Foundation of future success

Andy, you have worked at NEBOSH for over a year now having previously worked extensively in the education industry. While the link between NEBOSH and education is strong, the health and safety industry was new to you, what has struck you about the profession? 

I have found the OSH community to be very welcoming and thoroughly committed to its mission to save lives and get people home safe and healthy from work. While it is quite well networked, there are also opportunities for greater collaboration and cooperation both in the UK and internationally, in which NEBOSH can play a fuller part.

NEBOSH is now a member of the Occupational Safety and Health Stakeholder Alliance, which was established last year. Collectively, the Alliance members' competencies span the full spectrum of OSH considerations, from education and regulation to policy creation, professional standards, and thought leadership. 

I am especially pleased that mental health will be an immediate area of focus for the Alliance. Mental health issues associated with the workplace account for more than 50% of all workplace “incidents” according to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). An early priority for the Alliance will be to prioritise, identify, develop and implement measures to equip the OSH profession to more effectively mitigate the risk factors giving rise to mental health issues in the workplace.

Could you tell us about some of your most memorable moments so far? 

Three come to mind.

Graduation is top of the list and a stand-out moment for me. It is an event and a moment of great significance for our learners, who travel from across the globe with friends and family to celebrate their achievement. I know it is also a moment of great pride for our staff and a rare opportunity for them to meet and talk with our learners and future Alumni. Last year, we welcomed over 450 Diplomates and more than 1,000 guests, and we anticipate a similar number joining us this year.  

Another key moment has been launching our new strategy – this has been a product of extensive consultation with staff, stakeholders and learners.  Its emphasis upon quality as the foundation for all that we do is a principle about which I am especially passionate – as are our people. 

The third and final moment is very recent – a group of staff successfully completed an arduous mountain walk in North Wales in support of a local charity and I was delighted to be able to participate. It was a welcome opportunity to spend time with colleagues outside of work and a great reflection of the values and spirit of NEBOSH.

What challenges do you think the industry faces? And how can NEBOSH help to overcome them? 

The challenges faced by the OSH community and our wider profession mirror those faced by society at large. The long-term effects of the pandemic on working habits are only starting to be more fully understood. But we already know that the mental health of many people was massively affected. The longer-term implications for the mental wellbeing of those in work need to be more effectively supported, and this is why, alongside our partners in the OSH Alliance, we are giving mental health such a high priority.

Another aspect is the normalisation of hybrid working and our building a better understanding of its long-term implications for workforce wellbeing. We are social creatures, and while remote working offers much in terms of efficiency, it needs to be balanced against the value we gain by being together in the same space at the same time—and the benefits this offers in terms of team cohesion, organisational dynamics, and personal wellbeing.

In recognising these issues, NEBOSH is embracing ‘agile’ as an underpinning working philosophy – and in doing so taking the opportunity that it offers us to bring groups of staff together on a regular basis to engage on key strategic issues and challenges. Our quarterly ‘big room planning’ events involve dozens of staff from multiple disciplines and are proving to be extremely valuable - both in terms of the contribution they make to good decision-making/workload prioritisation and in terms of embedding opportunities for formalised staff socialisation. 

You mentioned the OSH Alliance earlier. Can you tell us more about any other collaborations you’re involved in? 

NEBOSH is an inherently collaborative organisation, and we have established relationships with a wide range of partners including IIRSM, HSE, RoSPA Awards, IOSH and L’Oreal to name but a few.   I anticipate both developing existing relationships and creating new ones, especially internationally, in the coming years – particularly as we develop new approaches to fulfilling our social purpose and charitable objectives.

I am especially interested in developing initiatives with new and existing partners that will support greater diversity and inclusion in the OSH workforce

Are there any health and safety topics/issues that you are personally passionate about? 

I spend my leisure time scuba diving (and I also instruct new divers) – so safety in, near and around water is something I am very alert to. Recently, I have been struck by the number of young people who, having lost the opportunity to learn to swim during the pandemic, are poorly equipped to be in the water. Alongside the challenge facing the provision of swimming pools in the UK I fear we may be storing up trouble for the future.

In teaching new scuba divers I (along with other instructors) draw on the principles underpinned by the field of ‘human factors’, a concept and approach strongly promoted by the CIEHF (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors), a fellow member of the OSH Alliance. So, in this way, my ‘work’ and ‘play’ are inherently connected. 

People may not know that NEBOSH is a charity, what does this mean in practice? 

Everything we do is geared towards achieving our charitable purpose. In addition to our core work as an awarding organisation, we have several established initiatives, including bursaries, scholarships and free CPD events. As a major part of our new strategy, we are committed to significantly increasing our investment in our social purpose – regarding which we will be announcing a number of new initiatives later this year. I hope that it will become a distinctive and significant expression of our identity as a globally active awarding organisation – and deliver real impact where it's most needed. 

NEBOSH launched its 2024-2027 strategy in April 2024. Can you tell us a bit more about your vision for NEBOSH over the next three years? 

Yes – in brief (for the detail, please see our newly published strategy which can be downloaded from the NEBOSH website) it is to:

• Maintain an exemplary level of regulatory compliance 
• Deliver a transformed approach to assessment design
• Grow our provision of core qualifications 
• Provide an outstanding customer service
• Be an employer of choice
• And for our work as a charity to be more widely valued 

NEBOSH will be nearly 50 in 2027, what is it that sets NEBOSH apart and has made it so successful over the years? 

Our focus is on three things: the quality of our awards, their applicability to the workplace of tomorrow, and doing right by our people. These themes remain central to our new strategy and are the essential foundations for our future success.

And finally, in the more short-term, is there anything that you are excited about? 

Yes – spending more time with our key international partners to better understand their needs and priorities for the future so we can continue to be their awarding organisation of choice. I aim to meet with our many key international Learning Partners over the coming year alongside learners and Alumni. NEBOSH is valued and appreciated for our work on a worldwide basis – but we cannot take that for granted, and it is especially important that we align our awards to both emerging as well as existing needs.

Andy Shenstone is chief executive of NEBOSH. The NEBOSH 2024-2027 Strategy is available to download at: www.nebosh.org.uk/strategy/