Prof Tim Marsh, then at UMIST, was one of the team leaders of the original UK research into behavioural safety (in construction) in the early 1990s, is one of only a few Chartered Psychologists who are also Chartered Fellows of IOSH. He is considered a world authority on the subject of behavioural safety, safety leadership and organisational culture, was awarded a “President’s Commendation” in 2008 by the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and was selected to be their first ever ‘Specialist Fellow’ in 2010. The British Occupational Hygiene Society asked him to give the key note opening ‘Warner Lecture’ at their annual international conference in 2013. In 2014 he gave a key note to the Faculty of Medicine and gave the closing key note at the inaugural Campbell Institute ‘International Thought Leaders’ conference. He gave the opening key note address at Safeguard New Zealand (May 16) and was key note at the inaugural NEBOSH Alumni event. Key note address at first ever Nebosh Alumni event (2016).
Founder of Ryder Marsh Safety he has worked with more than 500 major organisations around the world, including many international oil and gas, utility, chemical, transport and manufacturing organisations as well as the European Space Agency, the BBC, the National Theatre and Sky. Many clients have won both open and in-house awards. He was an expert witness at the “Safety Culture” and “Management of Change” expert forums at the Cullen Inquiry (Ladbroke Grove). As a continuation of the UMIST/HSE research he founded and ran Europe’s largest behavioural safety event for fifteen years from 1997 until 2012 (when it was handed over to LexisNexis via RoSPA).
Made visiting professor at Plymouth University in 2015. Formed Anker & Marsh with Jason Anker in 2018.
He ran the “Behavioural Safety” and “Pro-Active Safety Culture” courses for IOSH and created the award winning “Affective Safety Management” concept for the IIRSM. He has written several of Europe’s best-selling safety and health book including “Talking Safety”, “Total Safety Culture”, “Safety Savvy” and ‘Talking Health and Safety’ and “A Definitive Guide to Behavioural Safety”. A collection of his articles ‘Marsh’s Musings’ was published in 2025 by the British Safety Council to raise money for mental health charities.
Previously a visiting lecturer at Manchester University and Loughborough University and Chair of Safer Highways 2017-19.
He has chaired more than a two dozen conferences on Behavioural Safety in the UK and has given key note speeches at major conferences in places such as Dubai, South Africa, Malaysia, USA, New Zealand and India. He has run workshops for the European Conference Board several times – initially on Behavioural Safety, more recently on Mental Health and Safety. He has published dozens of learned articles for magazines such as the ‘Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP)’, ‘Health and Safety at Work’, Safety Management’, ‘Construction Safety’, ‘Safety International’, The Ergonomist’, ‘Exposure’ (BOHS) ‘India Safe’ and Safeguard’ (New Zealand).
The SHP (now IOSH) magazine is the house magazine of one of the world’s largest safety organisations (IOSH). Four times a year they publish a prestigious ‘CPD’ article and (when researching Total Safety Culture) Tim had 5 articles selected as the CPD article in a two-year period. This run helped cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s leading thought leaders in safety.
He frequently works as an expert witness in legal cases where Human Factors is central and has worked with media such as the BBC (radio work and selecting and fronting a box set of their “disaster” series) and has written and produced many safety training videos such as “Drive Smarter” and the extensive “Safety Leadership” series with Baker-media as well as such as “There’s Always a Reason” (for Human Focus) and “Safety Watch” (for Outtakes). He also produced and directed the ‘Crash Course’ DVD (a commercial spin off of the Staffordshire Police speed and safe driving awareness course).