About ISSL

The roots of the company remain within national and international Transportation Safety Services, including Fleet Driver Training, DGSA services, Coach Operator Safety, Movement of Abnormal Loads and Road Traffic Accident Investigations. The Company has significant presence in the commercial sector, providing DGSA services to port authorities, manufacturers and specialist transport operators.

ISSL specialises in the delivery of Healthcare Waste Management and DGSA services to the NHS and private sector healthcare establishments. With over 20 years operational experience in these fields and over 50 NHS Trusts as clients’ ISSL is the premier sector provider.

Professional Service

At ISSL, we are proud of the professional, independent and confidential service that we provide to our clients. We offer a comprehensive range of expert but practical consultancy services at cost efficient prices.

Trained Staff

ISSL has a number of exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisors covering all classes, bringing a wealth of experience from a variety of clients and situations. Our waste management consultants are highly qualified to undertake waste pre-acceptance audits and review waste management procedures, in particular for clients producing healthcare waste.

Excellent Record

Independent Safety Services Limited has a proven track record for supplying high quality consultancy to the healthcare sector and has been delivering waste management and dangerous goods services to healthcare providers since 2001. Clients include hospitals, primary care trusts, mental health institutions, prison services, teaching hospitals, universities, private healthcare providers, veterinary practices and medical research laboratories.

Meet Our Team

Alan Johns

Managing Director

Accreditations: MSOE, MIRTE

After completing an engineering apprenticeship with Leyland Trucks and several years in diesel engineering both in the UK and overseas, Alan joined the Road Transport Industry Training Board. He has over 25 years experience in Health and Safety and specialises in Transportation issues. Alan established ISSL in 1996 and was also a Director of Hinton and Higgs.

Dr Anne C Woolridge

Chief Operating Officer

Accreditations: BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, MCIWM, FHEA

Anne is the Chief Operating Officer of Independent Safety Services Limited and is well-known in the field of healthcare waste management, nationally and internationally. She has a wealth of research and practical experience of healthcare waste management and waste treatment processes at all levels. She is a practicing dangerous goods safety advisor and waste consultant as well as advising on waste strategy and policy. When not on client sites Anne is actively involved with a number of national and international strategic committees.

She is a Chartered Waste Manager, a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and recognised by ISWA as an International Waste Manager.

Paul Teasdale

Finance Director

Accreditations: FCA

Paul is a chartered Accountant with over 40 years experience, both in private practice and in the Safety Consultancy business, including 10 years with Hinton & Higgs Ltd before and after its sale to Willis Caroon. Paul has been a Director of Independent Safety Services Limited since its inception in 1996.

Petra Stapp

Senior Environmental Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Accreditations: BA (Hons) MA, LLM, APCIP, PIEMA, ISO14001 Lead Auditor, DGSA

Petra has been in the waste industry since 2004 having worked as a Compliance Manager for a national waste management company, and also as a Regulatory and Policy Advisor. She has experience is legal compliance and has acted in support of operational teams in legal enforcement cases. She is qualified as an investigator and has a wealth of knowledge regarding regulatory processes and as a trainer. She has extensive experience in auditing against compliance requirements including environmental permits and duty of care legislation. She is a qualified ISO 14001:2015 Lead Auditor.

Matthew Smith

Waste and Environmental Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Accreditations: B.Sc (Hons) Geology; M.Sc Integrated Environmental Studies; MCIWM

Matthew has experience in a variety of waste management fields including, but not limited to, thermal treatment of waste, waste regulation and prevention and hazardous and healthcare wastes. He previously worked as technical advisor at CIWM, supporting and providing technical advice to five special interest groups (SIGs) and contributing to the publication of two guidance documents on healthcare waste. He is also an exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser and has worked with some of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK and specialist Universities across England. Matthew is a qualified ISO 14001:2015 Lead Auditor.

Stuart Freeman

Waste Management Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Stuart has over 12 years’ experience working within the NHS, a decade of which involved working in healthcare waste management. During his time in the NHS, Stuart gained experience carrying out waste process audits, using information to identify areas for sustainability and environmental improvement. In addition to this he gained further operational experience developing, implementing and maintaining new procedures and policies and good practice related to healthcare waste disposal. Stuart is an exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.

Naomi Hodge

Waste Management Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Accreditations: BA (Hons) Archaeology and Anthropology, AssocMCIWM, AIEMA

Naomi is an experienced compliance manager with knowledge in specific fields of waste and management systems. She has extensive experience with auditing the tri-systems of ISOs 9001, 14001 and 45001 in relation to waste management operations. She is competent with legal documentation including environmental permits, Waste Carriers licences, Duty of Care documentation and the broader Quality, Health, Safety and Environment fields. She has carried out audits on sites from small non-hazardous operations to hazardous and clinical waste facilities and can support clients with systems and policy design. Naomi is an exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.

David Fehler

Waste Management Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Accreditations: BA (Hons) Politics, Master Of Science In Wastes Management

Dave has over a decade of experience providing waste management services to a range of private and public sector clients. His previous roles have included remits covering management information systems, compliance, operations, innovation and sustainability. He is a trained auditor with experience in environmental management systems (ISO 14001:2015) and integrated management systems. He has experience developing, implementing and reviewing procedures and processes to meet statutory requirements and corporate environmental targets. He is an exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.

Natalie Hutchinson

Waste Management Consultant & Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor

Accreditations: BA (Hons), AIEMA

Natalie has worked within waste management compliance for over five years, working closely with waste producers and waste contractors. She has a detailed understanding of the compliance requirements pertaining to both. Experienced in setting up robust systems for recording keeping and monitoring compliance, in line with external auditing standards. Understands the key legislation that underpin, and is integral to, effective waste management policies. She is an experienced duty of care waste site auditor. As well as a secure grounding in waste and environmental legislation, she has a keen interest in the environmental impacts of waste management, carbon reduction, and drive for sustainable practices and innovations.  Natalie is an exam qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.

Christine Phelan

Office Manager

Christine is our Office Manager who provides help and support to our clients and the in-house team.

Previously, she worked with the Management Team at a Logistics company.  She also worked for EEF Sheffield (now Make UK) for over 19 years as PA for three consecutive Chief Executives.

Lyndsay Jackson

Training Manager

Lyndsay has twenty years of customer service experience working in the training and events industry.

Before joining ISSL she worked for a venue finder providing administrative support to corporate events for a number of years. Prior to that she was the Training and Events Manager at EEF Sheffield (now Make UK) supporting the HSE and HR training delivery teams.