From People to Practice
Before formally stepping into health and safety, my professional grounding was in human resources. I held senior HR roles with Briscoe Group and Green Cross Health, working across both retail and clinical environments. Those years provided a practical education in how work is really done, from frontline retail and distribution through to professional and clinical services, and the different risk profiles that sit behind each. More importantly, it shaped how I think about people at work, how systems influence behaviour, and how collaborative decisions (not those made in offices) land on the shop floor.
A Career Pivot That Made Sense
My transition into health and safety was not a sudden change of direction but a natural extension of that experience. When the Health and Safety Manager role became available at Briscoe Group, it presented an opportunity to both broaden my capability and consolidate professional interests. It was a chance to build on an established safety foundation, enhance the organisation’s approach, and formally step into a discipline that had always been adjacent to my HR work. Nearly three years on, it has proven to be both a successful and deeply rewarding move, and one I see as a long-term part of my career, both within Briscoe Group and beyond.
Where HR and Safety Truly Intersect
One of the most valuable insights from coming to safety via HR is how closely the two disciplines align in practice. Investigations, for example, are never just about events or systems. They are about people, their decisions, the context they were working in, and how organisations respond. Health and safety broadens that lens further, requiring consideration not only of corrective actions and recovery, but of preventive thinking and better ways of working. Engaging with team members about what they actually do operationally, rather than what a procedure says they should do, consistently leads to stronger outcomes and a deeper understanding of how our workplaces function.
Finding the Safest Way, Together
Safety offers a unique window into how work is really performed and how teams interact with each other, customers, and clients. Many people believe they already know the safest way to do something, and sometimes they are right. The real value of the role comes from asking curious, sometimes provocative questions that encourage reflection. More often than not, people already hold the answers. The role of the safety practitioner is to create the space where those answers surface, are tested, and are turned into practical improvements.
Measuring Success Beyond Compliance
Over the past three years, I am particularly proud of the outcomes achieved in the safety space at Briscoe Group. Many key safety metrics have improved positively by double digits, supported by initiatives such as a highly successful virtual reality-based manual handling training programme. This approach delivered consistency, strong engagement, and confidence for managers, while also bridging the common gap between “knowledge and doing the task” that traditional e‑learning can find it difficult to achieve.
On a personal level, it was also a privilege to receive the Patrick Seaman Award from the EMA for academic excellence and contribution to the learning environment as part of my health and safety diploma.
Learning the Role at Pace
The most challenging aspect of stepping into health and safety was quickly developing confidence as a functional leader in a discipline I had not formally held before. Completing formal qualifications at pace, building strong relationships with respected practitioners outside of Briscoe Group, and engaging with external safety organisations were critical. Very little in safety needs to be built from scratch. Guidance, standards, and expertise already exist. The skill lies in finding them, adapting them intelligently, and applying them in a way that makes sense for your organisation.
Conversations more open
Compared to HR, the politics of health and safety are different, and in many ways more constructive. The conversations are often more open, engagement is higher, and there is a genuine willingness to improve outcomes. I was fortunate to step into the role with strong executive support and a safety system that required enhancement rather than repair. That context matters. It enables progress.
For anyone considering a move into health and safety, my advice is simple. Do not reinvent the wheel, it already exists (and yes I was told this by someone else in H&S). And when entering difficult or emotionally charged situations, remember that almost nobody comes to work wanting to hurt themselves or others. Holding that perspective changes the tone of conversations and makes even the hardest discussions more productive.
Alex Topp is health and safety manager with Briscoe Group.
