Health & Safety Advisor Lucille Ness had early ambitions of being a school road patrol person. In some ways it was a sign of the future.
My earliest memory is of wanting to be a school road patrol person. I would watch in awe as the big kids would tell us when it was safe to cross the road and I remember thinking to myself, wow, now that’s the type of job I want! I’m not quite sure exactly why, but maybe it was keeping my fellow friends safe while crossing the road.
Once I was a little older and realised a school road patrol person wasn’t technically an adult job, I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.
My granddad thought it was hilarious that an 8-year-old would want to be a lawyer. Given his reaction, I decided maybe it would be better to become an actress, because he and Grandma sure did love my singing and dancing performances in their living room!
Does your current job fit that?
It’s funny to now recall these memories, as wanting to be a road patrol person fits with being in health and safety now. Understanding legislation and our duties is important so there is that link, too, with the alternative career path of a lawyer, but my love of performing did not carry on into adult life!
Through my early twenties I owned my own clothing business with a friend, which was harder than anything I’d done before, but also incredibly rewarding. When we decided to close our business, it was because we were ready to try new things and we were happy to not be our own bosses!
I went back to the drawing board and thought of all the things I liked: policy papers at university, interacting with people, caring about people’s wellbeing, and I found myself starting a Graduate Diploma in Health and Safety Management. I threw myself into my studies and found I was quite passionate about it. It was completely different to the stereotypes I had in my mind. I found there was a lot of focus on building a strong H&S culture within organisations, and it wasn’t just about safety it was also about health and wellbeing.
I think my job is the perfect mash up of my top two dream jobs as a kid…. but not so much the acting, I think that one was purely for my grandparents!
What does your job involve?
As a H&S advisor I help Lincoln Agritech and our people deliver a H&S culture that is strongly focused on keeping each other safe. For example, we have introduced health monitoring for staff who may potentially be exposed to noise and dust, and we’ve worked on identifying our psychosocial risks and ways to manage them to protect our employees’ mental wellbeing.
How do you explain your job to your family?
I have two young children who don’t really understand what I do, so other than saying I use a computer a lot, I find myself going back to my roots of the school road patrol person and explaining to them that I try to help everyone stay safe at work.
What motivates you?
I am most motivated by my family. Setting my kids a good example by showing up for them every day is my best motivator, they help me stay focused both at work and at home.
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Narrowing it down to just one is difficult as there is a lot I would change about the world, but it would ultimately be to lessen inequality.
