Q & A - February 2009
February 1st 2009 “I am a plant engineer at a medium sized manufacturer and have taken on some responsibility for the health and safety of my team over the past two years. Apart from knowing how to operate machinery safely and taking a basic First Aid course, I have no real health and safety experience but I have decided I would like to follow a career in this field. I would like to continue to work in manufacturing.How should I go about this?”
The first piece of advice I would give you would be to seek out formal training. You already have some onthe- job experience but to further your competency in health and safety and to enhance your confidence in the role, you need qualifications.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely is a basic qualification in safety and health for managers and supervisors and would be a good place to start. Run over four days, the course includes a practical assessment. A version of this course is also available online.
Another excellent starting point would be the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, which is aimed at managers with H&S responsibility. It can be classroom-based, or undertaken by distance learning or e-learning. It normally takes between three months to a year of study depending on the time you have available to obtain the qualification but it is possible to get it in two or three weeks if you already have some health and safety experience.
The British Safety Council offers NVQ level 3 and 4 qualifications that offer a flexible timetable of up to two years to achieve. If getting formal qualifications does not appeal to you, you could consider mentoring, hiring a contractor or consultant to assist you, perhaps for one day per week or month. Many flexible schemes are available.
Finally you could consider continuing professional development (CPD) seminars in specific areas such as risk assessment, manual handling, ergonomics, accident investigation, hazardous substances, or fire safety. If relevant to your job, you could also consider environmental management courses.
Training would enhance your job prospects and add a new dimension to your career. Health, safety and environment considerations are relevant to any future career move or to development in your existing role.
In choosing the type of qualification to aim for, you need to ask yourself if you would prefer private study at home, physically attending courses or seminars, or external help from a consultant or mentor. Decide whether a practical or a theoretical course would suit you better. Do you want to end up with a recognised qualification? If you are already a graduate, you could consider a university Diploma or higher degree such as MA, MSc or PhD.
Funding for training may be available from your employer through the government’s Train to Gain scheme or through the Learning and Skills Council. Or your organisation may wish to sponsor you.
As well as obtaining training, it is important to highlight your strengths. You do have health and safety supervisory experience over the past two years. This, coupled with hands-on experience in manufacturing engineering, will be attractive to potential employers.
Important aspects of health and safety are competence and achieving employers’ ‘buy in’, so I would recommend trying to persuade your current employer to sponsor health and safety training. Employees working in a safer manner and environment are less likely to have an accident, in turn saving the company time and money. Accidents can stop production, involve spells off work or lead to prosecution.
You could also discuss the possibility of moving into a dedicated health and safety role. This experience would put you in a stronger position if it came to looking for a new role.
Finally, to get the best chance of securing a new role, it is essential to make employers aware of your continuing professional development and any future training plans.
Frances Davies is from health and safety recruitment specialist Principal People www.principalpeople.co.uk More articles from Health & Safety Matters: | 
