Posted By Clinton Is it fair to say that a H&S practitioner who has come from an operational background at site level ( e.g. Construction Industry) and then steered their career towards H&S find it easier to apply what they have learnt during their NEBOSH courses (for example) to the practical application on site as a result of them having working knowledge of the various tools and machinery out there?

Posted By Nick Higginson This is a fair point, although it is only fair to point out the other side of the coin. People from "practical" backgrounds often struggle to get to grips with the management and legal aspects of courses. As has already been stated though, these obstacles are not insurmountable if people are prepared to learn. regards Nick

Posted By Bill Elliott Whereas a practical background will provide a valuable knowledge base, there is unlikely to be one individual in possession of all the aspects necessary for carrying out R/A's, writing method statements, SSOW's. These need to be undertaken in conjunction with those with first hand knowledge and whilst this may be personal knowledge in the H&S professional, as Nick points out, the application of management and legal aspects may not be in the forefront of the mind of those "on the tools". Not that I would advocate R/A's by committee but a sensible sharing of expertise. Each to his (her) own.

Posted By garyh I feel that we are really taking about the "experience" v "qualified" question. The fact is that, to be the finished article you need both! One issue I have seen many times is the difficulty of people trying to rise up the career ladder from the shop floor - they often lack management & "political" soft skills eg writing effective reports, influencing people and so on. And let's not forget the nefarious skills ability to "network" and "creepycrawl" your way to advancement! Seriously I notice this skills gap most with people who make perfectly good safety officers, but can't bridge the gap to safety "manager".