Posted By Robert Morton Hi, Health and Safety job adverts generally require two or three prerequisites: NEBOSH or similar qualification Experience Membership of body such as IOSH I’ve recently been made redundant after 21 years in IT. I’ve decided on a career change so I used some of the redundancy money to pay for training and to take exams for the NEBOSH National General Certificate, as a block course at WATA (West Anglia Training Association). The results are expected in early July 2008 and the tutors expect everybody in my group to pass. Hopefully in July I will have found that I have passed the NGC. I have joined IOSH as an affiliate member. What I need now is experience. How much experience would I need to be an assistant Health and Safety Officer and how much experience would I need to be a (possibly sole) Health and Safety Officer in a medium sized company? I would try and get a job as an assistant Health and Safety Officer, what duties would I expect to have to carry out? This is my first post so apologies for any forum faux pas. Regards, Robert.

Posted By Chris Jerman Robert, good to have you on board, welcome and fingers crossed for your results. I suspect that there really is no simple answer to this; I have over 20 years in the field and there are always new challenges. But of course I understand that you limited your question with a caveat. Entry at the ground floor as it were. Experience does count for a great deal, but let's not lose sight of your 20 years experience in being an employee elsewhere. Being a safety 'person' is not just about knowing the safety stuff, it's about being a mediator, manager, one man pressure group, friend to all sides etc etc. Things that don't come from ANY safety qualification or course. Safety, in reality, is nine tenths management - oh and personality too. OK, now all I have to do is tell your prospective employers this and you're home and dry. What I'm trying to say is that there are many employers out there who don't actually want a safety advisor, but know that they need one. So it can be a fairly begrudging appointment at times. So imagine if they can get the compliance view that they 'need' but get a great person who's part of the team (and a whizz with IT to boot) well.. Never sell yourself short, but don't over egg the pudding either. The worst sin that a safety pro can commit is knowingly to stray out of their depth. Guidance to be followed and advice to be considered must be clearly drawn out to the recipient. One route would be to try and take a position with a consultancy. The fact is that they know that they pay to grow you and then you leave so the pay can be poor. You could stick with IT and find a company with a good safety practitioner that will help you to grow - on the side. Gaining a well rounded portfolio is important. Seeing manufacturing, leisure, enforcement, education etc is really important or you end up being a one trick pony and frankly a bore. "Well when I worked in XXX" I would urge you to self educate too whilst you are on the hunt. NEBOSH etc is all very well, but I see it as a signpost in your career. Where do you want to go now that you've read the menu as it were. As I think you understand, NGC doesn't make you a safety advisor in the round. Please get hold of a copy of the Robens report and get into the mind of the Guy that set us on this course. There are too many people out there who simply quote the law out of context with no understanding of the spirit and original intent. This in part has been the reason as to why Safety and Health (not health and safety you'll notice) has such a bad wrap. I said it was not straight forward. But the short answer now that you've read all of that is How much experience necessary - I don't know what field are you talking about? Local gov, nuclear power production, Policing? See the problem? I'm always happy to talk to new 'recruits' and can always spare time for someone who is genuinely keen. I'll leave it with you. Regards Chris Jerman Safety Manager (UK operations) John Lewis and Corporate