Posted By stuart cooke Fellow forum members, I have been working in the field of h&s for the last five years, and have a working knowledge of both construction and manufacturing environments/practices. I have the nebosh general cert, diploma pt1, and several other h&s quals e.g. cieh advanced h&s, cieh professional trainers cert. I’m currently working towards the nebosh dipEM. I live in deepest Norfolk, and find that opportunities here for h&s advisors/managers are somewhat limited, therefore to expand my working knowledge and earnings potential, I’m considering setting up my own company offering no nonsense, practical (in laymans speak) h,s&e advice. Do any of you out there have any advice on setting up a h&s business and the pitfalls there in. Any advice would be welcome even if it’s `don’t do it!` Kind Regards

Posted By Tony Brunskill Stuart, In general I agree with Paul but their are some practical issues to bear in mind like the cost and availability of Professional Indemnity Insurance. Your competence base will grow but you need to consider the demand for expertise locally/nationally/internationally and your routes to market. How are people out there going to know you exist and the services you offer. In the early stages the best advice I can give you is NETWORK. Then network some more. Particualrly with other H&S Consultancies as they often sub out work for which they have no capacity or competence. Keep working on the qualifications. CMIOSH will stand you in a good light and many employers only have this as their benchmark when appointing consultants. Above all if something is outside your competence set do not be afraid to say no or ask for help. Regards Tony Regards Tony

Posted By Bill Parkinson Stuart Having had experience of setting up a H&S consultancy section within a business I can tell you it is difficult. I would emphasise the Network aspect. Found out if there are any local health and safety groups sponsored by RoSPA, go to Chamber of Commerce meetings, look for Chamber of Trade events etc. See if there is a business directory used by the Council and send them a general letter offering what you can do (target small and medium enterprises first as they don't usually have in house personnel). You need to develop some flyers to send out in mailing used by the Chamber of Commerce in your area, speak to the local newspaper (especially if they have a business edition) Also look at your local IOSH Branch to get yourself know. You could contact the Consultancy Specialist Group at IOSH as well. Some existing consultants use associates to assist them and this is useful in bringing in work. I do know of one person who is still running his own business so I could put you in contact with him if you wish. It can take some time to get things rolling but getting out and about is the key. Hope it all goes well. Regards Bill

Posted By Steven Stuart I would like to say the very best of luck if you are going to go it alone, and do get yourself out there and noticed. As I also live in deepest Norfolk and there are a few (not many) consultancies out there but there are an awful lot of small/medium businesses that probably have not got H&S as their first concern, and these are the companies you want to target. I must admit that my plan for the future is to go it alone as well but I have quite a few years to go before I can make that commitment. Good luck Steve