Posted By leerob I have no H&safety experience but do have my Nebosh General as well as just passing my Nebosh construction . i have just started a new job as a H & Safety officer in a small electrical company with 40 staff ,they do have a policy in place ,where do i go next and what should i be looking for?????

Posted By 99|Cadok|99 Lee, I would start with HSG65 Health and Safety Management. and see what you have in place that fits in with this and develop from there. Regards, Iain

Posted By Malcolm Fryer Lee Firstly accept my congratulations to you on obtaining this position. A new situation can be very daunting and there is almost an overload of information for you to work from. I would suggest that you start with Risk Assessment. Start by doing a "top level" risk assessment where you look at the activities that your organisation carries out, the measures in place to reduce the associated risk and then give a rating as to how severe the residual risk is. This will allow you to set priorities and decide which issues need to be sorted first. Have a look at http://www.ioshroutefinder.co.uk/ then wait for the the site @ http://www.iosh.co.uk/in....cfm?go=news.item&id=943 to be restored and work you way through that. You should then be aware if your policy is then fit for purpose and where you need to change it. Remember this will be a continual process don't aim for perfection but steady improvement. Best of luck Malcolm

Posted By Bob Youel does the company operate in manufacturing and / or construction? As I would get as much help as possible in that area; join your local H&S group and continually question your competence as it will only grow with experience and more academic qualifications etc Again con-grats

Posted By Stuie Congrats to you leerob; I too was in a similar position some five years ago (I had not yet passed my Gen Cert (competent?)) when I got my current role. The first few weeks I wondered what the blinking heck I was doing - things settled down fairly quickly though and the panic subsided. From my experience your fears will subside as you learn about the people and the organisation and the best way to win the hearts and minds of those that can best assist you in your role. Once you are settled in (next week?? - LoL) don't be afraid to step gently on the toes of those that do not buy the H&S ethos of the organisation, and to defend your viewpoint/opinion - you obviously have the support of senior management as the role is being created/filled in these chastened times. Good luck and enjoy.