Gail Dyer, Principal Health & Safety Consultant

Hi, I’m Gail and I’ve been with WorkNest (formerly Ellis Whittam) since July 2016, though I’ve worked in the health and safety field since 1996.

I started off as a health and safety coordinator at an electronics company; like quite a few health and safety professionals, this role was added to my job description as no-one else in the company wanted the responsibility.

From there, I achieved NVQ Level 3 in Occupational Health and Safety and went on to work for a plastic injection moulding company, which had more complicated and challenging manufacturing risks, from carcinogenic substances to machinery guarding and power presses. It was here that I completed my Level 4 in Occupational Health and Safety, before moving into a health and safety management role at Pinewood Studies. This was a real eye opener as to the complexities of ensuring safety is at the core of production.

I moved into consultancy work in 2006, which led me to my role at WorkNest. Here, I support a diverse range of clients, from SMEs employing 10 staff at a single site to large care providers within 10 care homes and 100 employees. The variety of clients is the most enjoyable part of my job; I could be in an office one day and a manufacturing business the next!

Day to day, you’ll find me completing health and safety audits and Fire Risk Assessments, reviewing/completing risk assessments, developing health and safety manuals/handbooks, conducting training and creating training packages, and answering clients’ queries over phone and email.

My proudest achievement to date is becoming a Chartered Member of the Institute of Safety and Health (CMIOSH). I had put it off for years thinking I wouldn’t be good enough, but after support and encouragement from my WorkNest colleagues, I applied and passed! That’s another thing I love about working here – we’re a really supportive team and look out for each other, which ultimately benefits our clients. If we don’t know something, there’s always someone in the team who does and is willing to help.

Outside of work, I’m a keen traveller and especially love visiting Australia as some of my family are there. I’m fortunate to have worked and travelled around the world a lot and have been to some amazing places such as Luxembourg, Greece, Beijing, America and Kenya.