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Spotlight on Efi Bekiri, Safety Advisor for the Division of Medicine
3 March 2025
What is your current role and what do you enjoy most about your job?
I am a Safety Advisor at the Division of Medicine, and what I particularly enjoy is working in the new laboratory environment, where I can apply the knowledge I have gained over the past six years as a Safety Officer in mechanical engineering. My current role involves identifying and assessing new hazards, as well as implementing control measures to prevent incidents. I enjoy learning about new hazards and experiments and applying HSE guidelines to effectively minimise risks.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently setting objectives for risk reduction and I am working on enhancing the overall safety culture in the worksplace. This includes creating and reviewing risk assessments, identifying hazards in specific areas, and implementing control measures to prevent accidents. When an accident, incident, or near miss occurs, it's important that this is communicated internally, ensuring that the line manager is informed and that it is reported to Risknet. I then allocate responsibility to the Principal Investigator (PI) and assess whether an action plan has been created to address the incident and prevent its recurrence.
As a Safety Advisor, I ensure that we identify all root causes of the incident and implement strategies to prevent any future accidents or incidents. All accidents and incidents are reviewed during the termly Safety Committee meetings, where they are analysed and preventive measures established as examples for the future.
I am also responsible for the Health & Safety (H&S) Induction Programme and ensure that all experimentalists are fully trained before gaining access to lab areas. Additionally, I organise specific training courses, such as the cryogenic practical training course. I am responsible for presenting the annual safety report at the H&S Committee, which analyses the number of accidents reported on Risknet, the number of training sessions conducted, the risk assessments completed and recommends any changes or improvements to prevent future incidents.
What is your background, and how did you find your job in this field?
I am a mechanical engineering educator with experience in both industrial companies and the telecommunications sector, as well as in education at the primary, secondary, and higher education levels. Throughout my career, I have gained expertise in various roles, which have provided me with a broad and diverse perspective. This current position presents a significant challenge, as I am now learning about specific hazardous environments, particularly biological hazards, while applying the safety management knowledge I have gained over the last six years at Imperial College within the engineering sector. It is an exciting opportunity to integrate my engineering and safety background with safety management practices in a new and highly specialised field.
What are your interests outside work?
In my free time, I enjoy cycling and spending time with my friends, whether going out for coffee or inviting them over to cook for them and play board games. I also have a passion for traveling the world with my family to explore new cultures and historical landmarks. Additionally, I love swimming and reading books by the sea, it’s the most relaxing activity. Another enjoyment is art, and I find sketching objects and landmarks while listening to my music very relaxing.