So being a height safety instructor is a very specific roll within the health and safety world, there are many working at height instructors but not many that specialise in the PPE and specifics of fall protection!
My journey
I was just about to leave the military after serving for 13 years and I knew that I wanted to instruct as I fell in love with teaching after a 3-year stint as a firefighting and rescue instructor with in the Royal Navy, I had just completed a Disaster Management course at Bournemouth University and was interested in the mining sector and thought this was the route I wanted to take, health and safety for the mining world!
I had a coupled of interviews lined up, one was for the magical mining company and the other was for a safety company based close to where I was living at the time. Now these were the days before online calendars (I am old but not that old!) and I had the two interviews set up for the same day but had left my notes and job description at home. For some reason I got the company’s the wrong way round, I though the first company were interviewing me for the mining position so in I go, all prepared to stun them with my mining knowledge, my rescue case studies and my pre prepared presentation (Breathing apparatus). I thought the interview when very well and was called back again for a second interview, at this point I realised this was the safety company not the mining company! But the good news, they were so impressed with my training skills they offered me the job as a height safety and rescue instructor for predominately the construction industry!!
I never did get to interview for the mining company as the person was sick that day! So, believe in fate or not this is my short story on how I fell into height safety and rescue… pun intended!
I have absolute loved every moment working in height safety, I have had the privilege to work in construction, aviation, rail, manufacturing and yes, I had a chance to go to Turkey to do some rescue training for a mining company!
If you would like to know more about height safety training for your company then please get in touch with me and I can help.
By Sara Quayle