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Posted By anna salamone
As a new comer to the h & s industry I am finding myself at a cross roads unsure of the right road to take. Therefore I thought I might ask some more experienced practioners their advice.
Which route is best for a newcomer with post graduate qualifactions but little experence, joining a consultancy as an associate or a company full time and working within a health and safety team?
Any feedback will be gratefully accepted.
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Posted By Craig Lydiate
Anna
My response here is clearly tainted by my own career, but I would say to anyone in your position, every time, join a consultancy!
The reasons are:
1. Much better pay
2. Challenging environment (never gets boring)
3. Better career options
4. Higher sense of value (for you and clients)
5. More interesting career, you learn more across a totally diverse spectrum
6. You can make a difference (clients listen to what they pay for. you can say the same thing the poor beleagured safety manager has been saying for years with no success, you will get listended to)
OK, will get off bandwagon now!
Craig
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Posted By Tom Clark
Consultants might get listened to, but it doesn't mean the client will do it!
In the real world grasping the job and seeing it through and keeping on top of it gives greater satisfaction. You have to live with the consequences of your actions so you get it right.
Anybody can walk in tell that's wrong and walk away, then wait forever to get paid.
My view after being on both fields.
Tom
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Posted By Peter Hamilton
Have you thought about joining the HSE?? Many have and found it an excellent way to get that essential first foot on the ladder. If you are successfull, the support and training will be second to none. (and no I am not an HSE employee!)
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Posted By Tony Birchall
I found that organisations will listen and act on advice.
Craig's right. In an advisory role it's up to the persons in charge to act on your advice. You can only state what the law says.
Problem is with consultancy, too many people claim to be consultants and they don't even have RSP status or PI cover!
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Posted By David J.
Hi, I didn’t join anything. But was what my employer called “re-deployed" into the H&S post in a LA social work dep’t 3500 employees huge range of services geographically spread out. No background no experience. told to do the nebosh cert ASAP then a 2-year p/time H&S diploma course and basically get on with it.. Oh no real support and no H&S structure, culture etc. etc. Hit the ground sprinting not running.
Don’t recommend it as I know work as part of a team of 3 much easier and less stressful. but on other hand I had a fast learning curve including locking swords with the HSE. Point..you pays your money you take your chance.. advice get into an H&S post ASAP and learn as much as you can..don’t be afraid to make mistakes.. you need a sense of humour..a hard forehead and a dogged approach.. and of course you don’t have a life style that requires a high salary
Good luck.
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Posted By steve e ashton
Anna,
Personally, I believe any newcomer into the profession should begin by gaining experience within one organisation, where there is a team of people working on similar problems. Learn from them, gain some understanding of how your specialism fits into the world of work, and how people react to your interventions. ''Dabble" a bit in different bits of the job and develop your career by moving to other organisations with different cultures / risk profiles, and keep learning all the time.
You may decide to become a generalist or may find a particular area that suits you as a specialist - people working in H&S are not all the same, and when you're starting out you probably won't have a clear view of where in the continuum you may fit. Working as a consultant does not give much if any opportunity to develop a 'specialism'.
And then - if you are sure you are ready for it.... try consultancy.
This career course has worked reasonably well for me, although there have been some lows along the way - they have made me stronger and more aware of the potential problems facing a professional in this field.
Consultants are supposed to be experts. See the many previous comments in threads on these forums regarding the lack of expertise (more commonly called competence) occasionally evident from some who are making their living as consultants. If the consultancy is large enough and professional enough, there may be career development opportunities - but there is a world of difference between this and setting up as a 'consultant' without the necessary ongoing support and supervision.
I had problems enough with inexperienced inspectors (HSE/EHO and LA Fire Services at different times) despite their excellent record in training and support for new staff. The HSE route into the profession is one that many have used - my current boss for one. It can work very successfully (he's a good example - grovel grovel fawn fawn) but it can also create authoritarian monsters who know the regs but with little understanding of the solutions (or even the need for solutions) to the problems they are identifying.
Bit of a ramble, this is a very personal response. Hope it helps a little.
Steve
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