Simian welcome Mike Dean to the team

We are thrilled to welcome Mike Dean to the Simian Risk team this month. Joining us with significant experience in the scaffolding industry, Mike has already established himself as a vital part of the team. We asked Mike a few questions about his experience in the industry and what his new role at Simian will involve, take a look below:

What is your new role at Simian?

My new role at Simian is working as a Safety Advisor, Short-duration Instructor and NVQ Assessor.

Tell us about your past experience in the scaffolding industry

I started my scaffolding career with a north west scaffolding contractor, where I carried out all of my scaffold training and then went on to work nationally on many different projects. I finished my time with my previous employer as a Site Manager at Kellogg’s, Wrexham. Here, I managed many high-profile scaffolding projects for the ever-expanding Kellogg’s site. This is where I gained my safety qualifications before coming on-board with Simian.

What will your role at Simian involve?

My new role includes providing our clients with safety advice in relation to the safe management of their scaffolding works. However, this can expand to any working at height topics, including aiding scaffolding company clients and many construction firms nationally. This is to ensure they comply with legislation and industry best practice documents, such as NASC’s Technical and Safety guidance. As a short-duration Instructor, I supply bespoke training courses in operations scaffolding, either in-house, within training centres or at a location that suits our clients. As an NVQ Assessor, I work with our delegates to ensure their NVQ portfolios are carried out to high standard to guarantee they can progress in their scaffolding careers. To do this, I ensure that their evidence is adequate and visit the delegates on site to observe them carrying out scaffolding operations.

What is your favourite part of working at Simian so far?

I am enjoying the start to my career with Simian. My favourite part has been how welcoming the team have been, as well as the time they have taken to ensure I am fully trained to undertake my everyday role to a high standard. The friendly atmosphere has made me fully engage with my role and I hope to enjoy a long career with Simian. I also enjoy the diversity of the company, knowing my role is never going to be the same from week to week and a new challenge awaits at every corner.

Is there anything in particular you are most looking forward to working on at Simian Risk?

I am looking forward to progressing through the company and moving into a consultancy role in the future, as well as expanding my Health and Safety knowledge. Also, I enjoy working with our delegates in the training centre and supporting them to progress in the scaffolding careers. It is a good sense of achievement when delegates progress from their scaffolding training.

 Before working at Simian Risk, what was the most unusual or interesting job (scaffolder or other) you’ve ever had?

My most interesting job was during my Military career. As a Leader in the Army, I undertook many different roles in training as well as operationally. The most interesting was as an Instructor in the Army, producing soldiers from their first day right up until joining their Regiments on operations.

Find out more about the work that Mike will be undertaking here at Simian Risk by visiting our effective scaffolding training page.