Getting started as a Health and Safety professional in 2021

Are you looking for ways to make your future brighter than your past? If your answer is yes, why not focus on starting a rewarding and essential profession? For example, many people today turn to Health and Safety as their go-to choice when looking for a long-term career prospect. How, though, do you get started?

First things first, all businesses have a legal responsibility to protect the welfare of staff according to the Health and Safety at Work. Act 1974. Having a full-time qualified Health and Safety Officer fulfils the organisation's accountability under this act.

The Health and Safety Officer's role can involve:

• Securing health and safety practise
• The organisation of staff training
• Prevention of injuries
• Responding to accidents, and much more. 

Not all businesses will have a full-time staff member in the role. However, there still needs to be an adequate number of trained staff to oversee all the responsibilities. The overall goal for any business should be for all staff to contribute to the workplace's safety culture.

There are many ways to work as a Health and Safety professional; however, you need to show that you are a proven expert in the field. That can take time, but it is by no means impossible if you're dedicated to learning the challenges involved in being a health and safety professional.

IS THIS A VIABLE CAREER PATH?

Yes, absolutely; especially today. Every physical workplace has a health and safety requirement; there will always be a demand for people who can come in and make a workplace a safer location for everyone working there.

Health and safety professionals are especially sought after within the construction, building and manufacturing industries, due to the greater chance of injury due to the practical nature of the work and dangerous machinery used.

A health and safety qualification offers an excellent opportunity to advance your career and provide interchangeable skills that you can utilise in various roles and areas. Working in these roles can give you the chance to progress into management, consultancy, or even higher education. A starting salary for a health and safety officer typically starts around £24,000, with range for this to improve the further you progress in your career.

With that in mind, it is advised that you complete a health and safety course with the focus of becoming a health and safety professional. You can do so with various forms of online training, ensuring you always have a means of learning the skills you need to become the professional you intend to be. If you wish to get started properly, you might want to consider undergoing a training service through the National Apprenticeship Week coming up.

National Apprenticeship Week is a key part of bringing in new professionals across numerous industries, including Health and Safety. As such, you could get your foot in the door when the chance for apprenticeship comes up. Take some online training, grow and develop the essential skills you need, and then interact with an apprenticeship program.

Give it a try yourself, and you'll see first-hand why this might be the career path for you moving forward.