saftey rep needing career guidance

[jonopark]

Hey! It would be fantastic if i could get some guidance on what to do next.
I work at the West australian newspapers in production (11 years) and have been a ohs rep for 2 years. I am also the facilitator of sops (producing safe operating procedures and ensuring other employees understand and sign off on them.
I have completed cert 3 and 4 and have just enrolled for my cert 4 in training and assessing which will be completed before the end of the year.
I have a double degree in accounting and finance (never used) and am considering doing a post grad in ohs next year. I also notice you can do a diploma at tafe in ohs which would be cheaper and less time consuming. So the question is,, which is more worthwhile? Is there any other paths you believe to be more beneficial??
My goal is to get into the ohs feild as an advisor/investigator.
Any other advice would be fantastic guys.

[RobWatson]

Jonopark, it depends on what you want to do with a safety & occupational health career. There are many people here in Australia who work in OH&S as part of HR staff. They have soft degrees which are little use in industry. Degrees in Safety Engineering and/or Industrial Hygiene are serious degrees in safety science and occupational medicine, respectively. For example, a degree in industrial hygiene will allow you to issue permits for Confined Space entries on shipboard or on the docks as does a Gas-Free Engineer. If you are over 35 years of age, it may be best to get into the HR field of "Insurance Risk Mgt" for OH&S (which is prevalent here and far easier) to avoid the hard science which will take years to learn and more years to gain competitive employment experience. (It is difficult increasing difficult to find positions here the older you get.) Gook luck to you.

[Catweasel]

J'park, I certainly don't wish to discourage you in any way whatsoever but I do agree with Rob. In my (limited) experience there are a lot of safety cats that offer little real value. It is of course dependant upon what you are looking for. I think you will find that time permitting you would be able to complete the TAFE diploma within a couple of months. If that helps advance within your current position or another then go for it, ultimately though I would be considering Rob's advice.
Best of luck.