H&S membership

Thanks very much to everyone - you have given me a bit to look into!

I appreciate your advice, I am currently studying NEBOSH gen cert, so I will probably look into IOSH first.
I will certainly be checking out all of the other places you have suggested, a couple have been mentioned that I had not considered.

Joanne,

NEBOSH are an examination body not a membership organisation. IOSH, IIRSM are membership bodies for H&S proffessionals but they also allow afiliate membership for those with H&S Qualifications not recognised by them (I am members of both as they both have good and not so good points). My organisation are members of the British Safety Council and they have proved very helpful in the apst. You might also like to consider ROSPA.
The organisationall have plus and minus points but the best thing to do is contact them and decide what you want from your membership and which is best for your needs.

Joanne, I would recommend going to the British Safety Council (BSC) first as they are a charity but have provision for excellent training and guidance.

I did exactly that and qualified for NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety (Level 3). Then you can apply to membership to IOSH and ask to be referred for assessment to TechIOSH status, your qualifications go to a panel and they approve your grading. You can then consider if you want to do CPD.

I also joined the IIRSM as they are a recognised body in the industry for professional support and advice.

There is also the option of the IIRSM, which is an alternative to IOSH(of which I am a member). But there are many: depends on what industry you are in. For instance, if you are intrested in fire safety and qualifications, there is the Fire Industry Association, also the Fire Protection Association.
I am a H&S bod too, a generalist if you like, and IOSH ticks the boxes for me, but that is merely my choice.
If you wish to go to other H&S forums for a quick look, IOSH has its own forum, and another which I look at is healthandsafetyforbeginners (ignore the title, quite tongue in cheek). Very different forums but both useful and informative, and there are others apart from those.

Depends what you are seeking to gain. The best known and most widely recognised organisation for individual safety practitioners/managers/advisers is IOSH. IOSH focusses on competency and professionalism of members through CPD and sets professional standards . Membership is primarily for individual safety practitioners. (NEBOSH is the National Examining board rather than a chartered membership organisation). However for company/corporate membership the British Safety Association and Rospa both offer company/corporate membership packages and a library of resources and services and may be more suitable for the company as a whole buying in to those. (There is also the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health which is the main chartered body for Environmental Health Officers and produces a lot of useful guidance - not geared towards company membership though).

Hi Joanne

Being a H&S practitioner, I would suggest NEBOSH and IOSH as two worthwhile organisations.

I would say though that membership is not enough - training, understanding and a proactive preventative approach must be a fundamental part of your company strategy and for you as managers.

I need a bit of advice, what would you consider to be the best/most helpful membership organisation with regards to H&S? I am looking for myself and my managers.
I can see the benefit of a few organisations but would appreciate some practical advice from people who are already members.
Comments much appreciated.