Hi Justin,

It sounds like you already have a strong foundation to build on 30 years’ experience is hugely valuable in a health and safety role.

A few steps that could help make you more attractive to future employers:

1. Leverage your site credibility – Your practical knowledge and experience will be highly respected by both operatives and management. When moving into H&S, emphasise how you bridge the gap between the office and the site.

2. Learn to translate site experience into reports and evidence – Employers value H&S professionals who can document findings clearly for audits, incident investigations, and client reporting. Any vision should be factual and not an opinion.

3. Gain exposure to various aspects of H&S by shadowing your current company’s HSEQ team during audits, and consider shadowing other teams that have different approaches.

4. Network within the profession – IOSH branch meetings are great, mainly the face-to-face ones. Networking often opens up opportunities ; )

5. Consider short specialist courses – Topics like Temporary Works Awareness, CDM Regulations, or behavioural safety can make you stand out when applying for roles in construction.

Best of luck with your October exam.