Meet Our Senior SHE Consultant, Emma Riordan, BSc (Hons) CFIOSH

It’s International Women’s Day! Why not learn a little more about one of our inspiration women, Emma Riordan our Senior SHE Consultant.

How did you begin your career and what attracted you to health and safety?

I actually decided to study health and safety management and French as a combined honours degree at Aston University.  It was a toss-up between transport management or health and safety management at the time. I went with H&S and it paid off.  I worked for a French company for 10 years, so the French came in handy too!

Is the health and safety sector still a predominantly male environment?

I don’t think that this is the case anymore – I feel it is more of an even keel, especially over the last 5 years or so.

Have you come across any obstacles in your health and safety career?

Many obstacles but I believe that they build resilience. At the end of the day, I care about people going home to their families. Once you make that clear to people, they soften and begin to become involved and more engaged in the process. I think listening to people and what they have to say is important. Rather than dictating what the rules are and how they should be blindly followed.

What is the best thing about your job as a Senior SHE Consultant?

I get job satisfaction from seeing a client taking on board a suggestion that we have found together. When risks are reduced and they see and feel the benefits for themselves and their employees, its amazing!

What advice would you give to women considering a career in Health & Safety?

I have heard that women are better at managing and enforcing health and safety because they get listened to, I would disagree with that. Whether you are female or male the soft skills are as important as the technical skills. This combination makes the world of work a lot healthier and safer. Working in health and safety is incredibly rewarding. I don’t see it is a job, I see it as a bit of a calling, a job that I am lucky enough to do daily. Every day is a school day and every day is different. Some are more challenging than others, but always rewarding nether the less. I never mind getting up and going to work – even after a holiday!

Please feel free to connect with Emma on LinkedIn here, she would love to hear from you.