I wake up around between 5 and 6am, and travel to my first appointment. I like to leave early to miss the traffic and this enables me to catch up with audit reports and emails before commencing any visit. I generally complete 2 visits a day, one around 10am and the other around 2pm. If I am carrying out training then this generally starts at 9am and finishes anytime after 4. I then travel home which can take minutes or 2 to 3 hours, with some overnight stays.
What advice would you give to businesses who are apprehensive about having a health & safety audit or a fire risk assessment?
I would say “what have you to be scared of?”, a fire risk assessment is a legal obligation with the Regulatory Reform Fire Order 2005, where all businesses require this to be completed. Keeping staff and occupiers of buildings safe from fire. A health and safety audit is a good way to sense check how your business is being managed from a health and safety point of view, do you have a health and safety policy, risk assessments. Is your training up to date??? Would it not be best to check this, so you are operating in a safe and compliant way.
What is the most common issue you come across when visiting businesses?
In most cases it is something as simple as not having an up-to-date Employers Liability Certificate in date and on display, most people do not realise this is a legal requirement. This usually highlights to me that the company’s health and safety compliance may not be the best. In a lot of companies who are working out of a serviced office they do not appreciate that they need to check with the landlord on a regular basis if things like the Electrical Installation Condition Report and Gas Safe Certificates are in date and the landlord is keeping the building compliant with fire checks.
What advice would you give to businesses who need health and safety but are working to a tight budget?
I would advise the company to get some good advice and to have an action plan in place and over time implement it. Try and do some easy wins, like having a health and safety policy, doing some safety inspections of the site and something as simple as having a good clean up is a brilliant start. Next have a health and safety audit to see where you are in regard to compliancy, you may have some things in place without realising it.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about health and safety as a career and just starting their journey?
Firstly, if you can, spend a couple of days with your health and safety advisor in your company or contact a health and safety consultant in your local area to see if you could spend a day or so with them, to get an idea what the job can entail. If you like it start with the IOSH Managing Safely course, this gives you a good introduction into health and safety learning. Once passed then commence with the NEBOSH General Certificate, this is like passing your driving test for Health and Safety. Once passed, I would then become a member of IOSH and apply for jobs in an area you have worked in previously, so you understand what is required. My first health and safety role was in a care charity, as I had previously worked in many care roles. Also, when writing your CV align it to reflect what you may have experienced around health and safety.
