A Family Affair

Shufflebottom understands that young people are the future: that our pipeline of skills is out there ready and waiting. That’s why, since our inception in 1977, we’ve made it our business to forge links with education providers and students in Wales so that we can offer relevant work experience here at our offices and factory that dove-tails with their academic or vocational courses. We know that nothing beats hands-on experience. We also know that the people we invest in today might well be our apprentices and work-force of tomorrow.

To this end, we are currently hosting Sarah Smith, a second-year student at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Sarah is studying Environmental Health which will lead to a BSc (Honours) Degree. The scope of the degree is wide, covering areas such as Food Safety, Housing, Environmental Protection and Health &Safety in the Workplace which together, underpin themes of Public Health, Epidemiology and Risk Assessment. The degree offers a triple accreditation by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) and the Institute of Environmental Management (IEMA).

Sarah is with us as her aim is to improve her knowledge about Health & Safety and see how policy becomes process in the real world of the design, manufacturing and supply of structural steel and steel-framed buildings. As a business that has been recognised for leading the way in our sector for Health & Safety, we are proud to have her with us and let her see first-hand why we were one of the first companies in the UK to gain the CE Mark when it became mandatory legislation in July 2014. We are also keen for her to see that here at Shufflebottom Health & Safety is at the core of our operations and without compromise, both during the factory fabricating process and during all stages of erecting our buildings off-site.

While she is with us, Sarah is under the wing of Peter Dixon, Health & Safety Manager, and Andy Thomas, General Manager. She is also being kept an eye on by her brother, Liam Smith, who works on the detailing of plans for structural buildings in the Drawing Office.

Sarah is enjoying her time with us and we’re enjoying having her here and we will be sorry when the last of her twenty days with us comes to an end shortly. Though, who knows? She might return one day soon to work alongside her brother and make it a real family affair.

Completing my work experience at Shufflebottom will give me the opportunity to expand and develop my knowledge further, through learning on the job giving me the opportunity to shadow the Health & Safety officer, to gain a better understanding of the requirements that should be followed within the Health & Safety sector.
Sarah Smith
2nd year student in Environmental Health
Cardiff Metropolitan University