Top of the class for health and safety

For the third time in four years, a Northumbria University, Newcastle student has been named one of the best in the UK for studies relating to occupational health and safety.

Northumbria University has offered NEBOSH courses for more than 20 years. NEBOSH is the National Examination Board for Occupational Safety and Health and its courses provide a wide range of professionally-recognised qualifications for those working in the health and safety, environmental awareness and management sectors, as part of their continuing professional development.

During the 2017/18 academic year, student Edd Scott, was the UK’s top performer in Unit D of the National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.

Edd was a Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Advisor at Tyne and Wear public transport operator, Nexus. His place on the part-time course was funded by his employer, and thanks to his successful completion, he has since been promoted to a Senior Advisor position.

He said: “I knew I had scored well in my assessment but had no idea how well. It wasn’t until graduation day that it sank in how big an achievement it was to have the top score nationally and internationally for this module. It probably helped that I really enjoyed writing the assignment, which was an accumulation of all the knowledge learned from the first three exams.

He was presented with the Best Candidate Award by NEBOSH for his achievement by Martin Temple CBE, Chair of the Health and Safety Executive.

Edd enjoyed his studies and believes they contributed to his recent promotion to a more senior role.

“I enjoyed studying at the University. The course material was excellent and the online portal for sharing information and course content was very helpful. I would – and have – highly recommend anyone to study for the NEBOSH Diploma with Northumbria.

He added: “I was recently promoted to the role of senior HSQE advisor. I see the NEBOSH Diploma as the stepping stone I have needed to further progress my career and hope one day to be able to study at Northumbria for a health and safety PhD.”

Managing Director of Nexus, Tobyn Hughes, said: “Edd Scott is a Nexus success story and this is a great achievement for him. It underlines our ongoing commitment to health and safety excellence in everything that we do.

“Many of the services that Nexus provides will involve staff working day and night in safety critical roles. We must keep up the highest standards of occupational health and safety. Training and development is one of the key ways of ensuring that we get it right.”

Dr Mike Deary, Associate Professor in Northumbria University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, said: “NEBOSH courses are aimed at students across every sector and workplace. There is no typical student, and I think this is what often makes the courses so enjoyable as our students have such a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Some are just starting out on their journey in this profession, whereas others have been involved for a long time, but want to gain formal recognition and qualifications.

“Edd was a keen and active member of the class – always contributing and helping the whole group with their learning. He achieved such a high mark because of his attention to detail, combined with some thorough research.

“We are clearly offering a high quality learning experience on our courses, as exemplified by Northumbria students achieving best candidate awards three times in the last four years, including the best overall NEBOSH Diploma candidate award.

“I believe the reason for this is the passion and experience of the tutor team who come from a range of practitioner backgrounds, including the Health and Safety Executive and the public and private sectors. This experience allows them to really bring the subject to life.”

Northumbria CPD student working for Nexus wins national health and safety award from NEBOSH from Northumbria University on Vimeo.

Northumbria University began offering the NEBOSH Certificate in 1996 and has since expanded its range to include the NEBOSH Diploma, Construction Certificate and the Certificate in Environmental Management. The courses are offered in a variety of attendance modes, including part-time, distance learning and block study.

Anyone interested in seeing the full range of NEBOSH courses offered by Northumbria University can find our more on our Continuing Professional Development short courses web pages.

NEBOSH courses are provided through the Northumbrian Environmental Training and Research Centre provides dedicated research and consultancy for hundreds of companies across the UK in environmental issues and analytical services for industry, as well as its range of accredited training courses.