Just wondered how other safety professionals see their role, or how others perceive your role. Do you advise and persuade or do you dictate ? I ask because a couple of times recently after discussions on certain issues I have emailed my 2 senior directors giving my opinion on how we should proceed. When doing this I try to keep my emails as concise and unambiguous as possible but I do advise rather than dictate or demand. My Project Director replied to an email recently suggesting that I should get off the fence and make a decision. However, the final line of my email to him on the given issue had been as below.... ....."I think to allow their use in any other situation would be unacceptable". To me, I was nowhere near the fence, I had made my feeling / opinion perfectly clear. I felt that, as business owner and Projects Director the decision on this issue should be his. Even if he completely agrees with me the decision is still his to take. How do others see their role and how does it work out in practice ? Thanks Andy

Hi Ron, Thanks for your response. The context... We were discussing my recent post on here about Bump Caps. i.e they are acceptable in tight areas such as riser cupboards, small ceiling voids where the risk is of bumping your head rather than having something fall on it..... I think to allow their use in any other...etc. etc. We had discussed it at length. Andy

It's all of the above. Senior managers would like you to persuade, middle managers would like you to advise and supervisors would like you to go forth and multiply!

Chris I agree with you, a good point well made. And one which, at a stroke, pretty much renders rather pointless all those accident outcome graphs & reports we produce. I admit I skip the . . 'Health and' . . for brevity in certain cases, but also more generally because of it's connotation nowadays (silly voice "elf n safety") but I do use 'H&S' in the written form as a good short-cut. I'm also fine with the term 'Safety and health professional' (practitioner, consultant, whatever) as you have written, but it doesn't abbreviate well as well.

As a consultant, my role is to learn, evaluate and then advise, using persuasion as necessary. I write my own letters/emails/reports so don't dictate!