Dr David Gold, CFIOSH, FIIRSM

Dr Gold, a Swiss/American national and a Charted Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner, provides expertise in developing and implementing: organizational safety and health policy; programmes addressing fire safety, programmes in addressing stress and related issues at work; wellness programmes; training and educational programmes including the training of trainers; as well as safety and health promotion and advocacy programmes. Within the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, he is a Chartered Fellow, an elected Member of IOSH Council, a former Vice President Serving on the Institution’s Presidential Team, and former Chair of the IOSH Fire Risk Management Group. He is also a Fellow of the International Institution of Risk and Safety Management.

Prior to starting his International Consultancy, Dr Gold worked for the International Labour Office (ILO), (a United Nations Specialized Agency), for 23 years, most recently as the Coordinator of Workplace Health Promotion. He had world-wide responsibility for implementing programmes dealing with occupational stress and its manifestations as well as programmes advocating occupational safety and health for the more than 180 member States. He designed and facilitated educational programmes including Managing Psychosocial Problems at Work (known as SOLVE) which was translated into eight different languages and implemented in over 25 countries.

During his career, Dr Gold was posted in Geneva, Switzerland, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Bangkok, Thailand. He worked in many countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Arab States and the Americas. Dr Gold continually worked with universities, governments, employers and workers as well as other United Nations agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations.

S12_sprecher_DSC0083He has been a speaker, moderator and facilitator at many international conferences on safety and health at work. He is currently teaching or has taught at universities such as the University of Southern Maine (USA), The University of Geneva (Switzerland), University of the Haute Savoie, (Annecy, France), the University of Turin (Italy), in Africa at the University Cheikh Anta Diop, (Dakar, Senegal), The University of Benin (Cotonou, Benin), the University of Namibia (Windhoek, Namibia), and in Latin America at the Anton de Kom University (Paramaribo, Surinam).

Dr Gold carried out empirical research, directing and implementing a project on indigenous fishermen divers on Thailand’s west coast. The project included direct field observation of diving practices; the training of health care workers in questionnaire implementation, the physiology and pathophysiology of diving and emergency procedures; the development, implementation and analysis of questionnaires for the heads of villages, the current diving population, former divers disabled during diving activities and the families of deceased divers; the monitoring of diving gases for the presence of carbon monoxide gas and the development and implementation of training and informational strategies to reduce the risks of decompression sickness while diving. He is currently leading research through the Fire Risk Management Group to document worker complacency when an emergency evacuation alarm is activated

He holds a PhD in Occupational Safety Engineering (Tampere University of Technology, Finland); a Master’s Degree in Occupational Education (MOEd); a bachelors degree in foreign languages as well as the International Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management from the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (UK). He has served in the United States as a firefighter/emergency cardiac technician.

Dr Gold works in English and French with a working knowledge of German, Malay and Thai languages as well as an indigenous language spoken by the Sea Gypsies of Thailand.