Health & Safety

In 2004/05 there were 220 fatal injuries to workers, with more than 50 per cent of these being in constructions or agriculture, forestry and fishing. A further 361 members of the public were killed – two-thirds in acts of suicide or trespass on railways. There were more than 150,000 other injuries reported, while 2 million people were suffering from an illness that they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. A total of 35 million working days were lost overall – 28 million due to work-related ill-health and 7 million due to workplace injury.

This costs the individual between £10 and £15 billion, employers between £4 and £8 billion, and society between £20 and £32 billion, with an overall cost to the UK’s economy of between £13 and £22 billion. The current focus on stress prevention and management has been highlighted in the media, as have attempts to reduce the number of creative ‘sickies’ thrown by workers wanting a day off.

H&S has moved from reactive, accident-based management to a preventative approach. Employers must now appoint ‘competent’ people irrespective of the size or undertaking of the organisation. A ‘competent’ person is somebody with sufficient experience, training, knowledge and/or other qualities to undertake the role, particularly risk assessment. Therefore, some training and experience are legally required to manage H&S because there is this lawful requirement to employ such a person. A breach of H&S law is a criminal offence that can result in fines, imprisonment or both.

Smaller organisations will often make the H&S ‘competent’ person function part of a job with the individual concerned double-hatted. Larger ones will employ a specialist (or specialists) or use a consultancy.

There are three organisations exist that everybody involved in H&S should know about:

1. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – a government body which ensures that risks to health and safety from work situations are properly controlled
2. Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) – the professional body for H&S practitioners
3. National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) – an independent awarding body for H&S qualifications (universities and other bodies also provide qualifications recognised by IOSH).

H&S in the Services

The Armed Forces contain individuals in all branches and trades who have some practical experience and awareness of H&S at work. Most people work for at least some of the time in potentially hazardous environments or with dangerous equipment, or both. Indeed, many people actively involved in H&S work may not even recognise that is what they are doing or they may regard it as a relatively unimportant part of their job.

The qualities and experience that are essential for an H&S professional will be familiar to most military people: diversity of work environment, a determination to achieve, flexibility, wide-ranging responsibilities, self-confidence, attention to detail, systematic approach to work situations, enviable training, supervisory and managerial skills, the ability to analyse what went wrong and, importantly, how to put it right.

Because the Forces currently run modular environmental training courses in H&S leading to a certificate, there are opportunities to gain qualifications during service. The tri-Service sponsored university one-week short course modules, which include the key subjects, are available free for people who can justify the training need.

Many Forces people are currently in posts that would enable them to gain significant H&S qualifications (N/SVQs or NEBOSH awards). For people coming to the end of their Service career, there are H&S courses run at the Resettlement Training Centre, Aldershot, aimed at the potential manager who sees the subject being part of a job description (IOSH Managing Safely Certificate) or the person looking to specialise in this field (NEBOSH National General Certificate).

Training and qualifications

All occupational H&S practitioners need a common core of knowledge to practise effectively. The new NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety is at level 6 in the National Qualification Framework, and replaces the old two-part diploma. It assumes prior learning equivalent to the National General Certificate, and students embarking on it must hold an approved qualification in H&S that is accredited at Level 3 or above. Exams are held each year in January and July, with the syllabus comprising a preparatory unit and three core units, as follows.

• Preparatory unit:

– Unit CS: Core skills (not examined, 10 hours’ tuition and nine hours’ private study).

• Core units:

– Unit A: Managing health and safety (95 hours’ tuition and 75 hours’ private study)

– Unit B: Hazardous agents in the workplace (65 hours’ tuition and 50 hours’ private study)

– Unit C: Workplace and work equipment (65 hours’ tuition and 50 hours’ private study).

NEBOSH also offers:

• a Specialist Diploma in Environmental Management for qualified H&S practitioners
• National and International Certificates in General Occupational Safety and Health
• a National Certificate in Construction Safety and Health
• a Fire Safety and Risk Management Certificate.

N/SVQs at Levels 3 and 4 in Occupational Health and Safety Practice provide people with good career opportunities. Recognised by IOSH as equivalent to the NEBOSH National Diploma, they each take approximately a year to achieve.

Scientific, engineering or technical degrees, HNDs, HNCs, NDs, and NCs are particularly appropriate for H&S. The Open University recognises many Service qualifications and awards points towards degrees on production of the necessary evidence.

There are postgraduate qualifications in H&S with special emphasis on occupational, environmental and hygiene aspects. Some universities have MSc distance learning programmes that focus on H&S and lead towards corporate membership of IOSH within one year. Training can be expensive, but there is financial help available (see ‘Factfile’).

For the manager interested in H&S, IOSH runs a series of courses that promote a culture of safe working. Modules include the legal framework, accident prevention, and both common and industry-specific hazards.

IOSH grades

Membership of IOSH (which has more than 28,000 members throughout the world) is seen as essential by most H&S professionals who are well beyond ‘competent’ person status and who are specialising in the field. Grades of membership depend on a combination of qualifications, experience and achievement:

• Chartered Fellow (CFIOSH) – attained by progression through the membership categories and maintaining a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record
• Chartered Member (CMIOSH) – status reflects the competence demanded of professionals in H&S management or leadership positions, and a CPD record
• Graduate IOSH (Grad IOSH) – people academically qualified to become Chartered Members, but currently completing mandatory personal development
• Technician Member (Tech IOSH) – category recognises the competence needed by professionals engaged in crucial operational H&S roles, with mandatory CPD
• Affiliate level is designed for those who have an interest in, or are employed in, occupational H&S, but who are not eligible to join at other categories of membership.

Employment

H&S employment is growing. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 outline the legal requirements for safety managerial issues and, if anything, increase the need for companies to employ ‘competent’ persons directly as opposed to dealing with the safety issue through consultants.

Jobs range from a small company employing an individual to a major organisation that has an entire safety team. Some companies specialise in H&S issues such as planning supervision, safety audits, engineering surveying, and insurance company safety assessments. Facilities management is another sector where employment possibilities are enhanced by a safety qualification.

Many jobs require H&S advisers to have training qualifications, and to be able to assess the need for, design and deliver safety training.

The HSE employs inspectors and other staff. Applicants will be expected to hold a relevant degree or HND, a driving licence and some previous H&S experience. The first appointment is usually as a safety assistant, where probationers will work under supervision and be developed by an experienced operator. The second year includes a postgraduate diploma taken full-time over 21 weeks, with inspectors expected to achieve a Level 4 NVQ in Health and Safety Regulation within their first three years.

Salaries

Salaries range from £13,000 to £52,000, depending upon appointment, location and type of company. Some roles within the NHS and education sectors offer salaries on the low side for the range of responsibilities required, but this is often offset by the attraction of longer-term contracts. An hourly rate of between £16 and £50 for a self-employed consultant is not unreasonable and some specialist roles can command daily rates of £550 plus, but such contracts are rare. H&S trainers are also well paid by current standards. A NEBOSH Diploma holder could earn £25,000-plus, depending on experience and managerial responsibility.

Contact details

Health and Safety Executive, Knowledge Centre, (1G) Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 7HS Tel infoline: 08453 450055 Website: www.hse.gov.uk

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), The Grange, Highfield Drive, Wigston, Leicestershire LE18 1NN Tel: 0116 257 3100 Website: www.iosh.co.uk

National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW Tel: 0116 263 4700 Website: www.nebosh.org.uk

Been there done that…

Dave Middlemiss

Ex-Flight Sergeant Dave Middlemiss, 45, left the RAF in December 2002 after 24 years in medical administration. He had served all round the world, seen operational service in Iraq and Bosnia, and been awarded a Commander-in Chief Strike Command’s Commendation. He wanted to ‘start a new life,’ and believes that the RAF certainly moulded him into a well-rounded individual, with his experience and training standing him in good stead.

A Further Adult and Education Teaching Certificate, the Certificate in Education and health and safety training led to a Career Transition Workshop which was ‘an interesting experience giving a clearer insight into life in the civilian world.’ He also attended a NEBOSH General Certificate course at Tidworth College.

Middlemiss started his own business, and is now ‘managing director of a first aid and health & safety training company, with more than 200 associated trainers. He designs and delivers a variety of training to the MoD and other organisations throughout south west England, managing the financial and marketing aspects of the business, and ensuring that it continues to grow.’

He enjoys being his own boss and ‘being responsible for the complete management package and not just a small part in a huge organisation.’ Although his salary has not yet grown from RAF levels he anticipates ‘substantial’ improvement in the future.