Hi all hope everyone is keeping well !

I have been training to become a safety professional for the last 2 years (Currently halfway through NEBOSH National diploma) 

For me i am still undecided what H&S route to take. Fire risk management, H&S consultancy, OHS, Environmental health and safety.

I do like a large workload and do enjoy Fire management, maybe it would be best to be a general H&S manager in multiple areas.

Can anyone else relate to this undecided path ?

Thanks !

Lee tech IOSH

Hi Lee in Brum or somewhere else in the W Midlands.

Consultancies tend to come in a number of broad types:

1. Those who sell templated solutions to every sector and may be quite happy to chuck somebody starting their journey up the OSH professional ladder out into do work which they are not ready, but with the consultancy being heavily protected by caveats in their reports - so they end up pretending to be "experts" in things like fire risk assessment, legionella and asbestos surveys. 

2. Those who are large enough to be able to mentor those on that same journey - this does mean allowing people to be stretched, but always with someone at hand to ask "did you consider this?" and, if necessary, revisiting the client to do rework (which may often hit the profit margin).

3. Those who specialise in specific risks - back to those fire risk and legionella assessments, asbestos surveys and things like being up to speed on the details of product testing and marking etc.

4. The one or two person band who offers their services to all and sundry and probably doesn't know much about most sectors, nor sufficient experience in some to offer transferable skills from others.

5. Those who work on contracts where they are overseen by others who may or may not know what standard to expect.

When starting out in an OSH career I would be wary of going into any form of consultancy other than No 3 and be looking for an environment where you will be supported in your ongoing development.

Good luck, Peter