Health & Social Care

Health and Safety

Healthcare Science
Health services

Environmental Health
Health and Safety

Responsibility for enforcing workplace health and safety legislation rests mainly with the Health and Safety Executive which has offices in Leeds and Sheffield. Local authorities have responsibility, as part of their environmental health function, for enforcing legislation affecting offices, shops and the service industries; see the entry on environmental health for further information. Larger industrial companies also employ staff whose job it is to ensure that the company complies with legislation.

Also, several private consultancies exist whose function is to advise employers on legal requirements and train their staff to work safely. There are many of these in this region, a quick Yell search for 'Health and safety consultants' should bring them up!

The HSE recruits graduates as trainee health and safety inspectors and, although these posts are open to graduates in any discipline, preference may be given to those with degrees in relevant scientific and technical disciplines. Some degree of geographical mobility may also be required of new entrants. For entry to consultancy and health and safety work in industry it is usually necessary to have work experience which has provided a good understanding of industrial processes.

Further training is normally provided when entering the industry, mostly on the job with additional short, in-house or external course. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health also runs a comprehensive training programme to enable health and safety practitioners to continue their professional development.

Useful links:

Health and Safety Executive

Includes information about recruitment and vacancies and a directory of other organisations concerned with occupational health and safety.