Health and Safety Inspector

Health and safety inspectors work for the Civil Service. They make sure that places of work are safe for workers and members of the public.

They inspect machinery, management systems, working methods, and the use and storage of dangerous substances. They check that employers and employees follow health and safety regulations.

The Work

You could be:

• inspecting factories and other industrial or commercial premises (except shops), oil-rigs, railways, mines, nuclear installations, building sites, hospitals, sports grounds, fairgrounds and agricultural sites


• checking the safety and calculating risk factors of machines, building methods, or the use of chemicals


• taking photos and measuring noise, temperature and vibration levels


• investigating the causes of accidents including fatal accidents


• warning employers or managers about bad practices and initiating enforced changes


• if necessary, working with the Crown Office and procurator fiscal who decide whether to carry out prosecutions


• writing reports of inspections


• attending a court of law to give evidence


• keeping up to date with new legislation and health and safety standards.

Conditions

• You would work in an office but spend a lot of time visiting premises and sites or attending court.


• Each year you have a certain number of premises to inspect.


• These may be dirty, noisy or dangerous.


• You may have to work in confined spaces or at heights.


• You would wear protective clothing.


• you might have to spend overnights away from home


• In an emergency you may have to work evenings, nights or weekends.


• The civil service offers additional benefits.

Getting In

• You usually need a degree, or at least Higher National Diploma (HND) in any subject. For some specialist posts you need specialised qualifications, for example to be a Chartered Engineer.


• You might be able to apply without an HND or degree if you have two years suitable work experience and other suitable qualifications.


• You must have Standard grade Maths.


• You must meet Civil Service nationality requirements.


• You need a driving licence.


• You should be fit as you might have to visit dangerous sites and work at heights or in small spaces.

What Does It Take?

You should be:

• committed to improving health and safety in the workplace


• observant – to spot safety hazards


• honest, responsible and fair


• tactful, assertive calm and professional


• accurate – you may need to collect information for use in court


• able to analyse written and numerical data and write clear concise reports


• confident to work alone and make decisions


• able to judge when to consult specialists


• able to get on well with people from all backgrounds.

• IT skills


• a good memory for legal requirements and technical matters


• excellent communication skills.

Training

• All training is in-house by the learning and development section of the HSE.


• New entrants attend short courses which may be residential and may study for a Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health. The diploma covers modules in legal and investigation, safety and risk assessment, occupational health and hygiene and business awareness, people and influencing skills.

Getting On

You could gain promotion within the HSE.

• You could become a specialist inspector in, for example: mechanical engineering, control and instrumentation, electrical engineering, fire and explosion, microbiology, process safety and plant integrity, human factors, marine engineering, naval architecture, diving, predictive analysis, risk assessment, explosives, or well engineering.


• You may be able to move on to become a principal inspector.

Pay

The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:

• where you work


• the area in which you work


• the demand for the job.

More Information

Addresses

The following organisation(s) may be able to provide further information.