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Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (share)

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Extankman
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Extankman »

Here goes all, pull up a sandbag

During my school time I wanted to be a forensic pathologist (Creepy right) so my GCSE's were ok and i went back to 6th form to do the BTEC national science. 6 months in to a 2 year course I got a little bored of going over the same stuff I had been doing at GCSE level, I was having football trials with a very poor Wigan side too at the time, so I looked around at various other jobs and ended up on a NVQ in Marine electrical engineering. It was during this time working on the historic warships in Birkenhead that I got chatting to an ex RM/SBS guy who was as mad as a box of frogs (always wore beruda shorts, even in winter on the docks) who used to tell some of his wonderful stories of time in the Navy. Non of this made me want to join by the way, but as luck would have it, one day I was shopping in Liverpool and the train station was across the road from the recruiting office, I was intrigued so in I went, some guy sat me in the office and put a video on of some tanks blowing stuff up and the rest they say is history, that was me clad in black coveralls and blowing stuff up for 17 years.

I was burned out after 11 years so got out for a while and did some bits and bobs like private security, door work and some site labouring and it was whilst I was hoovering puddles on a building site in Selby I thought hmmm H&S seems like a good idea, anyways the company got a new labour manager in who promptly fired anyone on more than 12£ an hour (which was me cos i had FA and JCB tickets) and i ended up on the dole, and low and behold a quick phone call and BANG! I'm blowing stuff up again in a big metal can.

6 years later and the redundancies start kicking off, and because i was a rejoiner i wan't exactly top of the pile for promotion any more (I had 8-10 years on my peer group) so I was going nowhere fast I decided it would be better to just bite the bullet and get out with a few bob and retrain.

I knew I was going to do H&S this time around as last time i didn't take any resettlement i just left. So I used my resettlement grants to enrol on a NEBOSH Suite of courses, probably the same course as CTJCRM, probably at the same venue with the same tutor and passed them all with flying colours. I then spent 7 months trying to break in to the industry with little to no experience and it was solid, i'm not going to lie, i didn't get one call back from at least 350+ applications over that time period and thought i was back to square one, the money i had put aside as savings had been chewed through keeping the family going (should have got any old job....hindsight) until i got a call from an agency saying she had seen my CV online and would i attend an interview for a H&S consultant.....I know right....no experience....Wrong! I attended the interview with my current company on the Weds afternoon and the agency lady called me the very next morning to offer me the job (she said they called her as soon as i left to give it to me) :o

And that is where I have been since March last year, I still don't consider myself to be a full blown H&S Consultant Per se as I am still learning stuff myself every single day I am out and about, but I am doing my Diploma (failed unit A in Jan) ../. but taking unit A and B in July as sometimes you just gotta leap.

Anyways thats me, hope you haven't got a numb bum from the sandbag!

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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by ctjcrm »

Extankman wrote:who used to tell some of his wonderful stories of time in the Navy
- OUCH, we don't all sit on board ships and work with matelots.... :lol:
Extankman wrote:probably the same course as CTJCRM, probably at the same venue with the same tutor and passed them all with flying colours.
Potentially - PM coming your way.....
he's not a hero... he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector... a Health & Safety dude... :lol:
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Extankman
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Extankman »

ctjcrm wrote:
Extankman wrote:who used to tell some of his wonderful stories of time in the Navy
- OUCH, we don't all sit on board ships and work with matelots.... :lol:

I knew that was coming :) my next door neighbour is a bootie and it gets a similar reaction
Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by YoungNick »

Maz, Ruggers, Extankman and the rest.... :lol:

Some brilliant stories you have told, its astonishing to hear how low certain times in life have been but you have not let that stand in the way of progressing and finding the path which is right for you.

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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by sharprc »

As I'm only a young 'un, my journey is pretty short...

I started life at Military College in Leicestershire, where I went on to University as an Officer Cadet... Decided to leave as the SDSR was kicking in and my branch was closing up and they were making redundancies.

Got a job as an EHS Apprentice with a certain multinational conglomerate and did my NEBOSH NGC. Did 2 years there and learnt a great deal from a great number of inspirational people, however I decided it was time to move on.

Did 6 months at a Welding company as HSE Manager but after trying to change culture, decided that I was grating on the Leadership Team so moved on to my current position as a Regional HSSE bod.

Currently living the (Aber)dream and pushing myself further than ever before...

Rob
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Moonmonkey »

Are we sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin

I started off as a GMB shop steward and safety officer at the tender age of 23. After a couple of years I decided to drop the shop steward part send carry on as just a safety rep.

I then changed jobs and went to work for DSG where I used my learnt skills to help out the companies safety officer (this included baby sitting the HSE on an investigation as he was to busy to turn up). Whilst working there I sat my IOSH managing safely and NEBOSH General certificate.

I then moved into the construction/manufacturing industry as a full tine HSE officer making ang constructing the concrete flooring for the Olympic Games for London 2012. Unfortunately the site was closed after 10 months and everyone was made redundant.

I then started at a well drilling/dewatering company and couldn't wait to leave as they didn't believe in h&s and I was only there to tick a box. So I left there after 7 months yay.

I then went to work at a pet crematorium which is a strange place to practice health and safety and oh yes there's lots of stories I could tell. Unfortunately the dreaded redundancy got me again.

Which leads me on to now. I currently work for a major research company in welding and joining, I've been there nearly 4 years now and have been promoted a couple of times to the dizzy heights of UK health and safety team leader.

What next? Who knows maybe I'll set out on my own or I might even move into another industry entirely. I could even stay where I am depending on how my current employer decides to progress me. I have already passed NEBOSH Fire and have just started nvq 5.
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