Kirstie Hawthorn

"Product safety engineers need to look at how the design of an item could be made safe for anyone who can potentially be harmed by it. This means identifying areas of the design which are weak, and thinking about what could go wrong if the issue is not fixed. This fits with the investigator part of my personality. Improvements to a design sometimes need to be made and this fits with the developer part of my personality. This involves working with other types of engineers and explaining why changes are important or necessary which fits with the trainer part of my personality. "

"BAE Systems, which I work for, is a global engineering company in the defence sector. In particular, their work relates to the design and build of submarines, ships, aircrafts, aircraft carriers, munitions, combat vehicles and more. There's lots of good things about my job! When I go to work I make a difference and reduce the likelihood of injuries, broken equipment and environmental damage. I feel like there is a good balance of being creative and technical. Unlike a lot of other types of engineering, there is a subjective element to my job e.g. we have to make an argument on whether a product is safe or not based on our evidence. When a change to the design is made because of my inputs, it's very satisfying. It's also really cool and fun to go on the type of products that BAE makes!"

"At age 17, I wasn't sure what career path I wanted to take so I decided to get a degree which I thought would give me a lot of career options. I chose to study Chemical Engineering. I was good at science and art and hoped that this would get me an interesting job with a good salary. While at university I studied some Safety related modules which I really enjoyed and decided I would like to pursue this as a career. During my university summer holidays I worked for BAE Systems as a Summer Intern and was offered the chance to return to the company for a full time position after graduation."

"When I was at university I spent plenty of time travelling (up to 2.5 months per trip). Now in a full time job, I still manage to take 3 weeks during summer to go and visit exciting places (last year I travelled around Thailand and Vietnam) in addition to other holidays. I also enjoy cooking, playing badminton, going out with friends, reading and watching reality TV."

"A typical day at work could involve a variety of things. Most of it involves desk work. I use technical drawings and data to write reports and draw conclusions about projects and systems. I might be working on a method of safety analysis, like hazard identification or fault tree analysis (fault trees are diagrams which can tell you which bits of equipment might significantly contribute towards the causes of an accident). I email engineers who are responsible for parts of the product I am analysing to find out more about their specialised area. I sometimes have meetings with these engineers to ask them technical questions and update them on my progress and findings.Every day I ask a lot of questions! I often have to consult with other members of the team to get their opinions and feedback. A big part of safety engineering is understanding what can go wrong, what could cause it, how likely it is and how we can stop it. "

"Higher Maths, English, French, Physics and Chemistry. Advanced Higher Maths, Physics and Chemistry. MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Strathclyde. "