Last year, 147 employees were killed at work, 581,000 employees were injured at work, and 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness or injury. These shocking statistics demonstrate the importance of health and safety in the workplace and what can happen when it’s overlooked. Looking for a meaningful, challenging career? Look no further! Check out our health and safety courses and you could play a crucial role in making workplaces safer for everyone.
Studying health and safety is a great option If you want a hands-on career that doesn’t involve sitting at a desk all day. There are plenty of other benefits too, including:
As a health and safety professional, the procedures you promote will improve the safety of workplaces, reducing risk and preventing injuries. You could even save lives.
There are various routes you can take to become qualified, from professional qualifications to master’s degrees.
Health and safety practitioners work in many different industries, including construction, manufacturing, healthcare, education, energy and transport.
The health and safety sector has seen steady growth, which will soon receive a further boost, thanks to the large group of employees who are close to retirement.
In 1974, the Health and Safety at Work Act instructed employers to take measures “so far as is reasonably practical” to prevent or reduce risk in the workplace. These measures included conducting a health and safety risk assessment and producing a health and safety policy.
When developing their policies, organisations have to consider both the “health” and “safety” of their employees. So as well as enabling employees to undertake their duties without risking their health, employers have to create a safe working environment that reduces the risk of injury or accident.
Health and safety offer a broad choice of career paths in a range of areas including:
Here are Glassdoor’s top five health and safety roles based on median salary, job openings and job satisfaction:
Completing this level will enable you to study a level 3 health and safety qualification such as the NEBOSH National General Certificate, which is considered essential by most employers.
This level gives you a sound understanding of health and safety legislation in the workplace. Completing it allows you to become a technical member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). You’ll also be able to advance your career by accessing the Level 6 NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.
As well as giving you a taste of health and safety in the workplace, gaining experience will show employers that you’re keen. There a couple of ways to approach this. You could either become a health and safety rep for your current employer, or you could arrange to shadow a health and safety officer for a short period of time. Once you’re certain that this is the career for you, there are three main ways to qualify.
Health and safety training courses that will kickstart your career include the NEBOSH National/International General Certificate and the NEBOSH Certificate in Construction Safety and Health. These can be studied in a classroom or via distance learning and will enable you to become an associate member of the IOSH.
Although degrees in health and safety are available, there are also plenty of postgraduate level courses, which you can access with a degree in any subject. Science, engineering, environmental health and food tech degrees are particularly relevant. If you do opt to study health and safety at degree level, ensure that the course is recognised by the IOSH.
Like the idea of doing an apprenticeship? Then you’ll be glad to know that both advanced and degree level apprenticeships are on offer. If you’ve passed 5 GCSEs including English and maths, you could opt for an Advanced Safety, Health and Environment Technician Apprenticeship. Alternatively, if you’ve got GCSEs and A levels (or equivalent) you could do an Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship.
Studying health and safety courses online allows you to complete the uploaded course material at your own speed. You can also work wherever you feel comfortable.
If you opt for the traditional format of classroom learning, you’ll be taught by a qualified teacher with a group of students.
Blended learning combines the benefits of studying online and in class. Contact hours will differ depending on the course provider.
Health and safety involves working with many different people, so you’ll need a range of both soft and hard skills. Essential hard skills include:
Your daily responsibilities will depend on your role and the industry you’re working in. However, common health and safety-related tasks include:
With its diverse career options, excellent pay and promotional opportunities, health and safety is a sector with plenty to offer.
Keen to find out more? Check out our range of professional health and safety qualifications and get started today!
