International Women in Engineering Day 2021 – Deborah Smith

23rd June, 2021

The 23rd June 2021 is International Women in Engineering Day, an awareness campaign run by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) to celebrate women working in the engineering industry and highlight the opportunities available across the sector.

With this year’s theme being Engineering Heroes, we have been speaking to female employees across ODE Group about the importance of their roles and the achievements they’ve made.

To begin our series of features, we spoke to Deborah Smith, a SHEQ Advisor with ODE.

What is your role within the ODE Group?

HSE Advisor, responsible for the office and facilities based HSE issues.  I am also responsible for keeping procedures and policies up to date on the company Business Management System and for managing industry award submissions and HSE questionnaires within tenders.

How did you enter the engineering industry?

In 2010, after many years working in the travel industry, I needed a change of direction.  I had previously worked in the oil and gas industry before having my first child in 1992 and was keen to get back into the area.  I contacted a previous colleague of mine, who recommended me for a position in the company he was working for.

I then moved to ODE in 2015, initially as SHEQ Coordinator and, in 2017, I gained my NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health, thanks to ODE sponsoring my training.

Has there been a project or piece of work you were involved in that you feel particularly proud of?

Gaining my NEBOSH qualification was a real high for me, as I hadn’t taken any exams since 1983!  I was subsequently promoted to HSE Advisor in 2018 and haven’t looked back since.

The whole organisation has coped admirably well with the restrictions enforced during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Technology has allowed most of us to work from home effectively and I have been instrumental in the development of risk assessments for home working, along with hazard and DSE checklists for all working from home.

As we gradually return to office working, I have been involved in ensuring our premises are “COVID-safe”, reviewing risk assessments regularly and monitoring attendance to ensure compliance with government guidelines.

How does your work contribute to the running of the industry and wider society?

HSE is an integral part of any business. I work closely with the Office Managers at our UK bases in London, Great Yarmouth and Aberdeen, to ensure compliance with statutory issues, such as asbestos, legionella, fire risk assessments and associated requirements, lift inspections, air conditioning, first aid and DSE assessments, etc.  This ensures a safe environment for all working in our offices.

For further information on INWED 2021, please visit: https://www.inwed.org.uk/