A safety adviser is responsible for ensuring an organisation creates a safe and secure environment optimal to the health of those working in or making use of an area. The role of a safety advisor has seen increasing importance as firms face pressure to comply with health and safety regulations, although the complexity of the role can vary greatly depending on the type of environment the adviser is responsible for, for example an offshore drilling rig compared to an administrative office. Tasks of a safety adviser may include risk assessments, health and safety training, compliance with legislation, maintainance of safety records, management of the disposal of hazardous assets or giving specialist advice. For graduates entering the field, it may be advantageous to have a degree in risk management or health and safety management, although there are many professional qualifications that can be obtained on-the-job. Further to the necessary technical knowledge required, graduates looking to become safety advisers should have strong communication and interpersonal skills along with both patience and assertiveness. Let’s hear more from graduates working directly in the field…

1. Day-to-Day Tasks

‘Participate in behavioural training exercises. Run presentations. Create new ideas for the company to develop across the UK. Attend different events from sustainability to conflict management. Write instructions for UK Safety Coach workers on how to create effective risk assessments.’
Safety, Health and Environment Graduate, at Nestle
 
‘Lots of interaction with different personnel. Meetings to attend on a general scale down to very job specific tasks. Projects and fact finding reports to do. No two days are the same.’
Safety Adviser, at nucleargraduates
 
‘I interact with other safety and engineering specialists as work on the standards for managing major accident hazards.’
Engineering Graduate, Process Safety at Centrica

2. Best and worst things about working as a safety adviser

‘Interesting job with lots of challenges. Great learning experience. I personally have had to relocate a long way away from friends and family.’
Safety Adviser, at nucleargraduates
 
‘I interact with lots of people within the company but I am mainly office based.’
Engineering Graduate, Process Safety at Centrica
 
‘The opportunities within the business are endless. Limitless resources made available to ensure I receive the highest quality training, both internal and external. Constantly changing consumer pool means we sometimes get left behind with our work focus and ideologies.’
Safety, Health and Environment Graduate, at Nestle

3. Average working hours

8am – 5pm

4. Average graduate salary

£27,000 – £29,000

5. Interview tips

Application Advice: Be honest from start to finish
Interview Advice: Research the projects Mott are working on currently. Know your degree and modules. Be prepared to talk about some specific examples of your work
Human Factors Engineer, Human Factors at Mott MacDonald
 
Application Advice: Show willingness to learn and develop in many areas of the business. Be flexible with location. Have a good results focus. Demonstrate your initiative
Interview Advice: Knowledge of the FMCG industry and current issues it facing e.g. Nutrition and Health, STEM skills shortage. Reasons for applying to the scheme and what benefits will it give you and the company. Examples of using your initiative and achieving results in challenging circumstances. Be prepared to listen.
SHE Graduate, Safety Health and Environmental Sustainability (SHE) at Nestle
 
Application Advice: Take care when filling out the application. The process is quick so ensure that you have filled it out as best as you can.
Interview Advice: Research the company before hand as questions regarding the core values will come up. Don’t be afraid to volunteer to go first in some of the interview tasks and don’t be afraid to admit you are wrong if you make a mistake.
Graduate HSE Advisor, UK HSE at Wood Group
 
Click here to view the full range of job reviews by graduates working as safety advisers.

 

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Jazz Panesar is a Digital and Technology Apprentice at Severn Trent. Read Jazz’s story here.

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Have your own questions prepared. It's your turn! As the interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is "What can I answer for you?" Your interviewer will expect you to have...
2
Research the Company. Do your homework about the employer and the industry so you are ready for the interview question "What do you know about this company?"
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