Member story: volunteering for the RNLI
IOSH Affiliate member Martin Valentine is passionate about volunteering with his local Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in Kirkcudbright, one of the oldest RNLI stations in Scotland.
Martin’s career started in the late 1980s, when he worked for a food manufacturer in its laboratory. His introduction to health and safety consisted of one awareness session on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988. ‘I remember it as a light-bulb moment regarding OSH, as we were routinely handling potentially harmful substances,’ Martin recalls.
As his career progressed, Martin became self-employed, providing consultancy services, then gained his NEBOSH national general certificate.
‘Self-employment provided flexibility for my young family for over 10 years before I joined Natural Power, where I now work in HSEQ as an adviser,’ he says.
Martin has also been involved with the RNLI for over 20 years.