What does a safety representative do?
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.
Safety representative responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real safety representative resumes:
- Complete HAZMAT training and manage squadrons HAZMAT program.
- Manage the development/execution of the EHS communication and program strategy for this diversify global technology and industrial leader.
- Maintain the CPR kit program.
- Administer first-aid and CPR when need.
- Skil in hazard communication, LOTO, machine guarding, and contractor safety.
- Insure permits and LOTO procedures are as followed for commissioning, pumps, motors, turbines.
- Call and schedule participants in order to bring in and deliver vehicles used for emissions testing at the EPA.
- Inspect safety belts, ladders, ropes, rubber goods, and tools and tag those not meeting safety requirements.
- Develop OSHA compliance and pro-active safety management programs for the manufacturing facilities and branch locations.
- Create and implement facility wide OSHA compliance inspection program to identify hazards and document corrective actions.
- Participate on site management committees to establish business improvements and the successful integration of EHS programs.
- Develop and coordinate departmental ergonomics project that contribute to equipment design changes, business system modifications and revise employee work habits.
- Perform hazard awareness training and safety supervision to oilfield operations in high H2S areas.
Safety representative skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Safety Representatives are proficient in OSHA, Safety Procedures, and Corrective Action. 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 Representatives that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 13%
Created and implemented facility wide OSHA compliance inspection program to identify hazards and document corrective actions.
- Safety Procedures, 6%
Selected as 'back up' Safety Representative, responsible for enforcement of safety procedures and equipment inspection.
- Corrective Action, 5%
Conducted safety audits, coordinated audit recommendations, developed corrective action plans and conducted field and classroom training on multiple subjects.
- Safety Program, 5%
Developed behavior based safety program to help Supervisors and Plant Managers recognize unsafe behaviors to build a Zero Incident Safety Culture.
- Safety Training, 4%
Assisted in annual company safety training * Inspected on various pipeline construction projects including all permitting and monitoring.
- Safety Audits, 4%
Communicate with hourly employees about safety issues Inspect personal protective equipment Safety audits Assist supervisor with safety meetings Interpret Trim heel
Common skills that a safety representative uses to do their job include "osha," "safety procedures," and "corrective action." You can find details on the most important safety representative responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a safety representative to have is ability to use technology. Their role and responsibilities require that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Safety representatives often use ability to use technology in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "review all jsa, jha, jra or sra prior to job work. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling safety representative 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 representative resume, here's how safety representatives can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "customized our safety program to cultivate results oriented teams, focused on workplace operations. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of safety representatives is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday safety representative 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 a safety program and made major corrections to physical security/safety standards to ensure occupational, health, and environmental compliance. "
Communication skills. A big part of what safety representatives do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to safety representative 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 representative tasks: "oversee and manage hazmat communications for parks and the recreational maintenance barns for the city. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for safety representative responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of safety representatives 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 safety representative resume shows how this skill is central to what a safety representative does: "conduct incident investigations and ensure follow up on action item resolution. "
The three companies that hire the most safety representatives are:
- Vulcan Materials7 safety representatives jobs
- Matrix Service Company5 safety representatives jobs
- Baker Concrete Construction5 safety representatives jobs
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Compare different safety representatives
Safety representative vs. Health specialist
A health specialist is primarily responsible for the health and welfare care of patients in a community or medical facility. They are also responsible for providing consultations, conducting assessments and examinations, providing prescriptions, and recommending care methods. A health specialist may also diagnose and treat ailments and injuries, coordinate with other health experts, and discuss conditions with patients and their families. Furthermore, a health specialist may participate in public discussions to raise awareness of health issues and lifestyles.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between safety representatives and health specialist. For instance, safety representative responsibilities require skills such as "safety procedures," "corrective action," "safety program," and "safety training." Whereas a health specialist is skilled in "patients," "health education," "public health," and "data collection." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Health specialists really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $56,603. Comparatively, safety representatives tend to make the most money in the energy industry with an average salary of $68,912.The education levels that health specialists earn slightly differ from safety representatives. In particular, health specialists are 9.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a safety representative. Additionally, they're 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Safety representative vs. Public health internship
A public health internship provides students with a great learning opportunity to put into practice those educational principles and skills learned in the classroom. They will gain a better understanding and appreciation for the duties and responsibilities of full-time professionals in public health. This exposure will provide students with leadership skills and professional development learning opportunities. In addition, students have an opportunity to contribute to various health-related agencies and organizations. The internship location should be at a primary public health agency whose work reflects the best in the industry.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, safety representative responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "safety procedures," "corrective action," "safety regulations," and "cpr." Meanwhile, a public health internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "environmental health," "patients," "public health," and "powerpoint." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Public health interns tend to reach higher levels of education than safety representatives. In fact, they're 8.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for safety representatives 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 representative 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.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from safety representative resumes include skills like "safety procedures," "cpr," "site safety," and "incident investigations," whereas an environmental health specialist is more likely to list skills in "environmental health," "public health," "regulatory agencies," and "air quality. "
Environmental health specialists make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $62,998. On the other hand, safety representatives are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $68,912.environmental health specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to safety representatives. Specifically, they're 6.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Safety representative vs. Health and safety manager
Health and Safety Managers oversee the company's compliance with occupational health and safety guidelines set by both governing bodies and company policies. They create company policies based on guidelines released by regulatory bodies. They also ensure that everyone follows these policies in the office. Health and safety managers are in charge of inspecting the workplace and ensuring no health hazards in the area. They are also in charge of signing off on materials and equipment used in the office to ensure that they are safe to use. Health and Safety Managers train health and safety officers to ensure that the same standard is applied to the department.
Types of safety representative
Updated January 8, 2025
