Day 19 OSHBods

Day 19 of our Advent Calendar is written by David Foy CFIOSH FIIRSM AIFSM , LOHSG Member.

Health and Safety can be a lonely profession with many Occupational Safety & Health Professionals (OSHBods) feeling that they are working in their own little world and having feelings that no one else understands the ‘silo’ they are locked in.??

Yet, this is so far from reality.?

Businesses may compete against each other, trade secrets may be protected more than life itself, but the one thing that all OSHBods have in common is the goal for all employees to go home in a safe and healthy state at the end of each working day and over recent years, I have come to realise that it doesn’t matter where you work, where you live, what sector you work in, Health and Safety has no borders……?

In summer 2020, during lockdown, I was asked to participate as a judge in the African Safety?Awards For Excellence (AfriSAFE).?

I had many questions:?

• What did I know about working across the African continent???
• How could I judge an application when I didn’t fully understand the issues in different countries??
• How could I relate to the risks and controls being implemented on another continent??

After thinking these questions through and wondering what I could possibly give back as a judge, I agreed to be a judge for the 2020 awards and I have been honoured to return as part of the judging panels in both 2021 and 2022.???

The most recent awards were held at the start of November 2022 and I have to say that it was really pleasing to see that the quality of the applications were even more inspiring than the previous years.?

The themes in many of this years AfriSAFE applications mirror those that we face in the UK every day.?

• Improving workforce engagement?
• Occupational health concerns as well as physical safety issues?
• Mental Health and Wellbeing?
• Recruitment and mentoring of younger people into the sector?
• Community engagement at school level?
• Contractor Management?

It is more important than ever to be involved with others, to share ideas, to learn from each other to remove the ‘silo’ feeling.?

Being a part of active supportive network groups, such as the Lancashire Occupational Health and Safety Group is so beneficial and really shows how collaboration and sharing of information can remove the ‘silo’ mentality and can help to support fellow OSHBods, wherever we are.?

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About Dave:

After leaving school with a good level of education, I began my working life with a company called Eric B Miller Ltd. This was a north west located vehicle paint factory. I realised pretty quickly that I enjoyed the work and in particular the customer focused part of the job. After a couple of company changes (Eric Millers became Car-Men Supplies then closed, I moved to Spray Shop Supplies and also had a 1yr stint working for P&K Industries before returning to Spray Shop Supplies), I spent the next 18yrs working in the automotive industry.

In 1999 while still working at Spray Shop Supplies, I was approached with regards to undertaking an additional role, this was as SHE Co-Ordinator for the network of branches that we had across the UK. This was my first step on the H&S ladder.

For the next 5 years, I developed my skills and understanding of H&S, completed my Nebosh Certificate and many other courses.

In 2004, following a decision to close the UK network, I found a new challenge in my role as H&S Officer at Preston College. This new role provided an excellent platform to further develop my knowledge and skills. I have been able to achieve a number of qualifications across a wide spectrum of subject areas including a NVQ L4/5 in Occupational Health & Safety Management. In 2010, I successfully applied for and was accepted to the role of H&S Manager for the College.

In May 2013, it was an honour to be asked by my peers to take up the role of coordinator for the North West AOC Health & Safety Group.

In February 2014, I successfully completed all required steps and achieved Chartered Membership status with IOSH, which I am so proud of.

In November 2020, I began a new role at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) as part of the S.H.E. Team and I was also accepted as a Chartered Fellow of IOSH.

I am committed to simple practical safety solutions, my experiences allow me to understand how tasks are required to work and the methods we can use to minimise the risks.

This article was prepared or accomplished by the author named at the top in their personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Lancashire Occupational Health and Safety Group. Similarly any facts mentioned have been taken in good faith as accurate. LOHSG is not responsible for any errors or omissions. ?#wearelohsg