Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group has appointed Dr. Y. Ian Noy as vice president and director of its Research Institute for Safety. He succeeds Dr. Tom Leamon, the Institute’s director since 1991, who will retire in late 2006. Liberty Mutual says its Research Institute is recognized throughout the world for its contributions to the prevention of workplace injuries and to the control of work-related disability.
“Under Tom Leamon’s leadership, the Research Institute has grown significantly in size, reputation and reach,” said Edmund F. Kelly, Liberty Mutual Group chairman, president & CEO. “Through alliances and conferences focused on work place safety, particularly in China and Vietnam, Tom has enhanced Liberty’s reputation worldwide. With Ian Noy’s extensive research and development experience, I am confident that the Research Institute will continue to build upon its 50 year legacy of workplace safety contributions.”
Built in 1954 on the site of a farm in Hopkinton, MA, the original 1,000-sq-ft Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has grown to be a state-of-the-art 91,000-sq-ft enterprise that is the only occupational health and safety research facility owned and operated by an insurance company, said the firm. At any given time, there are approximately 70 research projects underway in the Research Institute’s 11 laboratories.
Over his 15-year tenure, Leamon has overseen two major Research Institute reconstructions, the publication of nearly 400 peer-reviewed, scientific publications and a restructuring that formed two separate research entities – the Center for Safety Research and the Center for Disability Research. He significantly expanded the scope of research, initiated the Visiting Scholar Program and established research alliances with universities and institutions around the world like Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Harvard University, the British Health & Safety Laboratory and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
"The Institute is a one-of-a-kind, uniquely rewarding place to work,” said Tom Leamon. “The work we do to identify, understand and reduce the effects of occupational risk factors on workers is extremely satisfying. And I have always taken great pride in Liberty Mutual’s commitment to share our results with anyone in the world, including our competitors. The past 15 years have been an exciting chapter in my career.”
Noy has over 30 years of experience in ergonomics, human factors and motor vehicle safety. He most recently served as director of Standards Research and Development in Transport Canada’s Road Safety Directorate. Noy earned his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in Industrial Engineering and Human Factors, is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Canadian Professional Engineer. Noy’s applied research experience spans applications of human performance and operating systems in the air, on the ground and underwater, including military research and development. He has published over 100 scientific and technical reports, and conference and journal articles.
“Many people throughout the world today enjoy safer workplaces, safer roads and safer lives because of the work conducted at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute,” said Noy. “I look forward to working with the research team as we build upon this success and advance our knowledge of injury prevention and successful return to work strategies.”
