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MEMBER INTERVIEW Unchartered waters
INTERVIEW UNCHARTERED WATERS ‘I started with a degree in environmental management studies, so my national service was spent doing environmental monitoring in mines,’ Florence says. ‘An old mine site needed to be backfi lled, and I asked to observe the hazards involved as it was done. One of the contractors doing the backfi lling needed a safety offi cer and, as I’d already done a diploma in OSH with the ICM [Institute of Commercial Florence Anyane became Ghana’s fi rst female Chartered IOSH Member in September 2019. But her journey was littered with obstacles. F ew people have faced the same hurdles as Florence Anyane has in her OSH career in Ghana. She has had to prove her worth in highly dangerous industries and among workforces that have sometimes shown little respect for her gender.
Management in the UK], I was qualifi ed. I had an idea of risk and how to identify it. So that was my fi rst role in OSH.’
For Florence, it was a tough place to start. ‘It was a male-dominated industry. This type of environment is unlike anything you can imagine. I was disrespected by the guys, which is something that makes a lot of women drop out of the OSH profession in Ghana. The guys would say: “What is a woman doing here? You should be at home cooking for your husband. Those are the only technologies that you know about.” It takes a strong person to stick with it.’ Florence says her bosses weren’t much better: ‘I realised I was not being seen as a change-maker in safety. Some bosses would never give me credit for anything while my male colleagues were praised as being the bright sparks. I went through a lot of embarrassment and insults and shaky moments in my career. There were times when
I would go home and cry, but I still woke up the next morning and went to work. You have to have courage, you have to be confi dent – because without confi dence you can’t get your message across.’
The power of snacks After working in the mines and as a senior safety offi cer in construction, Florence became a projects health, safety and environmental (HSE) manager at JVC on Offshore Cape Three Points, an integrated oil and gas deepwater project. Not only did this have all the dangers of offshore work, but Florence also needed to certify the company with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015, as well as OHSAS 18001:2007.
‘I didn’t have anyone to coach me and I didn’t have a consultant to direct me. My boss just said: “I trust you Florence, I know you can help my company”,’ she says.
‘On each standard, I followed the document step by step. I fi nally got that done, but starting the implementation was another thing because it was another maledominated industry. I had to fi nd a way to enforce all these policies and procedures that I had written.’
But Florence had spotted one area that she could exploit to get staff on her side. ‘I realised the staff loved training,’ she says. ‘If I provided them with food and I gave them a nice offi ce to come for the training, then they were okay with that.
‘I had fi ve safety offi cers and four safety representatives working under me on that project, who I had to train up, but as long as I gave them tea and snacks, they were happy to listen to me. Our initial audit was excellent, the observation was great, and the interview went well. So we were successfully certifi ed OHSAS 18001 by DNV GL in 2017.’
CHARTERED MEMBERSHIP OF IOSH If you need advice about Chartered membership or changing membership categories, call 0116 257 3198 or email the IOSH membership team at professional.development@iosh.com CLIMBING THE LADDER Florence’s three top tips to achieving Chartered status
‘I want to reach out to my fellow women and my fellow human beings and warn them about the dangers of what can go wrong. At the end of the day, my priority is to save lives, and that is still my ultimate inspiration. ‘I’m not done with just being a Chartered Member of IOSH – I want to do more. My country and the women in my country in this profession need me to do more. I want to reach out to them and show them that they can be better.’ You must practise professionally in the fi eld. That might sound obvious, but experience was crucial for me to pass my initial professional development (IPD). Achieve a level 6 or required IOSH certifi cation. If you don’t pass these, you can’t sign on as a graduate member. But if you’re able to get to that level, you should be practising enough to pass an IPD audit. Prepare for your peer interview and be confi dent. I was very nervous, but the panel helped me relax and I was able to answer the questions. 1 2 3 Encouraging others In 2018, Florence became a training HSE manager with Rigworld Training Centre in the capital Accra and a certifi cated auditor. Then in September last year, she became the fi rst Ghanaian woman to become a Chartered Member of IOSH. Hopefully, she says, she’s just the fi rst of many.
‘Some women give up too easily, but I won’t – that’s my spirit,’ she says. ‘Now I see a lot of women entering the OSH profession in Ghana and I’m so happy. On my route to Chartered status, I was very privileged to have some excellent coaches. So I would advise any female trying to achieve Chartered status that you need to have mentors.
‘You also need to network, attend conferences, and be on the same page as other safety professionals. You need to know what other industries are facing. Are there other companies that are doing better and what can you learn from them?
‘We have to spread the message that it’s not just a career for men,’ she says. ‘If we could get the message across that women are working in safety and doing a good job, then we can start changing perceptions.
‘One way to do that would be if IOSH released details on the number of women who had registered for its courses. It took time for me to establish myself as a Chartered Member of IOSH because people didn’t believe me initially. But if those details about everybody’s status were made a bit more public, that would really help us get respect and recognition.’ Inspiring safety And for Florence, what’s next? ‘I’d like to be an HSE director or an HSE president and have some platform where I can get health and safety messages across, and a position where my voice will be heard,’ she says.
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HSE RECRUITMENT In partnership with The Health and Safety Event 28th - 30th April, NEC, Birmingham
How can you gain a strategic edge in a competitive market place? Are you looking for your dream job, or perfect next hire? Do you want tips on how to secure that promotion?
This April HSE Recruitment will be hosting the Professional Development Theatre at The Health and Safety Event 2020, the UK health and safety event dedicated to improving workplace safety standards. At the Professional Development Zone, HSE Recruitment Network’s team of advisors will be on hand to offer expert advice to advance your career, support your future growth as a health and safety professional, or help you hire the perfect person for your team. Featuring live onstage interviews and a series of training, workshops and content sessions, this interactive zone will equip you with the tools and techniques to unlock your potential. https://www.healthandsafetyevent. com/professional-development-zone
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