A Journey into QHSE

Today I was in a reflective mood and started thinking of my journey within the world of QHSE. Now I may not have been in this role for as long as some, but I have gained experiences that others would never get the chance to have.

After a career in her Majesty's Royal Air Force, I decided that I would run a pub. How hard could it be I had spent of my working life in them so easy peasy. Cue a rude awakening. Up at 6 am for the dray man delivery. Then the cleaner. this took me up to 10am. First customer 17.00 as the pub was on a working estate. As you can guess this did not last long. Too much time on my hands. I was there for 9/11 and that sticks in my mind as i watched it unfold in a quiet bar.

I moved on to work for the prison service. Nope not for me. Felt as locked up as the inmates and did not want to know what they were in for as it changes your perception of the person.

I decided to go back to working in fuel. Went to work for a company called Staffordshire Fuels . Really enjoyed my time there. Up to 30 deliveries a day across the beautiful countryside. After a few years I once again had itchy feet( maybe the forces did this to me with postings every 3-4 years). I moved to working for the big boys at BP. Again, a very enjoyable role travelling up and down the country. Audio books to keep me company, 3 -4 drops a day and a nice automatic to drive. Happy days.

As you can guess itchy feet once again after a few years. I decided that maybe re trading was the route to take.

Out of the blue I received a call from a recruiter who asked if I wanted to work in Afghanistan for a fuel company supporting the coalition forces as a hot refuel manager. After discussing with the family the pros and cons, the choice was made. Short term pain long term gain.

After interviews and background checks I finally had my movement order. Flight to Dubai, medical, couple of days as a tourist then off to the sandpit.

I could go into lots of detail at this point but maybe thats for another time. Long story short I transferred into the QHSE team with my new boss Robert Auger taking a chance on me. I have never forgot the chance he gave me and have stayed in touch over the years. He has done me many a favour including helping me to get other positions.

I felt like I had found the job I had been looking for. I took auditors courses, NEBOSH general and anything else I could get my hands on. We improved our policies and procedures, conducted training and created an audit schedule. I visited Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek and other areas to carry out due diligence audits of potential fuel storage and delivery sites. I travelled to FOB’S to conduct QHSE audits and training as required. I conducted laboratory ISO17025 audits, and I gained a lot of experience during this time and was thankful for the role I was doing. After 3 years of contracting, I went back to the UK and left behind some good friends from many different countries and nations and a lot of good and bad memories.

On my return to the UK, I got a position within a consultancy firm( Newton ) working in QHSE and Information security. ISO 27001 had never on my radar but gave it a go and found the standard very interesting(yes im a nerd).

My boss Fred Church was an ex-wing commander who made the job enjoyable and rewarding. Auditing, training,creating policies and procedures for the current systems(9001 and 18001) and the new system?ISO 207001. We successfully achieved and maintained certification, and this was something I was proud of. I stayed at Newton for a couple of years before deciding to find a new adventure. This was another hard decision as the company sets high standards that help you improve and it felt like you belonged within a family.

I applied for a QHSE managers role within SGS . I had heard of the company during my time in different areas and seemed like a natural progression in my career. Robert Auger gave me a glowing reference and this managed to get me a foot in the door( that plus Nicola Klein at principle people getting me the interview). I had three interviews before getting the position. I enjoyed the work immensely and my boss Anne-Louise Farrar gave me free reign to implement lots of new processes and training packages. We implemented a new document control system ( Q-PULSE) that after a lot of hard work was used throughout the UK business lines. SGS gave me experience in manufacturing, local government, food testing, textile testing, metallurgy, mining, and so many other areas. The team I worked with where outstanding. Nicola Taylor and I ran Q-Pulse and other areas from Oldbury, and she kept me inline. I thought I would see out my working life at SGS. This was not meant to be.

I was called to see if I fancied working in Afghan again and I took the opportunity offered to me by Gary Muldoon . Robert Auger once again came through with a glowing reference and also a word with contacts he had on the inside. Off I went again to Kandahar as the QHSE Manager for NCS | A World Fuel Company . Once again very enjoyable work. Unfortunately, I arrived just as COVID struck the world. It was nearly 8 months before I could return to the UK on leave. I stayed in Afghan until almost the very end. I think ,like most of the guys and girls, if it hadn’t of ended I would still be there now.

On returning to the UK, I had a position with WFS as an Technical Operations Manager. This was a home based role and I quickly found out I do not like my own company ( I’m sure a lot people feel that way about me). ?I applied for a couple of roles within the middle east and after interviews i was offered the role of QHSE manager working for Hill Robinson Estates in Hospitality. This role has been a challenge as there where limited policies and procedures in place.

My new boss Damien Frantz ( French but I don’t hold it against him) is keen for improvements and change. Between us we have implemented a QHSE management system and introduced Q-Pulse into the company. We have a training schedule to help to improve the knowledge of the guys and girls here. We have created policies and procedures that meet the requirments of ISO.

I have just completed my FAA level 3 award in education and my FAW instructors course to allow me to teach FAW to the employees and issue the certificates.

Its been over year since I started this position(no itchy feet yet) and when I look back through my journey and when I first started I have come to a few conclusions. QHSE is a job you never fully learn as things change constantly. This is a good thing that keeps you learning and improving your knowledge. I take new courses when i can. Latest ones include HACCP and Food Safety. Each new course gives me a fresh look at what i can improve or change when required.

I think of the places I have been and the people I have met, and I hope I did a good job and improved things, gave knowledge and left it in a better position than when I arrived. I am thankful for the chances I was given and memories I have and look forward to making a few more.