Christel Fouche - BA, MBA (HEALTH & SAFETY)
Christel is a highly regarded Health & Safety coach, trainer and registered management system auditor. With more than 30 years working in Safety, Health, Environment and Quality across Asia Pacific and Africa, she brings a wealth of compelling experience to share in her role as IMPAC’s NEBOSH Diploma facilitator.
1. How did your career journey lead you to a role in Health and Safety?
Many years ago, I was a computer programmer and I was tasked to do some programming in what was the largest health and safety organisation in South Africa back then. I was sitting in a computer room, and I heard all of this interesting H&S talk. I realised then that I needed more from my career than just working on a computer by myself.
I got a position in the National Occupational Health and Safety Association, which is still around as NOSA. I spent my first ten years there. After working my way up through the ranks, and completing my first degree, I started my own business which I ran for sixteen years, whilst completing an MBA in Health and Safety and my PhD.
2. What about your role makes you want to get up in the morning?
Health and safety is about saving and improving lives, so this is not just a job for me – what I do gives me purpose. I wake up every morning hoping that I can contribute to better health and safety management systems, and to improving health and safety cultures within organisations.
Helping people understand what health and safety is about, that drives me and keeps me passionate.
3. What are the biggest challenges in your industry at the moment?
I think the biggest challenge for this year is the AS/NZS4801 expiry deadline and its replacement with ISO 45001.
It means certified companies that had aligned their health and safety management systems against the old AS/NZS4801 standard, which is now 21 years old, need to have moved over to ISO 45001 by July this year. Normally transition is three years but with COVID they were given additional time to transition over.
ISO 45001 is already being asked for as part of pre-qualification criteria. This will have a secondary impact on companies, contractors and small enterprises that are not certified but align their health and safety management systems to the old standard.
Another challenge is that compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act alone does not make you legally compliant with other health and safety legislation relevant to a specific business.
Most companies only align their health and safety management system to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act. And that's a risk in itself.
4. What skills are the most crucial to succeeding in this career?
Passion and tenacity – these are probably not skills but necessary, the rest you can learn. Being able to work under stress and to deadlines. Being able to work miracles with sometimes fewer resources than what is required! The reality of being a health and safety practitioner is that it's a calling, not a job.
It’s also a challenging and diverse role. Health and safety people basically need to manage multiple portfolios. We need to be psychologists, teachers, emergency controllers, managers and negotiators. We need to be implementers, document controllers and internal auditors, etc.
The skills you will acquire will take a lifetime to master.
5. What is the best bit of advice you have for someone looking to move into this area?
Plan your career path development process in health and safety effectively. Be patient. You're not going to become a health and safety professional or specialist within a year or two.
In New Zealand it can be difficult to clearly see your H&S career pathway, but this is where IMPAC’s training expertise and professional pathways are extremely helpful. It makes sense to plan out your career and relevant training over three to five years aiming to achieve NEBOSH Certificate or Diploma level.
Also, when you’re looking for a H&S role, try to find an employer whose top management is committed to health and safety rather than just paying it lip service. That’s going to boost your career and keep fuelling your passion!
