Case Studies

Crystal Danbury remembers that feeling well, but instead of letting it get her down she turned it into something positive. Her desire to be heard and to influence helped drive Crystal forward through many different stages of learning, roles and experiences to the position of significant responsibility she now occupies.

Crystal is Safety Director at Openreach, an organisation that is vital to the UK’s national infrastructure and which employs around 33,000 people. Her role is strategic. After joining Openreach she reviewed safety performance and internal capabilities, which led to her forging a 5-year plan.

There are different operational aspects to the organisation, from field-working engineers to those delivering major civil works. Crystal’s approach puts a great deal of emphasis on engaging supervisors and frontline workers across Openreach aiming to ensure that they not only implement safety strategy, but also feel inspired to devise supporting solutions of their own.

“Perhaps it’s because I started out as a technician and I know what it can be like to sometimes find yourself discounted from the conversation around safety,” said Crystal. “It’s what lies behind my safety ethos of always trying to make sure everyone has a voice.”

Crystal also highlights NEBOSH as having played a big part in her career success: “It’s often said that a NEBOSH Diploma opens doors for you, and since I passed mine (National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety) back in 2010 I’ve definitely seen that first hand. I make no apologies for saying that for me NEBOSH holds something really special and it gives me huge confidence in members of my team when I know they too have that.”

She added: “I always say if you want to pursue a career in safety and you want a good grounding, something to make you feel confident, something to make you feel competent and something you will draw on every day at work, then NEBOSH is a fantastic way to go.

“People sit up and listen when you have a NEBOSH Diploma. It helps you find your voice. Yes, you need passion, drive, a great set of soft skills and a clear ethos around safety, but you also need something that will help you take on greater levels of responsibility and NEBOSH is unbeatable for that.”