I began my career in healthcare in 2009 as a nursing auxiliary, before qualifying as a paramedic in 2015. I spent several years working in urgent and emergency care within the ambulance service. In June 2020, following a particularly traumatic incident that resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), I made the difficult decision to step away from frontline duties.

That experience significantly shaped my professional direction, strengthening my commitment to protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of people at work and motivating me to pursue formal qualifications in occupational health and safety. Since then, I have applied my clinical background to preventative risk management in high-risk industries, joining Network Rail in 2024 where I support operational teams through risk management, investigations, and the development of proactive occupational health approaches.

I have a particular professional interest in the management of psychosocial risk at work. My personal experience of trauma and recovery has reinforced my belief that psychological health should receive the same structured attention as physical hazards, and I am passionate about helping organisations create working environments where both are recognised and effectively managed.

When most people think of paramedics, they picture blue lights, stretchers and fast-paced emergency care. Traditionally, paramedics are associated with frontline, patient-facing roles within emergency and urgent care services, and increasingly within primary care settings. However, the modern paramedic skillset is highly transferable, and our clinical background, risk assessment abilities and systems thinking are becoming increasingly valued in safety-critical industries.

As a Senior Occupational Health and Wellbeing Specialist, my role sits within the wider Health and Safety function, providing technical support, guidance, and expert advice. The rail environment is complex and unique, involving heavy rolling stock, extensive infrastructure and a geographically dispersed workforce. It is also an industry with significant occupational health risks, ranging from physical hazards such as noise, vibration and airborne contaminants to psychosocial risks such as fatigue, work-related stress and exposure to traumatic incidents.

My role is focused on protecting and improving the health and wellbeing of staff by identifying, assessing and managing the risks associated with their work. I work collaboratively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach to health risk management. This includes close working relationships with operational teams, safety specialists, occupational hygienists, occupational health clinicians and external partners.

At its core, the role applies the same principles used in traditional health and safety management, but with a specific focus on health hazards. Our work is underpinned by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, alongside further requirements set by our regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). We apply the hierarchy of control to health risks, aiming first to eliminate or substitute hazards where possible, and then to reduce exposure through engineering, administrative controls and, as a last resort, personal protective equipment. The goal is to prevent occupational ill-health and latent disease in the workforce.

Although much of my work is desk-based and strategic, developing and delivering health strategies and programmes, one of the most valuable aspects of the role is spending time out on the network with frontline colleagues. These visits may involve occupational hygiene sampling, where we gather exposure data for hazards such as welding fume, respirable crystalline silica and diesel engine exhaust emissions. Being out on track or in stations allows us to see tasks being carried out in real conditions and to understand the practical challenges staff face.

These visits are also an opportunity to engage directly with employees about the health and wellbeing initiatives available to them, and to hear their views on the risks they experience in their roles. This insight is invaluable. It ensures our strategies are grounded in reality and not developed in isolation from the workforce they are designed to protect.

A large proportion of my role involves working with data. We analyse and interpret information from multiple sources, both internal and external, to ensure key performance indicators are being met. By working closely with risk teams, we contribute to enterprise risk registers and develop bow-tie risk assessments that map out potential causes, controls and consequences of health risks. From this, we establish early warning indicators that allow us to identify where emerging risks may be developing and in which parts of the business.

This intelligence enables us to target specific health initiatives and assurance activities where they are most needed. Assurance work involves checking that business functions are compliant with legislation, industry guidance and internal standards. Where non-conformances are identified, actions are set and reports produced to support continuous improvement. I attend audits as a subject matter expert, providing specialist input into health-related risk controls.

We work closely with our internal Occupational Health Service to ensure staff attend appropriate health surveillance, such as hearing tests, lung function testing and hand-arm vibration assessments. In a safety-critical industry, staff are also subject to drug and alcohol testing, and we provide specialist advice to ensure these processes are fair, evidence-based and supportive rather than purely punitive.

Another key part of my role is contributing to standard working groups across the organisation. This may involve developing new standards or updating existing ones, ensuring they reflect current evidence, regulatory requirements and operational realities. This is where clinical reasoning and risk management intersect, and where the paramedic background of assessing risk under pressure proves extremely valuable.

Our health and wellbeing portfolio also includes proactive health initiatives. One example is metabolic health testing, which staff can choose to participate in voluntarily. This involves a simple, at-home blood test measuring a range of biomarkers related to cardiovascular and metabolic health. Anonymised data is returned to us, helping us understand trends within the workforce and shape future health strategies. For individuals, the test provides confidential insight into their own health and includes follow-up GP consultations to support lifestyle changes and improvements in overall wellbeing.

Mental health is another major focus. We work with external partners to develop campaigns and resources aimed at preventing mental ill-health where possible and supporting staff who may be struggling. This is particularly important in the rail industry, where employees may be exposed to traumatic incidents such as fatalities or near misses, as well as long-term stressors related to workload, fatigue and shift patterns.

The most enjoyable part of my role is spending time with frontline staff and seeing first-hand the challenging environments in which they work. Whether on track in poor weather or in busy stations, it reinforces the importance of what we do and keeps the work grounded in real experience.

The most challenging aspect is managing psychosocial risk. Work-related stress and exposure to traumatic events cannot be controlled in the same way as physical hazards, and solutions are often complex, requiring cultural change, leadership engagement and long-term commitment.

For me, this role represents the evolution of paramedic practice beyond emergency response into prevention, strategy and system-level health protection. It demonstrates how paramedics can play a vital role in safeguarding workforces in high-risk industries and highlights the growing diversity of career pathways available within the profession.

Please note, part of this article was first published in Paramedic Insight