As the Head of Health and Safety for North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council I hold a unique role of providing strategic direction on health and safety matters to two large organisations and also our  clients which includes, governments, councils, universities and schools (including large multiple academy trusts) . In this role I am supported by a team of highly qualified and experienced health and safety practitioners. I and the members of my team are professional Health and Safety Practitioners with a mixture of Chartered members of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and/or specialisits within their respective service areas. We all have a number of years experience in both the public and private sectors. As the in house suppliers of North Yorkshire Council's and City of York Council's competent health and safety advice we cover a wide range of topics from housing, leisure, social work, schools through to construction related activities including CDM advice. Within my team I have members with training qualifications who can deliver accredited training such as IOSH Leading, Managing and Working Safely but we have also developed and provided a wide range of bespoke training to meet most clients needs. In addition to training we can also provide cost effective problem specific advice and guidance using a "pragmatic" approach to risk management. This bespoke guidance can involve preparing health and safety policies, risk assessments, health and safety procedures, method statements, permits to work and much more. We also undertake accident investigation, auditing, monitoring, workplace inspections and vetting contractors and other elements of the supply chain. My team also undertake Fire Risk Assessments in a wide variety of settings from care homes, schools through to commercial property portfolios.