• About Us

    Life outside the tick box

    What we do

    At the heart of the building and construction industry is the need to design buildings and infrastructure assets such that they can be built, operated, maintained and modified without harming anyone affected by such works. It’s all about success, client delight and pride in a job well done.

    SID empowers professionals, specifically those working for clients, designers and principal designers to achieve legal compliance without compromising creativity.

    We empower by providing information, training and advice. By high level networking, collaborating and research across the construction sector we stay at the top of our game, so you can trust what we share with you.

    We also love collaboration and work with, or recommend, selected professional organisations and groups because we love the high quality of what they do.

    Meet the team

    Richard Voke, Director

    Richard is a Partner specialist in Risk & Regulation. He advises and defends organisations in their dealings with the HSE, Environment Agency, Local Authorities, Fire Services, and other government regulators, and is frequently appointed to defend organisations following fatal incidents. He has extensive experience working with industries such as construction, energy, waste, and manufacturing.

    Before becoming a lawyer, he spent nearly eight years in the HSE specialising in major hazard industries, prosecuting his own cases, and he spent two years with AEA Technology plc as a senior risk management consultant.

    Richard has a Masters degree in environmental toxicology; is a qualified lead environmental auditor; and is an experienced commercial mediator.

    Alongside being a director of Safety in Design, he is a Visiting Honorary Research Fellow at the Safety System Research Centre in the Civil Engineering Department of Bristol University.

    For his Health & Safety work, Legal 500 describe him as ‘outstanding both in the depth of his knowledge and in his pragmatic and tactical approach’, providing ‘superb service’. They also recognised his ‘strong technical background in environmental science as well as environmental law’.

    In a previous life he was a science teacher.

    Prof. Lamine Mahdjoubi, Director

    Professor of the Built Environment, UWE, Bristol

    Since qualifying in architecture and urban design, Lamine has gained leadership and international recognition in ICT and the design and management of the built environment.  He has led and managed research projects a variety of sources, including research councils (EPSRC), British Academy, EU, charities, Local Authorities, industry, and QNRF Qatar Foundation.    He was the founder of the Virtual Reality Enterprise Centre, which was the first centre of its kind in promoting knowledge exchange in the visualisation and analysis of the built environment.  His key research interests involved the development of innovative methodologies and tools for examining the interaction of people and their built environment.   Some of his work related to planning and designing child healthy outdoor environments received international attention.

    Lamine serves on several national and international scientific committees, which include the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), as well as Special interest groups.  He is member of the board of the prestigious Advisory Board International Making Cities Livable, USA.  He is regularly invited to speak at prestigious national and international forums, including conferences and seminars.  His has extensive experience as Chief/External Examiner in the UK and overseas.  

    Liz Bennett, Director

    Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, health and safety professional (IOSH) and Chair of the Design for Health Task Group

    Liz is passionate about empowering others by simplifying the complex and signposting to answers that will help practical delivery of effective health and safety.

    In her professional career Liz is most proud of the following:

    • Being the first Group Safety Manager for Atkins through rapid expansion and flotation where she developed safety management systems and training across the businesses and supported acquisition due diligence and project delivery across the Group;
    • Leading on the establishment, with AA, RAC, the Police and the then Highways Agency, of www.survivegroup.co.uk which achieved a change in public behaviour on the fast road network within three years of initiation, making these roads safer and helping to reduce congestion;
    • Establishing with senior colleagues from industry www.safetyindesign.org.uk and taking responsibility for maintenance of the free Design Guides, produced by industry leaders from an HSE led initiative to help small design practices;
    • Being Interim Head of Health and safety for LOCOG, London 2012 organising committee to facilitate building the necessary capability across the Games and Paralympic Games and devising means of training a highly diverse community of staff and volunteers from nations across the globe. Working with Regulators and delivery teams to enable and empower a successful series of high-profile events and associated transport solutions across the country;
    • Leading the Design for Health Task Group. A current pan industry group working on effective interventions by clients and designers to improve health outcomes for all affected by construction work for the lifetime of any asset;
    • Co-Chairing Constructing Excellence Somerset with Hannah Ranby of Bridgwater and Taunton College;
    • Development and delivery of a range of training courses in the UK and overseas on CDM 2015 for IStructE, ICE, APS, Synergie Training and for Safety in Design;
    • Conducting or supporting various pieces of research for HSE, EPSRC, B&CE Trust