Jen Deeney ran through the London Borough of Merton on 23 July 2012, just days before the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics took place.
Jen Deeney: Torchbearer for the London 2012 Olympics
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Torchbearer Jen says safe Olympics workers deserve a medal
“The guys that built it [deserve] a medal nobody ever had before.” So says Jen Deeney about the London Olympics Park. Jen is carrying the Olympic Torch in Merton, south London, on 23 July.
“I’m excited to be part of it because hopefully it will be the first Olympics in history to be built without a fatality,” she says. “For me, that’s worth more than any gold medal.”
Jen’s husband Kieron died in a construction accident just a few weeks after they were married. Jen is a neonatal matron but in her spare time she works tirelessly to raise awareness of health and safety issues on construction sites.
She made the Lattitude film It Will Never Happen to Me and is a supporter of and fundraiser for The Lighthouse Club, a charity devoted to supporting workers and the families of those injured or killed in construction accidents. She gives talks about the effects of an accident in visits to construction sites across the country, including the Olympic site itself.
According to RoSPA, construction of the main 2012 venues involved around 62 million hours of work with an accident frequency rate of 0.17 per 100,000 hours – less than half the construction industry average. The project was also completed without an accident-related construction fatality.
Tom Mullarkey, chief executive of RoSPA, says: “[The Olympics’] contribution to safety in the UK is now an exemplar to the whole world.”
Hear Jen talk about where she gets her inspiration (audio)
More details on the Olympic Torch Relay. You can go along and support Jen on 23 July 2012 in the London Borough of Merton.
RoSPA press release on London 2012 safety achievements
Jen announces winner of ‘The Deeney Award’ in 2012 Inspiring Safety Awards
The Inspiring Safety Awards were presented on 26 June 2012 at a special ceremony in Blackpool.
There were three main categories and a special international award. One of the catergories was ‘The Deeney Award for Most Inspiring Team or Organisation’. Named in honour of Kieron Deeney, who was killed tragically in an accident at work, and for the amazing contribution his wife, Jen, has made to the safety of others since his death.
Jen Deeney was in Blackpool to present her award to the winner, and the selected ‘highly commended’ teams and organisations.
Most Inspiring Team or Organisation – Storengy UK
Storegy UK was presented with the prize for Most Inspiring Team or Organisation 2012. In the construction of a gas storage facility, the company saw only one reportable incident in 1.8 million man hours of effort. The secret was the total team approach.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Rob Coyle, Managing Director of Lattitude Productions which organises the awards, said: “This was the first time we have run these awards and I think everyone was impressed with the standard of the entries. It just shows how much good work is going on to inspire people to behave more safely.”
“Everyone was impressed with the standard of the entries.
It just shows how much good work is going on”
A full list of award winners and those Highly Commended can be found at http://www.safetyinspirationawards.co.uk/2012-winners/