Meet your BDA…

September 20, 2021

… Jon Christie, Chair of the British Drilling Association (BDA) Health & Safety Sub- committee.

Jon’s is a Divisional Health and Safety Advisor for BAM Nuttall; working with the Director of Health & Safety in developing, monitoring and maintaining company health and safety management systems (45001) to ensure regulatory compliance. As part of a team of advisors, Jon leads in matters of drilling, piling and foundation safety across the business, with divisional responsibility to BAM Ritchies and the BAM Nuttall Plant Department.

Within the BDA, Jon is Chair of the Health & Safety Sub-committee, a position he has held for over 6 years. In addition to serving on its Management Committee and Finance and Strategy Sub-committee, Jon also sits on the Association of Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Specialists (AGS) Safety Committee, the Federation of Piling Specialist (FPS) Plant and Safety Committee, and Joint Industry Working Groups, covering various industry related subjects.

A BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering started his career; complimented by qualifications in Occupational Health and Safety Practice, Project Management and Strategic Leadership. Jon demonstrates his competence, not just in the geotechnical aspects of drilling, but also in the many challenging areas of safety that are directly applicable to the drilling industry. He openly shares his knowledge through his work with the British Standards Institute and the European Committee for Standardisation. Through his committee work he has shared many published works on good practice to enable availability to all.

In fact, it is as a ‘source’ for understanding safety within the drilling industry that makes Jon an incredibly valuable asset to the BDA. Seeing solutions to problems from a real-world perspective, combined with a genuine desire to improve safety and working practices, the entire industry benefits. Jon’s work within BAM affords him a direct influence on operations, his understanding of competence in terms of people, plant, and their safe interaction, provides the all-important practical experience to compliment his theoretical knowledge.

As with all BDA committee members’, Jon is passionate about the drilling industry and in seeing the levels of safety improve to allow everyone home safe every day.