver a cross Government Ministerial and Senior Civil Servant 'Briefing' application, working with Ministers to ensure this met their needs. After a number of years in another HQ role providing support to the UK's Local Authority H&S Enforcement Officers Gareth then returned to operational activities managing a group of 10 inspectors dealing with a number of high-profile investigations and prosecutions before leaving to join Mars UK in 2012 as the UK Health and Safety Manager where he managed a cross-functional team of site health safety and environmental professionals. In 2018 he took on a global role in Mars as the Cross-segment Director of HS and E Audits and owner and developer of Mars Global HS and E Technical and Managment Standards and related HS & E projects. Gareth retired from Mars in April 2025.