IOSH President James Quinn on how coronavirus has affected health and safety in construction

In Episode 6 of the Safety & Health Podcast, hear from newly appointed IOSH President James Quinn, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Multiplex and Vice-Chair of the IOSH Construction Group, and four recruitment experts give you some tips and advice.

James Quinn, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Multiplex and Vice-Chair of the IOSH Construction Group, and newly appointed IOSH President, talks about how the pandemic has affected the construction sector and the mental health of those working within it, his work promoting veterans and his plans for his tenure as IOSH President, including how the importance of providing the correct support and guidance people starting out on career in safety.

James discusses his background in the armed forces and how that set him up for a career in health & safety and also gave him the drive to help and support fellow veterans. He also goes in depth about his experiences of building a health & safety team in construction and what he looks for in the recruitment process.

In the second part of the interview, James talks about the work IOSH is doing to support people affected by the pandemic and his plans for helping young people into a career in safety. James was recently voted one of the most influential people in health & safety by SHP readers.

We also hear from four recruitment experts, Elliot Fisher from Acre, James Irwin from Irwin and Colton, Phil Muston from Shirley Parsons and Laura Aucott from HSE Recruitment Network, who provide some insight into health & safety recruitment during the pandemic and how it’s changed looking for a new job.

The quartet discuss the challenges of job hunting at this time and how to overcome them, tips for interviewing via video or telephone call and advice on how to integrate in a new company and its culture, when you might not have physically been on site or met any of your colleagues when you start.

Episode chapters:

• 00:00 – Intro.
• 00:55 – Recruitment tips, part 1: Challenges with changing roles during the pandemic.
• 05:33 – James Quinn interview, part 1: Recruitment tips, part 1:  His role at multiplex, how he went about building a health & safety team and his work promoting and supporting veterans.
• 19:14 – Recruitment tips, part 2: Tips for a successful video or telephone interview and how it differs from face-to-face interviews.
• 22:15 –  James Quinn interview, part 2: His plans as IOSH President and the importance of people starting out on career in safety receiving the correct support and guidance.
• 32:32 – Recruitment tips, part 3: Advice on integrating yourself into a new company and its culture.

Safety & Health Podcast

Subscribe and tune in the Safety & Health Podcast to discover the latest issues facing the health and safety profession, and stay on-top of the developments affecting your role, from working at height, lone working and common workplace hazards, to safety culture, behaviours, occupational health and mental health and wellbeing.

Last month we heard from Robert Jukes, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Wax Lyrical and the 2019 SHP Rising Star in Manufacturing and SHP Rising Star UK, as he talks about the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the manufacturing sector.

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