Hi everyone,

I have recently reached the end of my rope with my company for various reasons; the main one being that commitment to health and safety seems to be a line in the policy that is somehow lost in translation and the other being the lack of interest in improving the skills and expertise of their own workforce.

I work as part of a project team on an integrated steelworks project and have seen the project through from inception to commissioning and operation. Having now completed my Nebosh diploma (at my own expense) I was contemplating moving to a consultancy to do training, auditing and the usual consultant work.

Do you think that's a step forward or am I quitting a great opportunity?

Thanks.

M

I think you could be missing a great oppertunity by leaving. If you can somehow facilitate the change in safety culture you would be doing your company and employees a great service (even if they cannot see it yet) as well as using that experience for you own advantage and career prospects. I feel that for every problem there is a solution or way around it, but it depends on you approach and how you deal with the challenges. Being a HSE professional is never easy but is the dealing with these situation that really make you a HSE prfessional.

Mnasrallah,

Before you do anything, have a chat with the IOSH ME members and test the market. Is their a market for your expertise etc.

If you have access to Skype, I'd be happy to talk to you. I have recently assisted an Indian member and she seemed happy with the guidance and support offered by me.

I'm sure that Jonathan Pickering or Wasyl Terych or any of the ME members would be happy to guide you and assist yoy

Hi Everyone,

Thanks a lot for the great input.

Just to give you a little of a background on the subject, I've been working with my company for over 3 years now as part of the project team overseeing a major expansion. It's been great monitoring the contractors and working with them because we instilled a major change in their H&S culture. They now have a fully dedicated team with an onsite manager (which they never had) and have successfully received accreditation for ISO9001:2008, ISO14001:2004 and OHSAS18001:2007.

The sad truth is, we were doing all this groundwork so that once we took the project over from the contractor we would have a good system for our own people. We taught them what a near miss was, how to report it (and how it was not an evil tool to get you kicked out) and a lot more which made them hate us intially until they finally realised it was for their own good. You're all wondering now why I am complaining. This is all fun and dandy when the solutions are simple things that can be implemented by the shop floor. However, once someone got hurt (and someone really did) this is where it was all different. After 3 years of working with management to explain what we intended to do, I had to sit in a meeting with a VP of Human Resources to explain why we needed an onsite medical facility for our 750 workers whereas his solution was "can't we train them to do first aid?". I had to explain to another VP that calling people back in from their sick leave to change the LTI figure was wrong and found out my reports were forged. They put a man in a cement mixer to clean it without isolation and then said "he volunteered to go in". and and and and..

The issue here is, I am emotionally devastated by the accidents I have witnessed. I don't know how to get through to management. I guess a 25 year old girl doesn't quite spell out competence in their books.

I love a challenge, I don't want to be part of the system I want to help build it. I just am tired of being shot down.

M
Do not give up on yourself as U sound like U are a good person but U need get to grips with the real fact [and it is a real fact] that people on the whole just do not care about people and once you accept that; which is a very hard thing to do; U should lose some of the stress

Look at history and what's happening today [famin etc / no body armour for our army - all situations which can easily be solved] and you will see how people treat people and that technology has moved on but human response/traits etc [on the whole] is still in the caves!

Set yourself mini targets and try to achieve small gains and slowly you may get real change and above all accept people for what they are as its unlikely that U will really change them

Best of luck