Owen Cowell
Hebburn,Tyne & Wear
Summary
A highly motivated, determined and safety conscious individual, keen to continually develop further in the HSE sector. As i have developed in this profession, I have developed many skills & progressed quickly within my role, remaining consistent and adaptable whilst working in high pressured and challenging environments across shipbuilding/ ship repair as well as fabrication. I am assertive in my profession; however, I always handle my working scenarios tactfully, allowing me to pride myself in being able to confidently engage with all tiers in business, whilst implementing, developing & effectively maintaining HSE initiatives and standards. During my development, I have proved to be skilled at implementing HSE management systems efficiently, allowing me to hold a comprehensive track record of HSE achievements, often exceeding expectations set by my clients, managers, and anyone who I work alongside. I am committed to further developing my career by moving into a role where I aim to take on more responsibilities in a higher risk environment, whilst ultimately ensuring the health, safety, and wellbeing of all who I work with and encounter, while always aiming to meet all operational goals set by my superiors.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
HSE Team Leader
A&P Tyne (APCL)
Hebburn, Tyne & Wear
2021.09 - 2026.06
- My career in the HSE sector began when I was appointed as the second HSE Apprentice within the APCL Group, primarily based at the A&P Tyne site while also supporting operations at A&P Tees prior to its closure. After progressing quickly through my apprenticeship, I secured a permanent position within eighteen months and went on to work predominantly within the Marine division. In this role, I frequently acted as the company’s Lead HSE Officer for dry dockings, overseeing ship repair, major conversion projects, and wet berth mobilisations and demobilisations. I also serve as Lead HSE Officer on several fabrication projects, collaborating closely with key clients such as BAE Systems to deliver robust and compliant health and safety performance on critical Ministry of Defence contracts. In early summer 2025, I was promoted to HSE Team Leader, now directly supervising a team of three HSE Officers while fulfilling wider responsibilities including managing daily site HSE operations, leading incident investigations, developing and supporting my team, coordinating site-wide HSE strategy, driving continuous improvement initiatives, strengthening our safety culture, and ensuring compliance across all operational areas.
- Roles, Responsibilities & Personal Highlights:
- Efficiently aiding the implementation, monitoring & maintenance of an LRQA accredited ISO9001, ISO14001 & ISO 45001 management system, using my skills to push the management system into practice across both A&P Tyne & Tees, improving HSE performance across the sites and reducing costs of the individual business lines.
- Effectively overseeing over 50 dry docking’s as Lead HSE Officer, acting as the Isolation (LOTOTO) controller, Permit Co-Ordinator, Authorised Gas Tester/ Chemist, as well as a general HSE Officer working alongside clients such as Boskalis, Prysmian, StoltNielsen, the Royal Fleet Auxilliary, TechnipFMC, Tarmac & Fred Olsen and countless others.
- Lead an internal Management System overhaul where over 150 documents were amalgamated, revised or otherwise removed due to a long-term neglect of company RAMS, Procedures, Policies & Training Packages, which was subsequently commended by the Group HSEQ Director.
- Monitoring day-to-day operations of the large-scale fabrication facility onsite, acting as the Lead HSE officer on Ministry of Defence contracts for BAE Systems & BAE Systems Maritime, I also frequently operate on contracts for other private companies such as the Cory Group, where I have overseen the fabrication of three new barges for the Thames River.
- Internally auditing the site, and its subcontractors producing subsequent audit reports and raising non-conformities and tracking to close-out after finding breaches against the ISO standards the company holds.
- Completing frequent HSE Inspections on site to a high standard, ensuring to carry out permit audits as part of my duties as a permit coordinator, developing relationships with individuals on site to create a positive safety culture, whilst ensuring to challenge personnel promoting a negative safety culture.
- Experienced in Lock Out, Tag Out, Try Out isolation systems on vessels and varied plant & equipment, ensuring live systems & equipment are locked out and have all stored energy removed prior to work commencing, utilising this system in conjunction with the permit to work procedure to enforce the highest level of control measures for working operations.
- Leading accident/ incident investigations on site, completing investigations for various high level RIDDOR reportable accidents and dangerous occurrences, as well as general investigations whenever required, ensuring to enforce adequate remedial actions and follow until close-out.
- Frequently monitoring and evaluating HSE performance, using hazard spotting and subsequent trend analysis to ensure adequate control measures for site workshop activities, and using the data to create revisions to company’s management system and its RAMS, safe systems of work & safe operating procedures.
- Experienced permit-to-work issuer, coordinating many high-risk activities such as Confined Space works, Hot Works, Working at Height and Blasting/ Painting on vessels & in the fabrication facility, allowing me to effectively manage and mitigate simultaneous operations on a large scale, whilst ensuring operational requirements are still met.
- Lead safety initiatives and campaigns on site to promote and report hazard spotting which was recognized by the group and introduced to other sites. I also championed an incident reporting education campaign to the lower levels of the workforce across all levels of the organisation, leading to a recognised improvement to safety culture on site by the site senior management team.
- Competent in confined space assessments & analysis, trained as a competent confined space chemist where I am required daily to enter many different types of confined spaces, here I often assess a confined spaces atmosphere, validating it is safe to support for human life as well as support tasks such as hot work’s when required.
- Trained in confined space rescue & working at height rescue, upon recognition by Senior Management I was appointed as deputy-lead of the onsite emergency response team, solely responsible for the organisation of rescue drills, team building exercises & ensuring emergency response equipment such as breathing apparatus, rescue harnesses and stretchers were adequately inspected & maintained.
- Trained & experienced as a Face Fit Tester for disposable RPE, conducting over 300 face fit tests across two sites after championing a safety campaign for A&P’s workers on the importance of RPE & lung health in the work place.
- Able to confidently engage in and lead HSE training sessions & meetings, leading sessions on permits-to-work, fire watching courses, confined space awareness & working at height awareness as well as generic risk assessment briefings, as well as leading the monthly HSEQ Committee Meeting.
Maintenance Administrative Assistant
FM Coatings
Boldon, Tyne & Wear
2019.09 - 2021.07
- Originally at FM Coatings for work experience, I was kept on and hired part time whilst studying for my A-Levels, here I worked in a warehouse setting, specialising in coating plastic components for global automotive companies such as Nissan, Jaguar and Land Rover. The skills I learned during my time at FM Coatings naturally transferred into the HSE profession, the time I spent there built the foundation of the HSE professional I am today.
- Roles and Responsibilities:
- Supporting the maintenance & technical department & with their Planned Preventative Maintenance schedule.
- Reviewing basic PUWER assessments with the aid of the maintenance team.
- Reviewing company COSHH assessments, sourcing valid Safety Data Sheets to ensure the company can adequately use the products as intended by the manufacturer
- Completing generic housekeeping inspections of given areas around site, ensuring basic safety requirements such as waste segregation & cable management were adequate and enforced.
- Reviewing pre-user checks for the mobile plant in the area such as forklift trucks, MEWPS & overhead cranes.
- Performing basic site PPE audits to ensure HSE compliance on the shop floor.
Skills
- Fully proficient in English & Mathematics – Grades available upon request
- IT Literate – fully proficient in Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Full UK Driver's License References available upon request
Certification
- NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
- Health, Safety & Environment Technician (Level 3)
- Trained in IQMS Internal Auditing to ISO Standards – ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001
- IOSH Technical Membership
- IOSH Managing Safety in Shipyards
- Authorised Gas Tester (AGT) for Confined/ Enclosed Spaces
- Unit 3 Confined Space Rescue & Breathing Apparatus Rescue
- Unit 3 Working at Height Rescue & Use of Rescue Equipment
- QNUK Level 3 Award in First Aid at Work
- National Extended Certificate in Engineering, BTEC Level 3
- Experienced & competent in ‘Lock Out, Tag Out, Try Out’ systems
- Seasoned Permit-to-work issuing authority
Timeline
HSE Team Leader
A&P Tyne (APCL)
2021.09 - 2026.06
Maintenance Administrative Assistant
FM Coatings
2019.09 - 2021.07