Based in Cardiff, south Wales, I was a career civil servant until I retired at the age of 60 - at first in the Department of Industry then in 1985 moved to Welsh Office which morphed in various stages to become Welsh Government. During this period I worked within Government finance and procurement frameworks and briefing Ministers.
In 1979 I attended my first First Aid At Work course - I maintained this qualification and progressed to teaching the courses and then to testing candidates on courses run by others - a vocation that continued throughout my following career. In the same year I also became one of the first Trade Union appointed Safety Representative to be trained under the then new Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 which commenced on 1 October 1978. I continued as a Trade Union Safety Representative until I moved to Welsh Office in 1985.
I worked in a range of disciplines until when I was headhunted into the Employee Assistance Unit in 1991 where I led on Health and Safety and First Aid matters as well as tendering and managing a range of high value contracts. In 1996 I was awarded the NEBOSH National General Certificate In Occupational Safety and Health, went on to be elected as a Technician Safety Practitioner of the Institution Of Occupational Safety And Health.