Q: So What Do You Need? A: A NEBOSH Diploma

Case Study: Gary Browne - Walkers Shortbread


Up until the age of 29 Gary Browne had around 20 different kinds of job. “Taxi driving, delivering flowers, working in a nursery... You name it, I’ve had a crack at it,” he told us. So what changed that led Gary to stick with the same employer for the last thirteen years and carve out a successful career in health and safety?

The change began with a holiday in the north east of Scotland. Gary fell in love with the beautiful countryside and the more peaceful and slower pace of life there. At the time he was working as an estate agent in Cambridgeshire. He decided to sell up and move to Scotland permanently. When he arrived he wrote to many employers in the area, but only one replied - world renowned food manufacturer Walkers Shortbread.

Gary began working in their factory in Aberlour and at first he enjoyed the routine following the hustle and bustle of life as an estate agent. However, when the position of health and safety assistant to the manager at Walkers’ came up he applied. Gary got the job, immediately took his NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety which he passed with distinction, and settled into 18 months of learning the ropes. Then out of the blue, the health and safety manager left.

Gary immediately went to see Nicky Walker the director responsible for health and safety. Gary asked Nicky what he needed to do to take over the management position, and Nicky immediately turned the question around, asking Gary what he felt he needed. “I told him I needed a NEBOSH Diploma,” Gary said.

So that’s exactly what happened. Gary became the health and safety manager and immediately signed up for a NEBOSH National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety course. He passed the first three units quite quickly, but then decided to leave the final practical unit until almost two years later so that he could gradually apply what he had learned in a working role.

“Taking and passing the Diploma has made a huge difference. It has been essential,” said Gary. “Obviously there is the knowledge you gain, but I think what is sometimes understated is how it really stands you in good stead when you’re trying to talk to someone else about health and safety. It’s almost like wearing a barrister’s wig or a policeman’s helmet. It validates who you are and what you know and how you are qualified to give out information.”

Gary is not only referring to his fellow employees or directors of the business, but external professionals too. For example auditors linked to Walkers’ gaining OHSAS 18001, the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Standard.

“It’s just good to feel you are as qualified and in some cases more qualified than the people you are speaking to. They hold you in high esteem because you are wearing that NEBOSH badge. It adds real credence to what you do.”

Gary’s also had contact with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) including discussions about a unique fall arrest system he has designed and patented for use on silos. His knowledge is certainly being put to good effect.

He still loves living in the north east of Scotland, where he enjoys the outdoor life, skiing in the winter and sailing in the summer. But equally importantly Gary also loves working for Walkers and being their health and safety manager. It’s why the man who once had more than 20 different jobs is now very happy with just one.