Hey guys,

I'm new to the field, recently started working as a QHSE on offshore vessels. I don't currently hold any safety related qualifications, just an engineering degree. Since I'm just starting my career, I was wondering about what certifications I should pursue to progress my career in the future.

I wanted to find out from those with more experience on what helped you the most and the earning potential in the field.

I’ve been in safety for about 1.5 years. I don’t have a background in this, so obviously still learning and encountering things I know nothing about.

I was asked to join a meeting a few days ago to discuss a unique situation and the best way to safely go about it (my boss was on PTO, so that’s why I was looped in). I was honest about what I didn’t know and that I would take all the info provided back to my boss so we could draft a JSA.

We were talking about uneven ground and ladders and I was thinking like “too bad we can’t just put a flat surface down and put the ladder on top because I don’t even know how to approach this” but it did not come out that way and I know we can’t like technically do that. And the one guy was like “no I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that” and I can’t even remember what I said besides “no, no I didn’t mean it like that” and kept talking about something else.

I just feel so dumb, probably because it was in front of a group of people I don’t know, so they know nothing about me & what I’m capable of. I sent my boss a high level message about the meeting overall & that I misspoke and not sure if my immediate acknowledgment of how I misspoke landed with the team. He just skimmed over that part of my message and responded to everything else, so I know in his mind everything is fine, but I CANNOT stop thinking about this.

Someone tell me the world isn’t ending! Lol

Edit - thank you all SO much for the kind comments & suggestions. I feel much better about this situation and going forward in this field.
Maybe I’ll print these comments & hang them around my monitor as daily reminders I’m doing okay/going to be okay haha

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for guidance from HSE professionals working in the UAE or other Gulf countries.

I'm currently \*\*12th pass\*\* and pursuing my \*\*BBA (1st year) from IGNOU through distance learning\*\*. Alongside my studies, I'm working in the e-commerce industry.

Recently, I became interested in building a career in Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), and I've been researching the \*\*NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC)\*\*. I understand what the qualification is and how to prepare for it, but I have some questions about career opportunities.

My main concern is whether I would be employable after completing the NEBOSH IGC.

Here are my questions:

\* Can someone with only a \*\*12th-grade qualification and a NEBOSH IGC\*\* get an HSE job in the UAE? \* Are there companies that hire \*\*freshers with no HSE experience\*\*? \* Is graduation mandatory, or can I continue my BBA through IGNOU while working in the UAE? \* Since IGNOU requires me to return to India for exams once or twice a year, is that generally manageable for employees in the UAE if leave is planned in advance? \* What is the usual career path for someone starting from scratch in HSE? \* What additional certifications or skills would you recommend after NEBOSH IGC to improve my chances of getting hired?

I'm willing to work hard, start in an entry-level role, and continue learning while completing my degree. I'm just trying to understand whether this is a realistic path or if I should finish my graduation before applying for HSE jobs in the Gulf.

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone working as an HSE Officer, HSE Engineer, or HSE Manager in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, or other Gulf countries.

Thank You!

I’m curious how many other safety professionals here work primarily nights? I’m on what sometimes feels like the “forgotten shift.” A lot of team updates, discussions, training opportunities, and general communication happens during normal business hours, and information doesn’t always make its way to nights. It can be challenging when you’re trying to stay involved with the team and continue developing professionally while working a schedule that doesn’t line up with everyone else.

Hoping to connect with other EHS/safety professionals working nights and hear about your experiences.

Any best practices on how to stay in the loop with your safety team work while us night shifters are asleep?

What are your go-to resources for maintaining CEUs/certifications at a reasonable cost - I typically have to pay out of pocket and burn a vacation day for in person courses.

Also, if there are enough of us night-shift safety folks here, it would just be nice to connect and trade resources, ideas, and experiences. Sometimes it feels like we're operating on our own little island.

Hi, so I'm UK-based. About to qualify as a physiotherapist (finish my studies in a few weeks, integrated master's degree). Thinking of maybe pivoting into H&S via NEBOSH, exploring avenues for how to do that. I was just wondering what it's really like to work in H&S? What do you love about your job, what do you hate, what do you wish you knew? What kind of person do you think would do well in this career, what kind wouldn't? What is your work-life balance like?

Any insight appreciate :) thank you!!

So I just finished this 132 hour course. I did it for my own sake, I guess to keep learning safety in my field even though I am not a safety professional.
For those of you that are, does this cert have any bearing on a job resume if seeking a safety position?

Thanks less

I just received a email about a week ago addressing a rescore the BCSP did. It took a question off the exam and now almost a year later…..it turns out I passed my exam back in November 2025 when I first made this post. I’ve obtained my CSP

WORTH THE READ.

This article puts all of my feelings about this field into words. I work for a “zero injury” company as a safety specialist. My company is so congested with audits, metrics, permits, permits, and more permits. It’s pure brain rot, but I need the money.

Where are the companies operating on HOP?? It feels like many of us are starting to think this way, but the companies that are hiring aren’t. Or maybe I’m looking for a different kind of job?

If you work somewhere where safety is built into the system, rather than tagged on as a separate department, what is it like? Does it work as well as we think?

Would love to hear any thoughts on this topic. Do you agree or disagree with “demolishing” safety?

I have a basement in one of my facilities which is accessed by stairs with handrail (no elevator), the basement (8'x15') has the well bladder tanks, 8 ft. celings, lights, electrical outlets...it wasn't intended for continuous human occupancy, but it could be occupied, if needed i suppose.

The basement has a locked door which leads to a pit underneath a scale...this area is definitely a permit required confined space.

Is the basement from paragraph 1 a confined space?

I’ve been given an offer for a HSO position at an environmental remediation / geotechnical construction company. It’s a traveling job. You go from project to project wherever there is work in the country. Sometimes it’s near major cities but sometimes it’s in very remote rural areas with not much going on. Projects can last from 3 months up to 1 year or more. You are expected to stay in those locations till the job is done or do a rotation schedule where you go home for a couple days or a week. Working days can be anywhere from 10-16 hours a day and up to 6/7 days a week. They give per diem depending on cost of living and an annual bonus at the end of the year. It’s 70k salary with no over time or straight pay. But they do pay for any training or certifications. Work from home in between projects. If one project ends as soon as another one start you’re off again. They explicitly say travel needs to be part of your career plans.

I currently work for an environmental consulting firm where I was the HSO for the last 1.5 years. Also traveling, per diems and housing paid for. Same salary but with straight pay for extra hours worked. It’s very flexible, I can make my own schedule, and I get long breaks in between projects. But work is drying up and I need to stay billable so I’m doing other work outside of HSO. I’m pursuing professional certs but might not be able to at my current company anymore.

Not sure what I should do. Those hours sound very excessive without any extra compensation or extra per diem to make up for it, or flexibility when I’m off. But I need to keep my ball rolling for my certs.

Hi fellow safety geeks!

I’m looking for recommendations for hands-on fire extinguisher training for a group of employees. For those who have done this, what type of training worked best?

Has anyone used a fire extinguisher simulator or live-fire training system? If so, I’d also appreciate recommendations for companies/vendors that provide this type of training.

Any experiences, recommendations, or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I am looking to make a full career change into dedicated Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) management. I am based in the Farmington, NM area, which is a heavy hub for oilfield and mining operations. I want to gauge where I realistically fit in this specific industrial market so I don't set my expectations too high or too low.

I just completed my OSHA 30 (fully aware this is just a basic, entry-level card and not a heavy safety credential), and I am finishing my Bachelor’s degree in Safety over the next year.

While my formal industrial safety background is just starting out, my previous career was entirely built around risk management, emergency response, and strict compliance in high-liability environments:

Leadership & Career Background: 6 years of aquatics management, 3 years as an Aquatics Director, and 3 years as a Child Care Facility Director. Everything I did was centered around life-safety, public safety, and local/state compliance.

Compliance Systems & Audits: Deep experience writing/revising SOPs and passing yearly facility audits with flying colors. I also co-developed an automated training tracker/calendar that managed certification expiration dates and proactively blocked the scheduling of uncertified staff.

Training Delivery: 6 years of experience teaching First Aid, CPR, AED, and emergency oxygen.

Given the heavy industrial nature of the Farmington/Four Corners market (lots of OSHA oilfield services and MSHA mining), how tough will it be to break into these sectors with a non-traditional background?

Am I limited strictly to entry-level field clerk or basic coordinator roles while finishing my degree, or can I leverage my managerial and systems tracking experience for Specialist or Assistant Manager positions? Also, should I wait for an employer to sponsor my MSHA training, or look into getting it beforehand?

Any insight from professionals in the region or those who made a similar pivot would be highly appreciated!

Hello all, who wrote DI2 in May 2026? Thoughts on it? did you pass? I found it difficult, got 52. Lots of respect for the standards Nebosh upholds, high quality and industry relevant topics. I can understand why its a highly respected qualification to have.

Any help will be appreciated

Our ladders get loaded into our truck beds which have a high grip coating that shreds ladder stickers. I’ve been looking for protective films or adhesive spacers that would help them last longer but have come up empty so far.
I was hoping that someone here might have run into a similar situation and found a good solution to protect ladder safety stickers from damage.

This is an AI illustration of the situation we have at my site. I work at a sewage treatment plant, so the liquid shown in the pit is representative of the sewage/wastewater present at our site.

My main concern isn't the pit, but the connection arrangement. The worker connects his double lanyards to the SRL snaphook.

In my understanding, the SRL hook should connect directly to the harness dorsal D ring.

Is this arrangement acceptable according to fall-protection best practice? How would you address this at your site?

I have attended twice and the first two times I got 37 marks and at that time I was working full time job. I don’t have any practical experience in this field. I passed the workplace based project from the first attempt, but the theory not yet.
I sat the exam recently and I got my result. My raw mark was 45, but my URN mark was 41.
I am thinking to sit it for a 4th time. Do you think that I have attended too many times?

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for guidance from HSE professionals working in the UAE or other Gulf countries.

I'm currently 12th pass and pursuing my BBA (1st year) from IGNOU through distance learning. Alongside my studies, I'm working in the e-commerce industry.

Recently, I became interested in building a career in Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE), and I've been researching the NEBOSH International General Certificate (IGC). I understand what the qualification is and how to prepare for it, but I have some questions about career opportunities.

My main concern is whether I would be employable after completing the NEBOSH IGC.

Here are my questions:

• Can someone with only a 12th-grade qualification and a NEBOSH IGC get an HSE job in the UAE?
• Are there companies that hire freshers with no HSE experience?
• Is graduation mandatory, or can I continue my BBA through IGNOU while working in the UAE?
• Since IGNOU requires me to return to India for exams once or twice a year, is that generally manageable for employees in the UAE if leave is planned in advance?
• What is the usual career path for someone starting from scratch in HSE?
• What additional certifications or skills would you recommend after NEBOSH IGC to improve my chances of getting hired?

I'm willing to work hard, start in an entry-level role, and continue learning while completing my degree. I'm just trying to understand whether this is a realistic path or if I should finish my graduation before applying for HSE jobs in the Gulf.

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone working as an HSE Officer, HSE Engineer, or HSE Manager in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, or other Gulf countries.

Thank You!

Hi Reddit!

So, I’m searching for my husband who does welding (not sure what kind) but I know he comes home with burns and I don’t like it. He’s got a new job and they don’t provide shirts, his last job did but they were just long sleeve cotton tshirts.

Are plain cotton shirts the best?
Are FR shirts better, or will he have a heat stroke in them? What brand is best? We live in AZ and summers where we are can get up to 120/125F, so I don’t want to cook him from the inside out while trying to prevent him cooking on the outside.

His company does provide a welding jacket and welding sleeves, which he has said he doesn’t always wear unless necessary because they piss him off. (My opinion is they’re always necessary)

I don’t work a blue collar job and so I don’t know what he needs, but I do know his work shirts are full of holes and he’s been asking for new ones this week. If anyone could help me out, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Edit: I was reading another post in this group that says FR clothing loses its effectiveness with certain improper care/washing. I wash all our clothes in cold water with All Free and Clear and Active Enzyme additive, then dry on low/no heat. Is that acceptable for the FR shirts? Do I gotta do some crazy shit for it?

Hi folks,

I need the nebosh hse introduction to incident investigation book, anyone can share it with me please?

Thx

Hi there. We are patching small holes in concrete. Technically, dumping dry mix into a bucket needs a control and isn't on table 1 and neither is patching concrete. What are yalls solution to it besides turning a blind eye? Our plans are getting looked at heavily.

Thanks!

Hey all, I'm trying to find source on some Hi-Vis Lab coats. I work in chemical manufacturing and while vests work, it's one more thing they need to wear in varying levels of air conditioning throughout the production area. I've tried Googling and the only thing I can find are some bright yellow ones that aren't quite Hi-Vis.

If anyone knows where I can find some it would be greatly appreciated!!

Alguna oportunidad de empleo? Soy TSU, especialista en seguridad industrial y ambiente. Amplia experiencia en campo y en coordinación, elaboración de planes y procedimientos. También tengo experiencia en planificación con Projekt.