Ever wondered what it would be like to be a Health & Safety Advisor? We caught up with Carrianne, our Health and Safety Advisor at McKay, to find out more about her role, career pathway and life outside of work. Find out more about Carrianne below 👇
I am the Health and Safety Advisor.
When did you start at McKay?
I started with McKay in ​April 2022.
Describe your role
As the Health and Safety Advisor my day to day can change quickly. My day can include anything from site visits, audits, incident management, meetings, pre-quals, contractor management, toolbox meetings, analysing data to writing standards/investigation operating procedures.
Tell us about your career journey so far?
My initial career was not actually in health and safety. I shifted into health and safety work due to business demand, when the new Health and Safety Act was coming into play. When starting out my health and safety career, I began completing H&S papers, from level 3 to 6. While completing these papers, I found having the opportunity to incorporate them into my work extremely advantageous. As I progressed my career what I have enjoyed most about the job is the challenge of bringing the business and staff on a journey to be better at health and safety. There has been many challenges along the way, dealing with behaviour and culture change, but I always find that it is worth it!
What do you enjoy about your role at McKay?
So far, I have enjoyed the variety of worksites and contracts McKay are involved with, with no two days the same. The people here are welcoming towards health and safety and on board with making positive changes to improve our health and safety culture.
What is your favourite part of being the Health & Safety Advisor at McKay?
When joining McKay, I enjoyed meeting the new team and learning the way the business works. The variety of sectors McKay work in throughout NZ is awesome and opens many opportunities for me. I also like that the business is supportive with introducing improvements in the health and safety area.
Three words to describe working at McKay?
Inspiring, driven, and a good atmosphere.
How would people at work describe you?
Health and safety is not always the most favourable job title, however I feel that staff would say I am approachable, friendly, responsive to feedback.
What advice would you give to someone looking to become a Health & Safety Advisor?
Start learning straight away and if you have the opportunity, become a H&S rep as a taster. If you enjoy being a H&S rep discuss career progression with your Supervisor/Manager as a development step and work towards completing papers to help you move towards an advisor role. I found it beneficial working in H&S and training at the same time as I could base my study on real situations.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
At this stage I am busy with my teen kid’s schedules (Chef, Taxi, Maid, Bank). I do enjoy most activities outdoors, but I especially love summer heading to the beach, camping, fishing, BBQ’s and connecting with family and friends.
If you are interested in joining the team at McKay, sign up to get career updates here.