Are you considering a career in the field of health and safety or becoming a health and safety officer? This noble profession is very high in demand throughout the country, as health and safety is an essential concern for all workplaces. Working in the field of health and safety will be an exciting, challenging, hands-on job that will really make a difference.
What is a Health and Safety Professional Responsible for?
A health and safety professional is responsible for monitoring the compliance of the company with the rules and regulations of health and safety law. Their job is to examine all workplace practices, procedures, environments and policies to ensure that everything is being done as safely as possible. They are also responsible for educating employees on health and safety matters and ensuring that everyone in the workplace is trained and informed on the correct procedures. Also, a health and safety professional will sometimes be responsible for enforcing compliance if a company has been found guilty of breaching health and safety rules.
If this is the career path you are considering, here are some tips that will help you toward success, from studying NEBOSH past papers to preparing for a job interview.
Tips for Aspiring Health and Safety Professionals
Here are some valuable tips that will come in handy if you plan to pursue a career in health and safety:
- Consider which sector you would like to work in and then focus your attention there. For example, you could work in a field such as construction for a private company or you would work for a larger government agency.
- Don’t just memorise the facts. Sometimes health and safety officers get too worried about the rules and regulations of the workplace and forget about their practical application. You must be able to consider the human side of health and safety as well.
- When you are taking your NEBOSH course, there will be an exam at the end to verify that you know the subject matter. You can use past papers from previous years to study so that you get a feel for what the exam is like.
- When you are being interviewed for health and safety jobs, you will often be taken through many test scenarios and asked how you would respond. You can prepare for this by analysing a few example scenarios before your interview begins.
If you are applying for a job in a particular type of workplace or industry, take some time to research in advance and find out about the specific technology and equipment used within that workplace so that you can be aware of any particular health and safety risks.
These are just a few tips to keep in mind when working toward a career in the field of health and safety.
Health and Safety Courses for Supervisors & Managers
- NVQ Health and Safety
- NVQ Level 3 in Occupational Health and Safety
- NVQ Level 6 in Occupational Health and Safety
- IOSH Managing Safely
- NEBOSH Award in Health & Safety at Work
- NEBOSH International General Certificate
- NEBOSH Oil & Gas Certificate
- NEBOSH Construction Certificate
- NEBOSH Fire Certificate
- NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
- NEBOSH National Diploma
- NEBOSH International Diploma
- NEBOSH Working with Wellbeing
- NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
- NEBOSH HSE in the Process Industries
- NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Process Safety Management
- SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
- SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme