Trainers

Andria O’Donovan

Andria O' Donovan is the founder & director of Safety First Training. Andria qualified from Trinity College Dublin as a Chartered Physiotherapist. She gained considerable experience working in Ireland and the UK both in the hospital setting and in private practice. In 1995 she completed an instructor’s course in manual handling and patient handling with the National Ambulance Training School before going on to complete a diploma in Health & Safety in UCD in 1997. Andria also holds a certificate in training and development from the Irish Institute of training and development. Andria is a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, of Back Exchange in the UK and of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Breda Shankla

Breda is the training manager for Safety First. She is a registered nurse with over 30 years experience working in the in the UK and Ireland. She has worked extensively in community hospitals and set up and managed her own nursing home for 10 years. Breda took her first manual handling course in 1986 while still in the UK. On her return to Ireland in 2003, she completed an instructor’s course in patient handling & manual handling with Safety First Training and has been actively teaching since then. Breda also teaches occupational first aid and CPR AED.

Maureen Corr

Maureen qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1988 at University College Hospital Galway.  She specialised in the area of Neurology and Neurosurgery for 5 years in London, and spent the following 5 years working in the area of Critical Care in the U.K and Scotland.  She left the hospital environment in 2005 and spent one year working for a Residential Home for adults with disability. She completed an instructors course in manual handling & patient handling with Safety First Training in 2005 and has been working part time with Safety First Training since. She currently works for the Jack and Jill Foundation in the community, and is in her fourth year studying for a BSc in Psychology.

Deirdre Dooley 

Deirdre Dooley qualified as a Physiotherapist from the UCD School of  Physiotherapy in 2000. She specialised in the field of musculoskeletal physiotherapy and works in private practice in Kilkenny and Offaly. Her interest in occupational health began while working in the UK. She was contracted to work in various companies in the northeast, providing a reactive and proactive service as part of the occupational health department. On her return to Ireland three years ago she came in contact with Safety First Training and completed an instructor course in manual handling & patient handling with them. Deirdre has been training with Safety Training First on a part time basis since then. 

Margo Kelly 

 Margo Kelly is a general nurse by profession, with extensive experience in both acute and community settings. She  developed a keen interest in manual handling whilst working as a ward manager in a care of the elderly hospital, where she became acutely aware of the difficulties and risks associated with the moving and handling of people.

 Margo trained as a manual handling and patient handling instructor in 1999. In 2001 she took up the position as full  time manual handling advisor for the HSE West. Her role involves the development and delivery of manual handling training programmes to various groups of health care professionals. Central to this is the promotion of safe practises at floor level; by the facilitation of onsite workshops, the promotion and development of equipment and the adoption of safe systems of work i.e. risk assessment.

Margo completed an Action Learning Management Development Programme, with Brighton University in 2000; a diploma in Patient Moving & Handling with Northumbria University in 2002; a higher diploma in training and management with NUI Galway in 2005; and an MA in training and management with NUI Galway in 2007.

She has worked with Safety First Training on a part-time basics since 2003.

Patricia Kenny                             

Patricia Kenny has been a manual handling instructor since 2000. She has a diploma in occupational safety health and welfare from UCD, a diploma in professional studies and is a registered general and psychiatric nurse. She is employed by the Health & Safety Department of the HSE- South. Her main focus is on manual handling and patient training, risk assessments & onsite supervision and problem solving..

Deirdre Menton

Deirdre Menton qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 1978.  She trained as a manual handler 11 years ago and worked for a number of years as the sole trainer in a private Hospital. She took time out to raise her family. Last year, she retrained and qualified as a manual handling and patient handling with Safety First Training and has been working with Safety First Training on a part time basis since then. She also works part-time as a Physiotherapist, and as a manual handling trainer in the Vincents Private Hospital.

Breda Murray

Breda Murray is a Registered General Nurse.  She has a Diploma in Health & Safety from University College Dublin.  She has worked extensively in manual handling risk assessment and manual handling problem solving, particularly in the healthcare setting as a manual handling advisor. She has extensive experience in manual and patient handling, both at operative and instructor levels. Breda has been working part time with Safety First Training for the past three years.

Shannon Ward

Shannon Qualified as a Physiotherpist in California in 1993. She worked for three years in Scotland as a personal trainer before working in private practice treating people with chronic pain. Shannon moved to Ireland in 2000 and worked full time as a Physiotherapist in the Cheshire Home foundation for four and a half years. Shannon completed a manual handling & patient handling instructor course with Safety First Training in 2002 and has been provided training for the foundation Nationwide since then. Shannon has been training with Safety First Training on a part time basis for the past four years.