A COUNCIL worker from Worcestershire has scooped the first ever health and safety award in memory of a 17-year-old boy who was killed at work.

Jane McCann has picked up the Daniel Dennis Award for Health and Safety from the GMB Union.

Mrs McCann is a family contact worker with Worcestershire County Council's children's services and has been a GMB safety representative since October 2005. She said: "I was extremely amazed to have been selected because I have only being doing this for a very short time."

Daniel Dennis, a GMB member from south west Wales, died after falling from a roof during his first week at work in April 2003.

The GMB is pursuing prosecution of his employer. His mother and father dedicated the award in his memory.

Mrs McCann was presented with the silver badge award at the GMB congress in Brighton in recognition of her outstanding health and safety work for the union. Since being a GMB safety representative Mrs McCann, a mother-of-two, has negotiated and worked with senior council safety officers reviewing all their risk assessments, put together a working party to promote new health and safety representatives in schools and has set up a GMB website on the council's intranet. Joe Morgan, GMB regional secretary, said: "This is a tremendous achievement considering the relatively short amount of time she has been carrying out her duties."

Mr Morgan said Mrs McCann had also been elected as the joint union secretary for the corporate health and safety group and had increased the GMB's presence on the corporate safety committee.