Meet Laurie Glossop

Laurie brings extensive science qualifications to his work, including a B.Sc with 1st Class Honours and a PhD in Physical Chemistry, and he is also a Certified Occupational Hygienist with the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH).

He is also an AIOH Fellow and awarded the highly regarded Pam de Silva Medal. Laurie has been in the occupational hygiene field for 44 years (yes, he is old) and, over that time, has assessed just about every occupational health hazard (physical, chemical and biological) in the workplace, as well as public health and environmental health in regard to asbestos. He began his career with the Western Australian Government as an occupational hygienist, at a time when there were very few in the field, working in an advisory role to industry and government. That position later evolved into a regulatory role with what is now known as WorkSafe WA. During this time, he managed a team of occupational hygienists and assisted in the development of regulations for hazardous substances and noise as well as several NOHSC and Safe Work Australia Committees.

Laurie has been around long enough that when he started working, asbestos was still being used to make many products, and assessments were about people using asbestos, not removing it.

Since the year 2001 he has been a consultant in occupational hygiene for many industry groups, but predominantly for mining in recent years. His consultancy work typically relates to asbestos and other fibrous minerals as well as respirable crystalline silica. Laurie drafted the earlier NOHSC national Codes of Practice for asbestos (Safe Removal of Asbestos 2nd Edition [NOHSC:2002(2005)] and Management and Control of Asbestos in Workplaces) [NOHSC: 2018 (2005)] and also chaired the review of the Guidance Note on the Membrane Filter Method for estimating Airborne Asbestos Fibres 2nd Edition [NOHSC:3003(2005)]. He co-authored a review of the measurement of respirable crystalline silica for Safe Work Australia.

Laurie has presented at many AIOH Conferences as well as other professional associations on asbestos over the years, and has also undertaken many other interesting assessments, including the “Ventilation Risk Assessment for People Working at Quarantine Hotels and the Potential for SARS-CoV-2 Virus Transmission" (concluded that SARS was transmitted by airborne exposure many months before WHO agreed and came to this conclusion which was very controversial). After the hotels, he assessed all the prisons in Western Australia as well as the tertiary hospitals in Perth in terms of ventilation and controls for SARS (known as COVID). He is currently in high demand through his work at Glossop Consultancy and in managing his beloved Gelair, a business he is extremely passionate about.

Laurie is a devoted family man who enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons and is the proud grandfather of his two lovely granddaughters.

He is also much loved by his granddaughter’s pet guinea pigs, who occupy what seems to be an entire wing of the house.

When Laurie finds a spare moment, he enjoys taking his ‘vintage’ boat out for a spin and heading to the football to cheer on his beloved team - Go Eagles!

Laurie has been trying to retire, for some time, but so far, retirement has proved elusive.