Requirements

Inspector of standards and regulations - requirements

As an inspector of standards and regulations, sometimes called a health and safety inspector, you’ll visit and assess workplaces, policies and processes to make sure they’re safe and comply with the law. Read on to learn more about this career and what you’ll need to study and do to get a role.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be an inspector of standards and regulations?

Graduates from all backgrounds could enter this field, but you might benefit from a qualification in a subject like:

You should try and study in an area relevant to the industry you’d eventually like to work in. It’s possible to enter the sector without a degree if you have a relevant HND and can show at least a couple of years of relevant work experience.

Please note this is a beta version. We'll continue to improve our suggestions here so that we show you the most relevant subjects.

Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be an inspector of standards and regulations?

Postgraduate qualifications are needed for specialist inspector jobs and will help you compete for roles that need technical expertise.

A postgraduate degree in a technical area relevant to your sector is useful, but you might also consider broader master’s such as:

Safety and risk management
Occupational health and safety management
Occupational health, safety and environmental management
Process safety and loss prevention
Health safety and risk management

What skills do you need to be an inspector of standards and regulations?

As a health and safety inspector, you’ll need to show strong legal knowledge, investigative abilities and problem-solving skills in your role.

Hard skills usually include:

Health and safety laws
Regulations and compliance
Technical knowledge of the sector
Risk analysis
Risk management
Auditing and investigating

Soft skills include:

Communication
Reports and presentations
Eye for detail
Planning activities
Problem-solving
Negotiation and diplomacy

Do you need work experience to be an inspector of standards and regulations?

Work experience is important in this field as competition for places on graduate training programmes, or inspector roles at all levels is strong. Roles or placements in parts of the government related to environmental health, occupational health or other regulation roles are especially useful for increasing your experience and prospects.