What does a health & safety officer do?
A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the workplace's safety and security to provide smooth operations and implement safety practices within the premises. They inspect the facilities and equipment's condition and report any failures and defects for immediate resolution. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees to reiterate safety protocols and policies for strict compliance. A health and safety officer reviews incident reports, recommend safety and security resolutions and develop safety initiatives.
Health & safety officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real health & safety officer resumes:
- Lead cross functional team on FMEA analysis, root cause analysis to improve the existing process.
- Provide regulatory guidance of OSHA health and safety regulations and establish site interpretations of those regulations.
- Organize students' information for CPR certification and parking registration.
- Plan, organize, and host training sessions for CPR certification.
- Develop metrics showing departmental and site EHS performances and present monthly findings to executive management.
- Conduct internal audits of EHS programs and provide recommendations regarding the effectiveness of internal controls and processes.
- Initiate and implement a standardize and streamline company-wide MSDS program that improve accessibility of data and compliance with OSHA regulations.
- Develop PowerPoint to create greater awareness of improper lifting sling hazards and recommendations of proper lifting techniques, recommendation taken.
- Participate in new equipment planning and installation team activities to include PSM processes documentation and validation i.e.
Health & safety officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Health & Safety Officers are proficient in OSHA, Site Safety, and Em-385. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Health & Safety Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 12%
Initiated and implemented a standardized and streamlined company-wide MSDS program that improved accessibility of data and compliance with OSHA regulations.
- Site Safety, 5%
Implemented site safety protocols ensuring company and sub-contractor construction personnel observed and maintained a positive safety posture.
- Em-385, 5%
Monitor job site for potential hazards and ensure all workers adhere to all safety rules within the Army Corp EM-385.
- Safety Program, 5%
Developed a Safety Program and conduct incidents reports investigations and to deal with safety auditor's monthly incident audit investigations.
- Fall Protection, 5%
Authored and implemented Fall Protection and Permit Required Confined Space plans
- SSHO, 4%
Prepare Contractor safety self-evaluation and Contractor Waste Summary and submit to SSHO Manager.
Common skills that a health & safety officer uses to do their job include "osha," "site safety," and "em-385." You can find details on the most important health & safety officer responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. One of the key soft skills for a health & safety officer to have is ability to use technology. You can see how this relates to what health & safety officers do because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Additionally, a health & safety officer resume shows how health & safety officers use ability to use technology: "perform incident investigations for root cause. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling health & safety officer duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians need to understand and follow safety standards and complex government regulations." According to a health & safety officer resume, here's how health & safety officers can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "prepared relevant brochures detailing osha requirements for safety and health"
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of health & safety officers is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday health & safety officer duties, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and be able to travel regularly." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "established, maintained, implemented and improved the global geophysical services hseq management system. "
Communication skills. For certain health & safety officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a health & safety officer rely on this skill, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what health & safety officers do: "implemented & maintain hazardous waste program and safety data sheets communication. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for health & safety officer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of health & safety officers all the time, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to solve problems in order to design and implement workplace processes and procedures that help protect workers from hazardous conditions." An excerpt from a real health & safety officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a health & safety officer does: "assisted hazardous waste management team with oversight of vendor services; including contract development, management and problem resolution. "
The three companies that hire the most health & safety officers are:
- Caddell Construction25 health & safety officers jobs
- WakeMed11 health & safety officers jobs
- Great Lakes Dredge & Dock8 health & safety officers jobs
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Compare different health & safety officers
Health & safety officer vs. Safety consultant
A safety consultant specializes in establishing safety guidelines and regulations for a company to ensure a safe and productive work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around understanding company operations, assessing existing safety programs to identify areas needing improvement, and recommending solutions through reports and presentations. They must also develop strategies to provide safety information to workers, creating information programs as necessary. Furthermore, as a safety consultant, it is essential to lead the implementation of new guidelines and policies, ensuring workforce compliance.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a health & safety officer are more likely to require skills like "em-385," "ssho," "occupational health," and "scaffolding." On the other hand, a job as a safety consultant requires skills like "risk management," "fume hoods," "loto," and "food safety." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Safety consultants earn the highest salaries when working in the energy industry, with an average yearly salary of $88,467. On the other hand, health & safety officers are paid more in the construction industry with an average salary of $55,791.safety consultants tend to reach similar levels of education than health & safety officers. In fact, safety consultants are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Health & safety officer vs. Environmental health specialist
An Environmental Health Specialist is responsible for determining the existence of possible health hazards and taking measures to prevent or corect them. They monitor health and safety conditions in resedential, industrial, commercial, and recreational settings.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that health & safety officer responsibilities requires skills like "site safety," "em-385," "ssho," and "safety procedures." But an environmental health specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "environmental health," "public health," "emergency response," and "continuous improvement."
Environmental health specialists may earn a lower salary than health & safety officers, but environmental health specialists earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $62,998. On the other hand, health & safety officers receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $55,791.In general, environmental health specialists achieve similar levels of education than health & safety officers. They're 1.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for health & safety officers in the next 3-5 years?
Linsay Hale
Professional Standards Director/Interim Training Division Director, IADLEST Member - International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training
Health & safety officer vs. Safety specialist
Safety specialists examine various types of work procedures and environments. They observe if workplaces stick to the regulations on health, safety, and the environment. Also, they create programs to prevent injury or disease to workers and harm to the environment. Their duties include identifying hazards at the workplace and collecting samples of potentially toxic materials for examination. Another task they do is conduct training on emergency preparedness. Additionally, they explore and identify the causes of an accident to determine their preventative measures.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a health & safety officer is likely to be skilled in "em-385," "ssho," "occupational health," and "scaffolding," while a typical safety specialist is skilled in "develop corrective action," "food safety," "patients," and "powerpoint."
When it comes to education, safety specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to health & safety officers. In fact, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Health & safety officer vs. Safety representative
A safety representative is responsible for reiterating safety protocols and regulations in the workplace to prevent potential hazards and operational delays. Safety representatives facilitate training and programs for the employees and inform them of any communications related to their safety and wellbeing. They also submit incident reports to the safety manager and provide recommendations to minimize risks and practice emergency drills. A safety representative must have excellent communication and organizational skills to create a safe environment for operations.
Types of health & safety officer
Updated January 8, 2025
