Successful health and safety is built on creating a culture of care

Case Study: Simon Toseland


Simon Toseland is Health and Safety Director at BE Design. In this interview Simon shares highlights from his career to date and how NEBOSH qualifications have helped him along the way.

When did your health and safety career begin, and what attracted you to the profession?
My health and safety career began in the mid 1990s when I was working as a Duty Manager at a prestigious leisure centre. Part of my role involved carrying out risk assessments and training my team in various aspects of health and safety. I found this work particularly rewarding, so when I was asked to take the overall lead for health and safety, I was delighted to accept. I also recognised that formal training would help me develop the knowledge and confidence needed for these new responsibilities — and that’s where my NEBOSH journey began. After researching my options, I chose the NEBOSH National General Certificate as I felt it would give me the solid grounding in health and safety that I was looking for.

You spent 15 years of your career providing health and safety consultancy solutions to some well-known organisations in the UK. Can you tell us about this?
I had the privilege of working across a wide range of sectors alongside some incredible leaders who had a profound influence on my career. This experience exposed me to varied risk profiles and gave me insight into how different organisations approach safety. What stood out time and time again is that successful organisations place genuine care at the heart of what they do, built on authentic leadership and open conversations about health, safety and wellbeing. That’s what truly drives positive outcomes.

You seem to be driven to find sensible risk management solutions and have never been afraid to be innovative. Can you tell us how you keep up to date and decide between alternative solutions?
I believe in seeking advice and insights from the people around me, and over the years I’ve been fortunate to build a strong network of exceptional safety leaders. Learning from each other’s experiences — what has worked and what hasn’t — helps avoid pitfalls and drives continuous improvement. Engagement with my professional memberships has also been important to me. They help me stay up to date while maintaining the interpersonal skills that enhance workplace effectiveness and support career success. In our profession, I firmly believe we should never stop learning. The legal landscape is constantly evolving, so I’m always looking for opportunities to educate myself. Studying with NEBOSH has been a consistent part of my development throughout my career.

I understand you have completed both the National and International General Certificate, which means you are well placed to explain how they differ. Can you share your thoughts and explain why you chose to take both variants?
I took both NEBOSH General Certificates because I wanted to be better placed to advise clients with global operations. The National Certificate has a strong focus on UK legislation, while the International Certificate provides a broader awareness of international standards and best practices.

You have gone on to complete 9 NEBOSH qualifications.

  • How important have your NEBOSH studies been to your career? - NEBOSH is widely recognised and highly respected both inside and outside our profession. Throughout my career, I’ve needed a broad understanding of many different aspects of health and safety, and NEBOSH qualifications have played a key role in developing that knowledge. Although eLearning has grown in popularity, I personally prefer being in a classroom where I can learn and share experiences with fellow delegates. This has tremendous benefits and has helped me build my professional network.
  • Do you have a favourite NEBOSH qualification? My personal favourite is the UK variant of the NEBOSH Construction Certificate. The course provides a comprehensive overview of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM). This has always been an area of keen interest for me, particularly the application of Design Risk Management.

You spent 6 years as Head of Health, Safety and Fire at Birmingham Airport. Do you have any highlights from your time in this role?
One success that stands out is attaining our initial ISO 45001 certification. Achieving this required input and commitment from all departments and at every level of the business. It was a real team effort, and I was proud to be part of it.

In January 2026 you were appointed Director of Health and Safety at BE Design. Can you tell us about the company and your role there?
Established in 2013, BE Design provides clients with a fully coordinated design solution, unlocking innovation and saving valuable time and money on the delivery of projects across multiple sectors worldwide. The company offers Geo‑Environmental Investigation, Architecture and Master planning, Civil and Structural Engineering, and Sustainability and ESG consultancy. These services are delivered by a highly experienced, talented and enthusiastic team that includes Civil and Structural Engineers alongside Sustainability, ESG and BIM experts.

As Director of Health and Safety, I lead the development and delivery of our safety strategy, ensuring that our projects are not only safe to construct, use and occupy, but that health and safety remain at the heart of our company values. I also lead our team of health and safety professionals, who provide a comprehensive CDM and safety support offering to our clients, including Principal Designer services, safety assurance and risk management support.

I hope my leadership will strengthen BE Design’s ability to support our clients and partners.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the health and safety profession?
I enjoy the diversity of the role and the high level of engagement with people that this profession offers. Seeing culture and behaviours change within an organisation is incredibly rewarding.

What is next for you in terms of your own development?
Being part of BE Design is a fantastic opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of international standards and gain a deeper understanding of how projects are approached and delivered in different regions.

Our BE Well, Be Zero approach is a promise to our clients that we will work with them to achieve their sustainability goals. This focus on ensuring that our projects are safe to build while minimising environmental impact really aligns with my own personal values.

I am looking forward to strengthening my technical expertise, applying best practices and contributing more effectively to global design solutions as I continue to grow within the business.

What would your advice be to others considering a career in Health and Safety?
Always take advantage of professional development opportunities whenever you can and learn from others. Health and safety professionals tend to be incredibly generous with both their time and their experience.