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

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

Post by Mel GT »

Well mine was...........Joining my previous employers nearly 11.5 years ago, employed as a warehouse supervisor but within 2 days was given the role of warehouse spot checks, fire alarm testing and drills.......no experience, just handed too me. From there I ended up organising all fire warden and first aid training and cover, I myself became a fire warden and a first aider and then went on to do a St Johns manual handling course and CIEH level 2 in H&S. The company then had me carrying out Manual handling training but I said I needed more knowledge so managed to get them to put me on the train the trainer course run by Alistair Bromhead.
We had a H&S consultant who was instrumental in persuading my company (along with me) that they needed a dedicated H&S person and I was the person for the job, got them to put me thru my Gen cert in 2009/2010 and then became responsible for all the RA's, DSE assessments and contractor management etc, basically all things health n safety :lol:

Eventually, after bimbling along I got bored as was not allowed to fully carry out the job for one half of the company and moved to my present employer (6 months ago) since then I have done a British safety council DSE risk assessors course, several IOSH workshops, driving safety workshop and have just been booked on the Suzy Lamplugh Personal safety train the trainer course and have finally gotten onto the NEBOSH Health and wellbeing course.

Things are looking well and am being fully supported and all training provided, have definitely fallen on my feet here :D

For me I enjoy the DSE side of things, knowing that small adjustment’s to somebody's work station and set up can make a huge difference, it’s not rocket science but it provides good results.

It was all accidental but I found that I enjoyed it so have been slowly climbing, I am very wary and scared of going for the Diploma tho……….not very will powered or strict enough with myself to do the study outside of a classroom :( but maybe one day
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by YoungNick »

Some great stories here ./thumbsup.. ./thumbsup.

I know a lot of new starters including my self will benefit from reading all your lovely stories pointing out how you managed to get from A to B or should i say maybe H to S :lol:
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by sedasta »

Left school with mediocre qualifications.
Started a welding apprenticeship away from home in digs, “didn’t settle” and left the company.
Began a further 4-year apprenticeship as a vehicle spray painter in a very large service/sales/hire-drive motor vehicle company.
Completed my apprenticeship and moved to a very small company as a fully qualified vehicle spray painter (NVQ 3).
Left the motor trade after approximately 1 year, to work in a factory, initially as an industrial cleaner (making more money than a tradesman in the motor industry)!!! Then, as a process operator (for almost 12 years) working a continental shift pattern on a fast moving continuous manufacturing plant. During this time I joined the trade union and became a Health & Safety representative – gaining the TUC Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety (comparable to NEBOSH NGC).
During a potential redundancy situation I volunteered to leave my process operator position on shift and become a day shift worker concentrating on the plant fire systems; giving me the opportunity to have a better work/life balance and focus more on H&S, albeit with a massive drop in wages! I started on the NEBOSH risk management & fire safety certificate distance learning course.
All through my trade union H&S experience I was a frequent visitor (lurker) on the Health & Safety for beginners’ forum. It was here that I chanced upon a potential H&S job, as an HSE advisor for an oil & gas service provider. I was interviewed and offered the job there an then… WOW!
I was happily toiling away, in my dream company; when I was told I was being given redundancy notice along with the rest of the staff and semi-permanent contract personnel. I was on redundancy notice for almost 1 year! During this time my company paid for my BOISET & MIST training as part of the redundancy package. I applied for and failed many job interviews during this time… eventually interviewing and succeeding for my current HSE Co-ordinator position.
I’ve now passed my NEBOSH Fire Cert. (eventually) and started on the NEBOSH Oil & Gas cert. with the NVQ 5 following soon after. I work for a global leader in seabed-to-surface engineering, construction and services for the oil & gas industry. I’m still doing my dream job; long may it continue!!! 
"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them." - Denis Waitley
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by YoungNick »

Sedasta,

What an absolutely great journey it sounds like you have had!

So many different paths it seems like you have been down and your now on the one you absolutely love!

I have talked to so many members around HSfB and outside of the site when i was also classroom learning the NEBOSH NGC who have also been in similar redundancy situations and they have opted to further their skills and take on NEBOSH and succeed tremendously and now work within a H&S position. It really does show when times are tough, the actual fight in the person comes out on top.

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

Post by racht70 »

I come from a youth and community background then with camerons govt cust lost my job. I went cleaning till i found another job and after three years and countless interviews for housing/youth/community jobs this H&S advisor come up 3 weeks ago....ive no background in H&S whatsoever but im learning and the more i learn the more im hungry to learn. I have just been lucky enough to sercure a free place on the new NCRQ quali thats starting in May waahoo .....so there ya go....my journey into H&S x
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Waterbaby »

racht70 wrote:I come from a youth and community background then with camerons govt cust lost my job. I went cleaning till i found another job and after three years and countless interviews for housing/youth/community jobs this H&S advisor come up 3 weeks ago....ive no background in H&S whatsoever but im learning and the more i learn the more im hungry to learn. I have just been lucky enough to sercure a free place on the new NCRQ quali thats starting in May waahoo .....so there ya go....my journey into H&S x
Very well done and good effort - enjoy clapclap

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

Post by ctjcrm »

Just discovered this thread...my "two pence worth"....(best grab a cuppa to get through this novel.... ;) )

During my school days I decided I wanted to be an Electronic Engineer, to make this happen I studied A-Levels but failed the main ones I needed. I then learned about "modern apprenticeships" and applied for one with an electronics firm. I was accepted so thought I was on my way. 3 years into it (was a 4 year course) I began to grow tired of other peoples ways of taking credit for work I had been doing (and I suppose I had "itchy feet") so I looked around at alternative careers including public services and various military services. Long story short, I joined the Royal Marines and served 11 years from 2001 - 2012.

My life changed a lot during that time and I decided I wanted to move back home to the North East of England and so I began looking at my options - most of my peers who were leaving were going into the private/maritime security sector which, despite the large amounts of money to be earned, didn't appeal to me as one of my reasons for leaving was to settle at home not continue flying all over the world to sit in some dusty/dirty place surrounded by people that didn't want you there.

I spoke to a number of people who said with me being relatively sensible and with at least half a brain, maybe I should look at H&S as an option. So I did, I used my resettlement grants to enrol on a NEBOSH Suite of courses (General, Construction and Fire) and I'm pleased to say I passed them all at the first go, achieving a "distinction" in the General and "credit" in the other two.

Been a long, hard journey since 2012 but I'm finally in a role which suits me and offers the chance of progression and career development.

Cheers for reading!

Craig .salut
he's not a hero... he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector... a Health & Safety dude... :lol:
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Alexis »

Racht and Craig, great stories and well done both of you. clapclap clapclap clapclap .salut .salut
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by ssmith65 »

I was only thinking about this thread the other day and wondering how people start out and how people continue.

Here is mine I have cut and pasted it from a previous thread from young nick.

I`m 35 years old and started way back when a few years ago working for Macdonalds when I was studying. I moved away from home to study Software engineering and when I finished my course I was still working at Macdonalds and I was given a promotion to shift manager. I did this job for a number of years and If I am honest life just passed me by for a while I was happy earning money and I was some what instutionalised by it. I moved to KFC not long after for another promotion but hated every thing about it. I moved back to Macdonalds but I was determined to make a go of it, I was given the job of looking after the health and safety of the store I worked in and I did a really good job of it. I was the best performing manager in my region when it came to mystery shoppers and I had just gotten 93% on a health and safety audit and there was a promotion up for grabs and I really wanted it and had worked hard for it but sadly it was given to someone else. I realised this was probably going to be the story for sometime and I couldnt see myself doing the job long term anymore so I started looking for another job. I actually applied only for 1 job when I started looking and it was as a Deputy Facilities Manager working for the local council. I got an interview and I got the job. It was really the best feeling ever to walk into Macdonalds and tell them I was leaving, looking back I only wish I had done it sooner. I love my job now and its changed a lot over the last few years I no longer work for the local council since we were all part of a big outsourcing project some time back. I started orginally helping to look after a large building but now have a number of properties that I premise manage and everyday at work is different. I work with some fantastic people. I will have been here 5 years next month. I started my NGC recently (6 months or so ago) and have to try and work in learning the material and that was when I happened across this wonderfull site. I just wish I could spend less time on here and more time studying the material!

That was obviously posted 2 years ago now becuase I`m 37 now and still working the same job, passed my NEBOSH with a credit in the end and we are soon due to relocate to a new HQ and so I have been really busy working on the project to migrate everyone over to the new HQ, so much work!.
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by WillPool »

I didnt actually plan to come into Health & Safety.

I was a training instructor within the army and some 4 - 5 years before I left the army (after 23 years) I wondered what I wold do when I got out. .scratch

I realised that as an instructor I had some qualifications that could be transferable to the civilian sector.

I booked myself onto and passed a first aid at work instructors course. Rather than just have the qualification (and not use it whilst in the army) I started working part time training first aid, which I really enjoyed. The company I worked for also sent me on a course to teach food hygiene and safety. I continued to do this for a few year and renewed my instructors cert but I still had well over a year left in the army. The company asked could I teach H&S but at the time I had no real interest or understanding of H&S and when I explained this to my part time boss, she said well why dont you do the Gen Cert?

I subsequently went onto the course and a week in nearly gave up as I couldnt get my head round it all. Eventually though it kicked in and I passed with credit. I then started teaching level 1 & 2 CIEH H&S Courses.

I updated my CV posted it onto Monster and I got a few calls asking would I like an interview for a construction Safety Advisors position. Not knowing a lot about this I then attended the NCC conversion course to add it to the CV.

It seemed a natural progression to do the NEBOSH Diploma for my resettlement and off on that journey I went. Whilst doing this I had to attend interviews and workshops for my transition into civilian life. they teach you how to write a CV, how to behave on interviews etc etc. I applied for 5 jobs, was interviewed for 3 and was offered 2 from 3 and chose the one which seemed to suit me better. My first job was a Regional H&S Manager for a large M&E Construction & Servicing Company.

The rest, as they say is history. I have worked all round the world (Iraq, Dubai, Saudi, Vietnam, Thailand, Ethiopia) in the last 10 years and have managed to gain many other qualifications on the way and am proud to say achieved Fellow Status within IIRSM.

Will .salut
It is better to be careful 100 times than to get killed once.
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Re: Your journey into health and safety (sticky) (idea) (sha

Post by Maz0906 »

Ive just come across this and thought I would add my journey....

Well, like Willpool I never intended to forge a career in Health & Safety. I left school, spent years working as a PA/secretary/administrator in the offshore business, concrete, double glazing and healthcare. As you do, I went off and had two lovely children then went back to work in the NHS as an administrator. I have worked my way, all down to restructuring and having to reapply for jobs after being "put at risk" from an administrator in commissioing to Patient Safety Officer for provider services to Patient Safety Advisor in community healthcare and now to Health & Safety Facilitator for the past 4 years in a large NHS Acute Trust. I am about to move to a Health & Safety Advisors role with a neighbouring Trust.

I realised during my patient safety roles I had a bit of an eye for risk, investigation, training etc. so thought I would do the IOSH Managing Safely Course with no intention of carrying on - mmm but wait, I did rather well so thought lets do the NEBOSH certificate.... distinction later and new job in health & safety my urge to undertake the diploma got the better of me and here I am! My next step would be consultancy or to work in a major london hospital. I guess healthcare is safe for me, its what I know. I do however like the look of something in major industry.

I love this job, I love the challenge, no two days are the same, I love the engagement with people and their enthusiasm to get it right. Doesnt work all of the time, there are those that think we are the fun police etc but with a bit of promotion and making people aware just how they could be affected that view can be turned around.

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

Post by Ruggers »

I am now 25 years old and my story goes like....................
I left secondary school with reasonable grades but still unsure what career path I was going to take. I ended up enrolling on a 3 year Electrical Engineers course at college just because i still didn't know what to do and they had free spaces :lol: . Towards the end of my 2nd year on the course, I was offered an apprenticeship with a one man band electrical installation company. I took the job but had to transfer over to the electrical installation course at college. Luckily they let me join the 3rd year of a electrical installation course rather than having to start my 3 years again. I completed the course passing with decent grades but then unfortunately I got laid off 2 years into my apprenticeship.
I went on to work in various jobs including UPVC, hose installation and making head sets for the army. None of these seemed to be for me but i didn't know where to go next.
I then received a phone call from a friend of a friend who explained that they were looking to set on a H+S trainee and would i be interested. I was trying not to sound too excited over the phone and couldn't wait to say yes but he said to me think about it over the weekend and come back to me on Monday. It was one of those where it took me all of 5 seconds to decide i wanted the job after putting the phone down. As soon as 8 o'clock turned on Monday morning, I rang the guy and said I would like to accept the job. He stuck to his word and officially offered me the job and told me to hand in my notice at my previous employer.
I have since gone on to complete my NEBOSH Construction, become a registered CDMC and become a member of APS. Project wise, I have carried out the CDMC and H+S role on various projects throughout the last 3 years of my H+S career. I have traveled to different countries carrying out my H+S role including Norway, Batam, Singapore, Dubai. I have recently carried out my first project as assistant project supervisor on the installation of a biomethane project.

Thanks for reading.

Joe
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