World Day for Health and Safety at Work
How long have you worked in Health and Safety?
I have worked in Health and Safety for about 10 years.
What does your job involve?
As a health and safety advisor, the key part of my job is essentially making our sites safer for the patients, visitors and staff who use them! Having a safe environment is crucial to providing high-quality care.
I investigate incidents to identify the root causes then put measures in place to prevent them happening again. I support managers to complete risk assessments of their own environment and help staff take forward their own ideas to improve workplace health and safety.
Why do you think World Day for Health and Safety at Work is important?
Health and safety is something that affects all of us, so this day is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the work we do to make our hospitals a safer environment for everyone.
What would you say to anyone who is considering Health and Safety as a career?
A career in health and safety can be very rewarding as you can make a real difference. You need to be approachable, curious and non-judgmental, but also confident enough to have some difficult conversations. There are some great courses out there which give an overview of health and safety principles, and then there are lots of options for further study in specific topics to expand knowledge further.
What is your top tip for improving health and safety?
My biggest tip is to report near-misses. If everyone reported near-misses, measures could be put in place to stop so many accidents happening.