Need some advice Please. I have just passed my IOSH Managing Safety examination and thought this would be a good start for me as I enjoy working in a Health and Safety role. At present I am employed as a manager for the company I work for but would really like to work in a Health and Safety Role. Can anyone advise what I should be looking for or what qualifications i should look at getting next. Thankyou David

Why not suggest to your employer that you would like to take on some health and safety responsibilities? Involve in risk assessments, accident investigations - all these are valuable skills and as I am sure you have seen in many postings it is a combination fo experience and qualifications that gets you the next move up. You are in a fortunate position to be in a job so that should enable you to take this route. If you have a Safety officer in your company already perhaps you can work with them and obtain some experience that way to supplement the learning route you are wanting to take. Good luck!

Good news David. I've been involved in H & S as part of my job for two years, along with two managers. So far only got IOSH Manging Safely, but now have the ok to do the Nebosh General next year and once passed take over responsibility for the group H & S as my main role with assistance from the two managers as and when needed. Also means i'm getting a member of staff to help with the day to day running if that side as i'll be out and about quite a bit and need someone to cover the basics in the office.

Pheonix 965 I do not know which part of the country your from or if you do belong to a Branch or Group but that does not really matter, the point is you need some good solid advice. Have you tried to contact your local Branch and discussed this with the BEDA. They are good sources of advice and will give you pointers to consider. Wether it is a taught course, Distance Learning Course, NVQ, University of private training provider and of course cost will be a factor as well, at what level you may wish to study will dictate or guide what your next steps are. If you are in the Yorkshire Area then it is quite possible it will be me you contact, however Yorkshire Member or not if you want some advice give me a call or drop me an email and I will give you some unbiased solutions to consider. XRockape I do not consider that the NVQ route is the easiest, as at the end you have to still go through a rigourous process to gain Chartred Status open exam and peer review interview, and as dicsussed on these forums before, it is only easy if the assessor is not up to scratch, and the less diligent ones are being weeded out. I know what you refer to (I think) and accept that if you did an NVQ military style you were put through hoops, not always the same in Civvy Street.

Again many thanks all comments much appreciated, glad you could take the time to respond. Tim I will contact my Local Branch when I find out where it is. I have been busy over Xmas and the new year and just completed Risk Assessments and updated my units Fire Risk assessment. So far so good and my H&S Manager seems pleased with the work Im producing.

David, I would also consider adding an "environmental" qualification as this is going to become a major issue with all the EU Directives already in force and those coming down the track.