How do you know you can trust a Health & Safety consultant?

It’s not a trick question – though sometimes it might feel like one. From IOSH to IIRSM, OSHCR to NEBOSH, understanding acronyms and where someone’s specialties lie can be a major headache.  

At Citation, we know credentials matter (and our team of over 160 H&S consultants has plenty!), but what truly makes a consultant trustworthy is the combination of knowledge, experience, behaviour, and attitude, and how they bring these together to support your business.  

Here’s how we do just that. 

 

We look at the people – not just the paperwork  

Let’s start with the most important part: finding the right people. Our talent team has honed their skills – they look closely at each person’s transferable skills, industry experience, and, crucially, whether their values align with ours. 

Many of our consultants come from the very industries our clients are in – so their understanding and appreciation of the issues they face is vast. 

Health & Safety isn’t just about knowing the legislation. It’s about empathy, understanding, and the ability to relate to your business’ challenges. Our consultants work alongside you as if they were part of your team, invested in your success as much as their own. 

That’s why our interviews are more conversations than formal grilling sessions. You can train skills, but attitude and values are the golden thread that connects everything we do. 

Building expertise: the academy approach 

Back in 2017, we took this philosophy a step further and launched our development programme. The idea was simple but powerful: take talented people with real-world industry experience (whether from construction, manufacturing, care, or even the fire service) and develop them into outstanding consultants, learning from the best in the business. 

The Academy is built on “KSEB”, which stands for Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Behaviours. By focusing on all four pillars, we make sure our consultants are well-rounded professionals who can do more than just pass an exam. They shadow, co-lead, attend in-depth training, and get constant feedback so that by the time they graduate, they’re fully prepared to deliver the very best service. 

Using great results to keep moving forward 

We set a high bar for success: every graduate must complete a Level 6 Diploma in Health & Safety and gain membership with IOSH or IIRSM (don’t worry – all our acronyms are indexed at the end). We started off with just four people – but now, over 100 consultants have graduated. Our graduates have gone on to do great things – even our very own Health, Safety and Fire Director, Michelle Taylor, is an Academy graduate!  

And, because the programme’s been so successful, we’ve even rolled it out to Citation’s HR & Employment Law team and our sister businesses Food Alert and Citation ISO Certification. We’re delighted to say that we always have a list of internal team members lining up to join whenever we release new vacancies!  

In fact, it was even shortlisted for two national CIPD awards in 2023 – recognition of just how special this programme is. But even without that, the amazing client satisfaction scores and Trustpilot reviews we get are a great testament to all the hard work our consultants have put in to become top-tier professionals.   

And professional is exactly the word to use – we have Gold Partnerships with both the Institute for Fire Engineers and the IIRSM. We also provide the advice line for the IIRSM membership base. 

We support all our fire and safety teams to work towards the highest levels they can achieve. Because, even though our consultants are more than just their accreditation, it’s still a mark of recognition for all the hard work they’ve put into their development.  

Real-world experience across every sector 

One of the things our clients tell us they value most is the sheer breadth of our consultants’ real-world experience. Collectively, we bring over 700 years of Health & Safety and Fire expertise, averaging nearly 11 years per consultant. 

That means whether you’re running a warehouse, care home, school, construction site, restaurant, or retail chain, chances are we’ve already faced – and solved – the challenges you’re dealing with. With team members drawn from industries like logistics, hospitality, healthcare, engineering, and more, our consultants don’t just talk theory. They’ve lived it. 

More than just safety 

What really sets our consultants apart is that they’re not just safety specialists: they’re people specialists. Many hold additional skills in leadership, psychology, performance management, and people development.  

We know that keeping people safe isn’t just about compliance. It’s about communication, influence, and helping businesses build cultures where safety thrives naturally, long after our consultants have left.  

Qualifications you can rely on 

Of course, accreditations still matter. They’re a stamp of approval – a visual recognition of the dedication our consultants have to their craft. Here’s a snapshot of the expertise you as clients benefit from – and an explanation of some of the acronyms to go along with it: 

• 83 members of IOSH, including: 

• 32 Chartered Members (CMIOSH) 

• 44 Certified Members (Cert IOSH) 

• Six Technical Members (Tech IOSH) undergoing their training to Level 6 success 

• 21 consultants listed on the OSHCR (the government-backed register of qualified Health & Safety professionals) 

• 25 members of the IFE 

• 20 members of the IIRSM (including 15 full and two associate members). 

• 72 NEBOSH General Certificates and 13 NEBOSH Diplomas 

• 44 NVQs in Occupational Health & Safety 

• 35 Fire Safety Certificates 

• 11 MSc/Degree-level qualifications in Health & Safety 

• Plus, specialist awards such as Level 4 Diplomas in Fire Safety 

The bottom line? Trust is earned  

So, how do you know you can trust a Health & Safety consultant? At Citation, we believe it’s about a mix of: 

• Proven experience across industries and sectors 

• Professional recognition through memberships and partnerships 

• The right behaviours and values, making sure our advice is empathetic, practical, and bespoke for your needs 

• Ongoing development to help people from all walks of life use their skills for good 

When you work with Citation, you’re not just getting a consultant with a badge or a certificate. You’re getting someone who lives and breathes safety, understands your world, and genuinely cares about helping your business thrive. 

P.S. The all-important index! 

And, as promised, here’s an index of all the acronyms and initialisms we’ve used throughout this article and what they stand for: 

• CIPD – Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 

• IFE – Institute for Fire Engineers 

• IIRSM – International Institute for Risk and Safety Management 

• IOSH – Institution of Occupational Safety and Health 

• ISO – International Organization for Standardization 

• MSc – Master of Science degree 

• NEBOSH – National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health 

• NVQs – National Vocational Qualifications 

• OSHCR – Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register