Six Points to Be considered to Enter the Field of HSE & To Become a Good HSE Practitioner At Workplace:

Six Points to Be considered to Enter the Field of HSE

Health, Safety and Environmental Practitioners are those individuals who have been hired by organizations for the position of HSE Specialists, HSE Officers, HSE Managers and HSE Engineers etc. they have the necessary skills in the field of HSE. HSE Practitioners play an important role in the field of HSE in any organization. Now, if you are working in the field of HSE or if you want to enter into the field of Health, Safety Environment then mentioned below points should be considered to ensure good development of yourself and proper implementation of your knowledge at the workplace.

1. HSE Practitioner Qualification:

The first and most important part to enter into the field of HSE and to get your desired designation in the field of HSE in any organization is that you must have a basic qualification in the field of HSE. Now, here I would like to demonstrate that there is a difference between the basic academic qualification and the basic qualification in terms of health and safety. Individuals who already have the basic qualification such as a minimum bachelor’s level degree is only not enough to enter the field of HSE.

Companies are always looking for those individuals who have at least basic qualifications in terms of HSE. So, if you want to enter into the field of HSE then there are plenty of options in certifications that you should obtain before entering into this field.

These certifications are IOSH Managing Safely from the UK, NEBOSH International General Certificate, Certifications related to construction safety (if you desire to work in the construction field) or Certifications related to oil and gas (if you desire to work in oil and gas), Certifications related to scaffold safety and certifications related to fire safety etc.

Nowadays, there are plenty of options available for students to enrol online, via distance learning and you can just google the nearby HSE Institute, but utmost attention should be given to the institute registration (that from where your selected institute has been registered from?).

If your institute has been registered by the local government and it is a service provider or a course provider of internationally recognised courses in HSE, the worth of their certifications will be much more as compared to other course providers.

2. Initial Experience:

Nowadays, if you look at any job opportunity for HSE. Each and every employer is asking for an experienced employee. Remember, in most countries, there is a legal requirement to put an experienced HSE Practitioner at work. Because the role of an HSE Practitioner is a very responsible job and the HR department of the company is well aware of that information. Even there is a demand from the client and consultant of the project to put an experienced person at work only.

But even when the criteria of selection are very tough still there are some opportunities available for fresh candidates also.

If you have your basic qualification in HSE and your academic qualification is good. Then google for jobs as an Assistant HSE Officer or Trainee HSE Officer at the Initial stage and apply for these jobs on a regular basis. Remember that the employer receives so many resumes and the job is usually based on the specified timeline of application submission. So, be proactive once you decided to enter this field.

3. Up To Date Information:

As an HSE Practitioner, you must have a clear understanding of your roles and responsibilities within the organization. For example, as an HSE Practitioner is not your scope of work to conduct housekeeping at the workplace. The concerned team should conduct housekeeping tasks for whoever created poor housekeeping. They have to assign people to conduct housekeeping.

To avoid that conflict, initially when you join any organization please ask them to submit you your roles and responsibilities details in writing. This will help you to clearly understand what you need to do and what you don’t need to do at the workplace.

As an HSE Practitioner, you must clear understanding of the work plans and procedures. You must make sure that you have updated information about the HSE Statistics. For example, how many first aid cases occur this month and how many lost time injuries have been recorded from the last few months? Keep yourself updated with the minutes of the meeting of HSE.

You must make sure that you must have updated legal requirements. This can be done by browsing on the internet on HSE Websites related to your country and the best practices information can be get easily from the websites and from other HSE Practitioners. It is very beneficial to share good practices with your nearby HSE Practitioners. But you should keep in mind that you maintain and follow the organization’s policy for not sharing any confidential information about the process or equipment etc.

4. Feedback from Client & Consultant:

To check that your work is satisfactory at the workplace. Look for feedback from the client and consultant on the project. For example, issues raised by the consultant have been closed-out by your advice within the timeframe and good feedback has been received from the client and consultant. It clearly demonstrates that you are working well. Check the feedback from your concern manager also.

5. Continual Improvement:

Always try to keep enrol with new certifications. Working towards continuous professional development should be maintained.

6. Independent Advice:

The role of HSE practitioners in terms of giving independent advice is very necessary for the workplace. As a good HSE Practitioner, you should be able to give independent advice to your team where required. For example, workers are planning to work at height to do the paint job and you are the only HSE Practitioner in that area. They came to you and asked you if they want to work at a height of approximately 1-meter height. So, as an HSE Practitioner, you could advise them to use larger sticks for the paint job and therefore the work at height will be eliminated.