Water & Wastewater Treatment

Getting started in health and safety The Talk: Skills S o what qualities are ideal for a health and safety career? Among the 24 health and safety leaders questioned for the new NEBOSH guide, 'Do Something Great: Your Health and Safety Career', a passion to protect people was raised time and again. "Many health and safety profession- als arrive in this role because they have a natural tendency to care for people, it comes through in abundance," says Karl Simons, Thames Water. Beyond this, Trystan Lewis-Williams, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, believes com- munication skills are really important: "You need to be comfortable speaking with people from different levels within a business and from different backgrounds. and safety community (my technical professionals) have all gone through the NEBOSH Diploma, so they have a much deeper knowledge and it puts them on the ladder to becoming a chartered member with IOSH." Culture match Beyond qualifications, the organisations you work for will be fundamental to your development as a health and safety professional. So it's important to get this right. When assessing a potential employer Lewis-Williams suggests trying to get a feel for the health and safety culture. "You can o•en spot this in job adverts. For example, roles advertised with main responsibilities such as 'investigating ac- cidents and carrying out risk assessments' may indicate a more reactive, old fash- ioned culture, where 'health and safety is done by the health and safety team'. "On the other hand, those advertised with responsibilities such as 'assisting managers to identify and control risks and carrying out proactive inspections' may suggest a more proactive culture where health and safety is managed by those who manage the work." Simons agrees that culture is vital. "It's so, so important for someone starting out in their health and safety career to be working somewhere where the culture is good. So ask questions, then look at the web, social media channels and speak to people, to get a real feel for the culture and values within the organisation." How do you get your first break in health and safety? Would-be health and safety professionals face the age-old conundrum; they need experience to The water industry offers many opportunities for those thinking about a career in health and safety. NEBOSH, a leading provider of HSE qualifications, has gathered together advice and insights from some of the world's health and safety thought leaders in a new guide. Here, two of those leaders – Karl Simons, Chief Health, Safety & Security Officer, Thames Water and Trystan Lewis- Williams, Senior Health and Safety Advisor (North West), Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water – share their insights with WWT. You need to be confident but not over- bearing and you need to be able to take a balanced and impartial outlook." There are a number of ways to get qualified and NEBOSH's General Certifi- cate and Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety are well-recognised by employ- ers in all sectors. Simons uses NEBOSH extensively within Thames Water, arguing that the right qualification is the one which is recognised globally or domesti- cally as one of the best qualifications you can get. "For instance, with my 600 front line operational managers, we've put them through the NEBOSH General Certificate to give them an enhanced level of health and safety understanding. My health www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | MAY 2020 | 13

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