Covanta announced it has appointed Charles E. Clarke to the role of vice president of safety and health. He comes to Covanta from Air Liquide, based in Houston, where he was a corporate safety and industrial hygiene manager.

At Covanta, Clarke is tasked with setting the direction and driving continuous improvement of the company’s safety and health programs, identifying leading and lagging indicators for new and existing operations, construction and capital projects. He reports to Michael J. de Castro, Covanta’s executive vice president of supply chain.

“We are very pleased to be adding a leader like Chuck to our team,” said de Castro in a statement. “At Covanta, safety is not simply programs or metrics—it’s our number one priority. Our goal is to achieve world-class safety and health performance through disciplined continuous improvement, safety leadership at all levels, full employee engagement and an established world-class safety culture. I’m confident that with Chuck’s experience and leadership, we will get there.”

Clarke brings with him more than 25 years of safety, health and environmental experience. In addition to Air Liquide, he has held various senior-level positions with Ascend Performance Materials, Rhone-Poulenc/Aventis and others, where he managed global teams.

Clarke has a bachelor’s degree in science from Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (formerly Cook College), a juris doctorate degree from West Virginia University College of Law and a master’s degree in industrial hygiene from the University of Michigan.