NEBOSH, the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, recently celebrated its 30th birthday at an evening reception hosted by The Lord Brougham & Vaux CBE at the House of Lords.
More than 140 distinguished guests listened to John Rimington CB, former director-general of the HSE, outlining what had changed in health and safety since 1979. The major difference now, he said, is that health and safety is seen as a true profession, and he praised NEBOSH for its contribution to this development.
David Morris, NEBOSH’s chairman, commented: “Thirty years ago, the founders of NEBOSH set out to improve health and safety in the workplace by ensuring that safety professionals had the competence, knowledge and skills to evaluate risks and determine appropriate sensible control measures.”
He continued: “The examinations in 1980 attracted around 200 candidates. Now, 30 years on, we have more than 30,000 candidates each year taking around 90,000 assessments in 80 countries around the world. We are very proud that some 180,000 people have achieved a NEBOSH qualification.”
To celebrate the anniversary, NEBOSH has launched a special website, which looks back over some of the milestones of the last 30 years. The website features the success of a number of past students, including ex-presidents of IOSH. All past students are invited to add their experiences to the site at www.30yearsofnebosh.org.uk
Pictured are (l-r): Jim Hammer and Professor Richard Booth, both former chairs of NEBOSH; The Lord Brougham & Vaux CBE; Teresa Budworth, NEBOSH chief executive; David Morris, NEBOSH chair; and John Rimington CB
