Posted By Steve Shakeshaft Hello all, I presently work as a Mechanical Engineer in the field for a process engineering company. I specialise in Machinery and Plant related issues. The time has come (age 45) for me to look seriously at my future options, which don't seem to lie in Mech Engineering. I hold IEng registration, membership of IIE (MIIE(Mech)), and have worked in the Power/Process sectors all my working life, mainly in the field. H&S issues have always been close to my mind, but what would be the best route to a H&S career? At this stage I presume I will be able to study part time. Thanks.

Posted By Ian Waldram Your idea for a career change is entirely possible - several past-Presidents of IOSH were members of engineering institutions as a result of their first careers, and many other members have come from that background. However, as for any such change, you have to be prepared to 'start again' - even though you hope that your previous career and experience will prove relevant. Therefore you need to think about a degree-level qualification in health & safety, e.g. one of many university courses, or else NEBOSH Diploma. These can be taken via part-time study, as can a NVQ Level 4. (I passed the diploma exams without ever attending a formal course - just learning the syllabus via reading and a colleague's course notes - but that was a long time ago and I was also getting good experience within my 1st Safety Advisor position at the time, so I mention it only to encourage you that expensive courses may not be needed). Don't be fooled by anyone who tells you the NEBOSH Certificate is the 'starter qualification' for full-time OSH Professionals - it was originally intended for people with part-time responsibilities in health & safety, but this is often forgotten. Those with a Certificate and minimal experience find it hard to get an initial position. Hopefully your current employer encourages relevant personal development within the workplace, so you might be able to get some practical exposure whilst studying in your own time? One approach might be to find out what your employer is doing in response to the UK 'Revitalising Health & Safety' initiative and to lead a project related to that? Good luck.

Posted By Ian Waldram I think most of the FE courses will in fact be NEBOSH Diplomas. The other main alternative is an IOSH-accredited MSc - usually these are direct from the University, not via an FE College. IOSH Professional Affairs Dept. can give you details of Universities with accredited courses, some offer distance learning. For NEBOSH Diploma (and probably other qualifications too) you should find out how many students like you they have had in the past, what the pass rate is, etc. Unfortunately some orgaisations who offer NEBOSH teaching don't have all the resources they really need - in an ideal world the QA system would pick this up, but anecdotal evidence indicates it doesn't always happen.