What does a safety coordinator do?
A safety coordinator is responsible for monitoring and evaluating daily operations and planning procedures to mitigate risks and improve safety regulations. Safety coordinators inspect building premises, individual workstations, as well as common areas to ensure that the arrangements are compliant with federal and state law safety protocols. They also conduct safety training and orientations to promote safety codes for each employee's practice. A safety coordinator also assesses the company's equipment and machinery to ensure its safety for everyone's use.
Safety coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real safety coordinator resumes:
- Identify and minimize hazardous conditions, oversee accident prevention and remediation activities, and manage logistical operations of all HAZMAT carriers.
- Authore corporate safety policies and programs ensuring compliance with OSHA and EPA regulatory requirements.
- Develop EHS training/policies and facilitates require training including new hire safety training and orientation.
- Train store/outlet personnel how to conduct operational loss prevention and OSHA safety audits and submit quarterly reports.
- Collaborate with corporate EHS department on developing facility and procedure EHS protocols in accordance with OSHA standards and regulations.
- Maintain worker training schedules and complete all require documentation train LOTO for classroom and machine specifics.
- Assist in company transition to ISO and TQM, perform ISO and RC1401 internal quality audits.
- Facilitate safety audit inspections, risk assessment, and hazard analysis per OSHA / ANSI standards.
- Update crew rosters and schedule training for employees to ensure proper certification maintenance of rig crews.
- Coordinate monthly training such as defensive driving, CPR certification, heavy equipment training and CDL certifications.
- Enhance employees' awareness of quality and processes improvement by conducting training in ISO 9001 and HACCP.
- Conduct personal protective equipment hazard assessments and recommend products that meet OSHA, MSHA and ANSI standards.
- Coordinate construction, operation, and maintenance processes to ensure compliance with 29 CFR OSHA 1926 and 1910 standards.
- Frequent meetings with the president of the company as well as vp, hr manager and all other supervisors.
- Provide answers to compliance questions ask by researchers, hospital workers, and staff on waste removal procedures and EPA compliance.
Safety coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Safety Coordinators are proficient in OSHA, Safety Procedures, and Safety Program. They’re also known for soft skills such as Ability to use technology, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Safety Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 14%
Trained store/outlet personnel how to conduct operational loss prevention and OSHA safety audits and submit quarterly reports.
- Safety Procedures, 6%
Provide emergency support and assistance to injured or traumatized staff members * Evaluate environmental and systematic safety procedures * PMCS trained
- Safety Program, 5%
Developed safety program to comply with OSHA guidelines to include daily equipment inspections, and development of procedures and equipment improvements.
- Safety Audits, 4%
Performed safety audits, provided safety training to AVTEL employees and identified contractual requirements with regards to safety and occupational hazards.
- Safety Training, 4%
Developed and implemented in-service safety training programs in fire safety, hazardous materials, communications and other training topics as required.
- Corrective Action, 4%
Conduct weekly hospital surveillance rounds with Chief Operating Officer to identify environmental deficiencies and to initiate corrective actions for quality improvements.
"osha," "safety procedures," and "safety program" are among the most common skills that safety coordinators use at work. You can find even more safety coordinator responsibilities below, including:
Ability to use technology. The most essential soft skill for a safety coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is ability to use technology. This skill is important for the role because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Additionally, a safety coordinator resume shows how their duties depend on ability to use technology: "performed incident investigations to ensure a timely complete reporting and documentation of all incidents, including near misses and unsafe conditions/activities. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling safety coordinator 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 safety coordinator resume, here's how safety coordinators can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "participate in detailed incident investigations and root cause analysis. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of safety coordinators is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday safety coordinator 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: "expired cdl, dot physicals, random drug screens, hazmat, dot inspections. "
Communication skills. A big part of what safety coordinators do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to safety coordinator responsibilities because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical safety coordinator tasks: "conducted all new hire safety orientations served as back-up to hr manager conducted plant-wide safety/communication meetings. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a safety coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what safety coordinators relies on this skill, since "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." How this skill relates to safety coordinator duties can be seen in an example from a safety coordinator resume snippet: "assist with incident investigations and case management process by advising and providing solutions. "
The three companies that hire the most safety coordinators are:
- Stoughton Trailers40 safety coordinators jobs
- UFP Industries17 safety coordinators jobs
- Novolex16 safety coordinators jobs
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Compare different safety coordinators
Safety coordinator vs. Industrial hygienist
An Industrial Hygienist plans and conducts health programs to educate employees about cleanliness, safety, and sanitation in the workplace. They investigate adequacy of ventilation, exhaust equipment, lighting, and other conditions that can affect employees' health, comfort, or efficiency.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between safety coordinators and industrial hygienist. For instance, safety coordinator responsibilities require skills such as "safety procedures," "safety regulations," "cpr," and "customer service." Whereas a industrial hygienist is skilled in "environmental health," "indoor air quality," "ventilation," and "occupational health hazards." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Industrial hygienists really shine in the energy industry with an average salary of $93,692. Comparatively, safety coordinators tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $76,024.The education levels that industrial hygienists earn slightly differ from safety coordinators. In particular, industrial hygienists are 10.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a safety coordinator. Additionally, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Safety coordinator vs. Manager, environmental and safety
An Environmental and Safety manager is responsible for overseeing environmental sustainability concerning production and manufacturing processes and mitigating nature's hazardous effects. Environmental and Safety managers evaluate the methods and resources used to produce and eliminate procedures that violate safety laws and internal regulations. They also facilitate training and programs for the employees to ensure adherence to protocols and prevent accidents during operations. An Environmental and Safety Manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in reviewing incident reports and conducting root-cause analysis to avoid reoccurrence.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real safety coordinator resumes. While safety coordinator responsibilities can utilize skills like "safety standards," "customer service," "powerpoint," and "safety committee," managers, environmental and safety use skills like "environmental health," "environmental compliance," "continuous improvement," and "emergency response."
Managers, environmental and safety earn a higher average salary than safety coordinators. But managers, environmental and safety earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $85,529. Additionally, safety coordinators earn the highest salaries in the energy with average pay of $76,024 annually.managers, environmental and safety earn higher levels of education than safety coordinators in general. They're 8.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for safety coordinators 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
Safety coordinator vs. Ehs manager
An environmental health & safety (EHS) manager is in charge of developing and implementing safety programs for a company's workforce and work environment. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations, devising preventive measures, spearheading training and seminars, and investigating workplace accidents and identify causes to ensure that it would not happen again. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing every policy and safety regulation of the company.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a safety coordinator is likely to be skilled in "osha," "safety standards," "cpr," and "customer service," while a typical ehs manager is skilled in "environmental health," "continuous improvement," "local regulations," and "oversight."
Ehs managers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $96,976. On the other hand, safety coordinators are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $76,024.Most ehs managers achieve a higher degree level compared to safety coordinators. For example, they're 10.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Safety coordinator vs. Environmental health safety manager
An Environmental Health Safety Manager supervises the compliance of an organization with environmental legislations regarding safety in the workplace. They are responsible for applying state and federal environmental policies.
Types of safety coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025
