Sarah James, health and safety consultant at Carney Consultancy.
What were your career ambitions growing up?
I wanted to be a police officer but as you can see that changed!
Tell us about your current role?
I am a health and safety consultant at Carney Consultancy, we are a health and safety, training specialist consultancy working in the construction and engineering sectors.
I help provide services and advice in areas such as health and safety and accident investigations. I also teach courses in manual handling, health and safety awareness and train the tester (Face fit testing). This is a method of ensuring that a face piece or mask is tight-fitting and seals adequately to the wearer’s face. I also prepare health and safety documentation required for projects such as risk assessments, method statements and construction phase plans. I also carry out ISO internal auditing for businesses to help them achieve ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 9001 standards.
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
The quick pace of the construction industry. Work is constantly changing and as a safety professional it is important to be aware of ongoing activities to ensure safety standards remain high throughout the construction phase.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working with a number of clients to gain ISO accreditation. I am also involved in numerous projects offering health and safety services on an ongoing basis. In between working I am finding time to study for my final unit of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) diploma.
Tell us about your team
My team comprises of consultants and health and safety advisors, each entering the organisation from a range of backgrounds – we have graduates, those who took the apprenticeship option and others who started their careers via the trades. To have members of the team who have trade specific knowledge adds real value when dealing with construction clients.
We also have a fantastic business support team to help with admin duties.
What are your proudest achievements?
My proudest achievement would be changing career in my late 20s to enter the world of construction. During the pandemic I achieved my NEBOSH Construction Certificate, NVQ Level six in occupational health and safety and I am awaiting my NEBOSH Diploma results and entry to the national fit2fit register.
Using my experience, I helped to train two of our latest recruits and was really proud to help share my knowledge and help guide them at the start of their journey.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I would like to have grown my knowledge in health and safety even further into more specialised areas and developed my career to enable me to help train more new people within the construction industry and within my health and safety role.
How do you like to unwind outside of work?
Outside of work I like to spend my time with friends, family and walking my Labrador, Ollie. I also like to travel and experience new countries and places. I am also an active member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) North East group where I enjoy participating in numerous events to raise the profile and help support other women in the sector and those thinking of entering it.
I also really enjoy paddleboarding as do lots of our team. As the Carney Consultancy office is located a stone throw from the sea, at North Shields, many of us have taken up paddle boarding. Along with my colleague, Kerry Benson, I am helping to arrange a trip to Wast Water in September for some of the NAWIC ladies, where paddle boarding will be a key activity.