Career Suggestion

Health and safety adviser

Health and safety advisers develop policies designed to reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and health issues in the workplace.

Average salary (a year)

£26000.0 to £48000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

37.0 to 40.0 a week

You could work

between 8am and 6pm flexibly

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • training through a professional body

University

You can do a degree in a subject, such as:

  • occupational safety, health and environment
  • environmental health

You might also be able to apply to do a postgraduate qualification in health and safety, if you have a degree related to a particular industry. Examples include construction, engineering or manufacturing.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Safety, Health and Environment Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

You can also do an Environmental Health Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

These can take between 2 and 4 years to complete and combine on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Other Routes

You could study for a general health and safety qualification while you're working, or to improve your chances of finding a trainee position.

Topics will include:

  • health and safety in the workplace
  • monitoring risks
  • legal regulations
  • carrying out health and safety assessments

Courses are often flexible with options to study part-time or online.

You can take approved health and safety courses through:

More Information

Professional and Industry Bodies

The Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register has a list of organisations offering membership, which can help with professional development.

Further Information

You can find out more about a career in health and safety from:

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • the ability to work well with others
  • persistence and determination
  • legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • excellent written communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Day-to-day tasks

As a health and safety adviser, you could:

  • develop safety policies and procedures for your organisation
  • advise and train staff on health and safety good practices
  • make regular inspections and report issues to managers
  • do risk assessments
  • investigate and record accidents in the workplace
  • work closely with relevant inspectors and trade unions

Your workplace will depend on your industry. It is likely to combine office-based tasks with on-site and off-site training and inspections.

Working environment

You could work in an office.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

With experience, you could move into a safety management role.

You could also become a consultant and specialise in a particular area like environmental, construction or fire safety.

With further study, you could move into research, training or lecturing.

Related careers

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