The IOSH Future Leaders Steering Group talk about their health and safety journeys, what they’re passionate about and how they’re helping to inspire the next generation of OSH professionals.
Sunit Atwal, Unite Students
Age: 32
Current role: Regional health and safety manager
Time in industry: Six years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
Health and safety was not my first career choice – I didn’t even know it was an option! After completing my master’s, I worked at the University of Greenwich as a scientific officer. I learned very quickly that being confined in a lab doing sample preparation and data analysis was not my thing. Health and safety, on the other hand, gave me the opportunity to be creative, meet people, drive engagement and do what I do best – talk. I completed the IOSH Managing Safety course and never looked back. I then took on a role as a laboratory supervisor for a fragrance manufacturing company and I soon became the health and safety officer for the business while working through my NEBOSH certificate.
What are you passionate about as a professional?
Breaking out of the scientific sector to join Unite perfectly symbolises what I am most passionate about – changing stereotypes.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
My ultimate goal is to become an executive health and safety director and demonstrate that our field is more than just compliance: it can be used to drive operational efficiency and enhance business culture and wellbeing.
Sunit’s advice to those new to OSH?
Anything is achievable – dream without limits and believe in yourself.
Dos and don’ts of a Future Leader
DO:
- Learn as much as you can – attend branch events and conferences, and network.
- Keep up to date with CPD – there are many qualifications available.
- Consider finding a mentor for inspiration, guidance and to bounce ideas around with.
- Remember that interviews work both ways – join a company where you think you’ll be happy and fit in.
DON’T:
- Doubt your ability.
- Avoid applying for a job because you don’t have the experience or qualifications specified
- Just focus on technical skills – it’s the power skills that make a difference.
Chloe Hughes, Rolls-Royce
Age: 24
Current role: Health and safety graduate
Time in industry: 18 months
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
The last three years have been a whirlwind of setting the foundations to what I hope will be a successful and extremely exciting career path. While studying my BSc in public health nutrition I realised that it wasn’t quite for me – I wanted a role that would incorporate the skills that I had learnt from my degree. Having found the prospectus for an MSc in organisational safety, health and wellbeing, suddenly I was captivated by the abundance of opportunities available, and the variation in the day-to-day life of an OSH professional.
To ensure it was the right career path I spent my summer holidays on a NEBOSH general certificate course, and by the end of the course I was sold. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with a career that offered daily challenges, progression opportunities and a promise of no day being the same. Throughout my MSc studies, I recognised the benefits of experience and spent time reaching out to organisations in the hope of gaining work experience. I was extremely fortunate that Rolls-Royce was able to provide that opportunity. Throughout my time at the company I have grasped the opportunities to further develop my technical competencies and learn from industry experts. I am now commencing my biggest challenge yet – a PhD in organisational health and wellbeing.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
OSH impacts on safety behaviour and culture, productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism and employee morale. Employees are spending a significant amount of their day-to-day life within the workplace; it makes sense for us to look at wellbeing holistically and support our employees’ physical and mental health and wellbeing. I also have a keen interest in women’s reproductive health within the workplace, primarily the menopause and the impact that can have on employees and their managers. Additionally, transformational leadership and employee-led approaches are changing the way we do health and safety, which is extremely exciting.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
To challenge the perceptions of what an OSH professional looks and acts like today. Without doubt, the Future Leaders Community is making headway and encouraging young professionals to engage with their businesses and pioneer a new age of OSH professional.
Chloe’s advice to those new to OSH
Believe in yourself, be bold and make the most of opportunities that present themselves to you, but also don’t be afraid to make your own opportunities.
Work-life lessons: sharing a passion
Dream role in OSH
Director of health, safety and wellbeing.
OSH inspiration
I take inspiration from so many talented OSH and non-OSH professionals – there are too many to choose from.
Most rewarding aspect of being a Future Leader
Being able to share my passion and enthusiasm with other OSH professionals, in addition to encouraging others to choose OSH as a first-choice career.
Robert Jukes, Wax Lyrical
Age: 28
Current role: Health, safety and environment manager
Time in industry: Five years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
I originally graduated with a law degree. I had applied to join the police force, but turned down the job offer. I had recently suffered a workplace accident, which altered my perspective. I had been involved as part of the health and safety investigation into my accident and although it had left me injured and lucky to be alive, I made the decision to give health and safety a try. This included studying the NEBOSH general certificate and then the diploma.
There was far too much time spent revising after 12-hour shifts and working weekends to over-analysing unsuccessful interviews, far too many mistakes made, plenty of lessons learnt the hard way, and even facing my own mortality a second time being caught up in the Christmas market terrorist attacks in Berlin. Ultimately, all of the hard work and the highs and lows made me more determined to make a difference in the world.
Due to my hard work in developing my experience through an internal secondment, having my own company and self-funding my own development, I got my first dedicated health and safety role at a specialist construction firm, Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd. This allowed me to test my skills and further develop my knowledge within the construction sector. Here, I was encouraged to study for the MSc in occupational health and safety and left for my current role.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
Helping people develop professionally, improving the soft skills within the industry, changing its perception and taking it forward.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
I want ultimately to create real leaders that care to transform business and put health, safety and wellbeing truly at the heart of every business, every industry and every sector, day in, day out. Together, through business, we can change the world, so let’s do this together. I look forward to being on the final step for my Chartered membership of IOSH and completing a level 7 CMI qualification.
Robert’s advice to those new to OSH
Being open and willing to try new things is a definite help.
Work-life lessons: reaching out
Biggest preconception about the OSH profession
This has still got to be the bureaucracy and clipboard policing approach. We need to change that – and we can change – but it is still a negative stigma we have to address.
What you would have liked to know early on
Reach out. Don’t be afraid to reach out to make that LinkedIn request to ask for some more information or help, or even a mentoring relationship. Second, don’t focus solely on the technical skills. Soft skills are not as easy to learn, but it is vital that we improve them.
Top tips for Future Leaders
- Reflect. It creates an increased level of self-awareness.
- Do not be afraid to take on responsibility or second-guess yourself.
- Seize the opportunity where you can.
- Look at different industries and sectors for inspiration.
- Care. I firmly believe that caring is a leadership skill that when it is authentic, genuine and executed well is amazing and has an unbelievable effect.
Jason Kamalu, Wacot Ltd
Age: 35
Current role: Health, safety and environment manager
Time in industry: 10 years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
I was in my fourth year studying environmental technology. During the industrial work experience scheme skills training programme, I worked with the quality, health, safety and environment manager of an oil servicing company. This enjoyable experience helped me to set sail in OSH waters.
After college, I had a stint at Chevron Nigeria Ltd as a graduate trainee working in the loss prevention team of health, environment and safety. This experience exposed me to world-class health and safety management. The training and mentorship I received prepared me for my next OSH job in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
During my early career, I fuelled my passion by undertaking training, attending seminars and conferences to build my OSH skills. My membership with IOSH and other OSH associations has helped me grow my competence.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
OSH risk management processes, which is at the core of what we do as OSH professionals. The dynamics of organisational culture and its impact on OSH also fascinates me.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
My professional goal is to be an OHS advocate in word and deed, looking for opportunities to communicate, engage and influence the community and shape the future of OSH.
I am a Chartered Member of IOSH and volunteer with the IOSH West Africa Network. I am proud to be a Future Leader – it gives me an opportunity to mentor and inspire early career professionals and health, safety and environmental enthusiasts.
Jason’s advice to those new to OSH
One of my favourite sayings is ‘A smooth sea never made a skilful sailor’, which means challenging experiences often give the best lessons of life.
Work-life lessons: sharing knowledge
Your motivation
There is wisdom in the saying ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving’. I make myself available and approachable to share what I know.
One element that could enhance your role
One of the 69 competencies in the IOSH competency framework is communication. In my home region more than 250 languages are spoken. Although I speak English, French, Ibo and Yoruba, I wish could communicate to more people in their language as this will have a deeper and further-reaching impact.
OSH progression
Over the next five years, OSH will be influenced by the changes in the workplace and the effects of the pandemic. There will be more opportunities for OSH professionals to play a critical role in the boardroom, support the workplace on mental health, and build soft skills such as building their behavioural competencies.
Liam Kelly, Trim Formworks Ltd
Age: 30
Current role: Environment, health and safety manager
Time in industry: Seven years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
I started like a lot of young lads from a working-class environment, wanting to get out of school and earn money as soon as possible – a mistake of course.
After a number of years on the tools, I started looking at ways to further my career, and safety seemed the logical choice. I had a passion for ensuring the working man was safe at work, and I could study in my spare time while also supporting my family. I volunteered for a safety champion role on a major oil and gas project in the Shetland Islands and self-studied for the NEBOSH general certificate while working night shifts. After passing my certificate I applied for a job I had no right to get; however, my positive can-do attitude, luck and a moment of madness from the employing manager (who is still my friend today) meant I got my foot on the ladder.
I have been hungry for success ever since and have self-studied a number of additional courses, including the NCRQ level 6. Ultimately the decision to move into safety has been the best work-related decision I have ever made.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
Applying a risk-based approach to any of the activities I am involved in. I am very much against the ‘one-size-fits-all approach’. I know that the people on the ground look at this approach as ‘another pointless safety control’, which ultimately defeats our goal of trying to ensure as many people get home safely. Being brave enough to select the correct control, not the strictest control, will help all OSH professionals gain the trust of those we are trying to protect.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
To keep expanding my knowledge while staying true to the OSH professional I am. With continued hard work I hope to stay on this path, achieve CMIOSH status and be involved with other IOSH lead projects.
Liam’s advice to those new to OSH
Develop your communication skills and be confident when dealing with those in your industry you may see as more senior.
Work-life lessons: tear up the old ways
Most enjoyable part of your role
The dynamic nature of the construction industry.
Recommending a career in OSH
You will have the opportunity for a lifetime of continual personal development, and infinite career progression and satisfaction.
OSH in five to 10 years
I would like the profession to streamline paperwork and what it is used for. I feel that the industry is being forced to use paperwork in order to protect the business from potential claims. This is not in the spirit of what paperwork should be used for – most of those on the frontline, including site supervisors, see it more as a labour than a way to accurately assess the risks.
Philip Lancashire, Building Product Design
Age: 30
Current role: Safety, health and environmental manager
Time in industry: Seven years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
In 2011, as a young administrator, I was assigned to the business’s health and safety department. There I learnt the basics through the administration of the management system. I then moved to Building Product Design where I was guided and trained both in knowledge and experience by sitting and passing my NEBOSH general certificate and learning the real-world application of health and safety. From there I was given the opportunity to become the safety, health and environmental manager and understand the management of a system and how to grow it, while completing an NVQ level 5 in occupational health and safety practice. This month [November], I will be joining Games Workshop, creators of the best fantasy miniatures, as a health and safety adviser.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
The importance of employee involvement at every level. Seeing a better, safer and more robust system and collection of control measures being implemented when those involved in the task on a day-to-day basis are involved in the system’s creation has shown me how a more inclusive system can be created.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
The future of OSH is and will constantly change, and all health and safety professionals need to be prepared for the ever-changing world. Those in the industry need to continue to focus on the perception of health and safety and work towards the consistent improvement of it to a collaborative movement.
Philip’s advice to those new to OSH
Get out there and absorb as much information as possible from as many sources as possible. Meet with and learn from other professionals, attend webinars, volunteer if you can and grow your knowledge and experience base.
Work-life lessons: passing it forward
If you weren’t in the OSH profession, what would you be doing?
In a previous role I was organising and arranging social and fundraising events, which was a really fun and interesting job.
Best thing about being a Future Leader
I really enjoy giving back to the health and safety community and supporting others who are going through experiences that I may have been through in the past. Sometimes those can be scary times and it is nice to be there to support others where possible.
One thing would you change about the profession
We need to continue to share best practice with each other as much as possible. There is a lot of knowledge within our industry and we need to ensure it is passed on to the next generation.
James MacPherson, Glass and Glazing Federation
Age: 29
Current role: Health, safety and environment manager, and host of rebranding safety
Time in industry: Eight years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
I got into safety because I needed a job. At school and college, I was, let’s say, a distracted teen. I wanted to work in theatre as a lighting engineer, so I did music for one year and then trained to be an electrician. However, I needed to finish this pathway with on-the-job training, and a recession made getting a job in a trade quite hard.
I bounced around a bit until one day I took a call from an agency: ‘Hi, James – I was wondering if you fancied a job I have at a manufacturing plant. It’s a health, safety, quality and environment assistant.’ I replied: ‘What’s that?’ I took the job. It wasn’t love at first sight – I had decided I wanted to be a police officer, but this job would pay the bills for now and it was interesting. But the passion grew, they put me through my NEBOSH and from there I focused heavily on just doing the job, learning real safety on the shop floor, and then finally, only last year, I took the level 6 NCRQ.
I sometimes, even at my young age, look back on my career so far and I am so grateful for OSH – the career I never knew about but came to absolutely love!
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
The potential of our profession is unbelievable. Health and safety professionals are experts at assessing risk, solving problems, facilitating conversations, helping to create the room for success – dealing with engineering one day and human factors the next. Describe that to anyone and they would think: ‘What a cool job.’
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
I want to do my little bit towards changing the ‘health and safety gone mad’ perception because once we fix the perception, we will attract more talent, be even more impactful and may even reach our full potential as OSH professionals.
James’s advice to those new to OSH
Don’t try to be the expert – be a facilitator and build relationships in all parts of the business.
Work-life lessons: making new connections
Biggest professional achievement so far
My podcast, Rebranding Safety. I learnt more in my two years podcasting than anywhere else. The friends I have made and the messages we get saying we help people make everything worth it.
An IOSH Future Leader is
Someone that helps grow Future Leaders.
The best thing about being a Future Leader
It’s another way to be the conduit of communication from people to their professional body.
Hayley Wright, Ministry of Defence
Age: 29
Current role: OHSE audit and assurance leader at defence equipment and support
Time in industry: Seven years
How and why did you get into the health and safety industry?
I graduated with an undergraduate and master’s degree in law. I specialised in sustainable development and corporate governance, so I wanted a role that incorporated these elements, along with variety, challenges and progression. This was realised when I began a career in quality, safety, health and environment (QSHE) at Wincanton, one of the UK’s largest logistics companies. I progressed quickly and undertook the NEBOSH general certificate and lead auditor qualification.
After being selected for an emerging management talent programme, I became safety manager for a multi-million-pound contract. Wanting to further my development in a more strategically focused role, in 2018, I joined defence equipment and support. I’ve had exposure to an exciting range of work and have successfully led the organisation on some high-profile work.
I am currently studying for the NEBOSH diploma via distance learning. At times it has been challenging managing a full-time role, personal commitments and study, but despite this I’ve thrived in my studies and enjoyed the course.
What are you passionate about as a health and safety professional?
As workplaces continue to change, so has the role of the health and safety professional. In parity with comprehensive technical knowledge, strategic thinking and astute leadership skills are vital to prospering in the profession, regardless of your seniority or experience.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future of OSH, and personally?
More focus on nurturing emerging talent and promoting the profession as a rousing and rewarding career path. On a personal level, aside from completing my diploma, I intend to keep thriving with a view to moving into a leadership position where I will continue to drive meaningful change.
Hayley’s advice to those new to OSH
Build up your relationships with the workforce and go out and see what is happening on the ground; it will give you an appreciation of the challenges your colleagues face and the insight to be much more pragmatic in your approach to safety.
Work-life lessons: filling the talent pool
Biggest professional challenge so far
When I was promoted to a contract QSHE manager. Not only was this an increase in responsibilities, but I was both the only female and youngest member on the senior management team. I was faced with unfamiliar safety issues as well as the need to quickly step up into a role requiring strong and unfaltering leadership. Through tenacity and dedication to understanding the operations of the contract that I was working on, I gained credibility (and results) in my work.
Making a difference
Future Leaders are vital in keeping the profession moving forward and the pool of talent high. They are important in challenging professional stereotypes and making it more inclusive and representative.
Inspiration
If you surround yourself with people who always agree with you, you will never develop and grow professionally. Sometimes it’s good to recalibrate and challenge the way you do or think about something.
