What does a safety technician do?
A safety technician is responsible for inspecting the office equipment and machinery, as well as the safety of facilities, avoiding potential hazards in the workplace. Safety technicians also review the company's policies and procedures, ensuring that the operational processes adhere to the internal guidelines and state regulations. They recommend safety training and programs for all employees on safety compliance and stable work conditions. A safety technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on writing incident reports and suggesting practices to maintain a safe working environment.
Safety technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real safety technician resumes:
- Assist with ergonomics assessments, assist in managing HAZMAT and chemical storage programs, and evaluate fire prevention plans.
- Provide service and support for the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire protection systems per NFPA.
- Translate safety training programs into Spanish and deliver OSHA training programs via teleconference.
- Instruct annual CPR classes for all employees.
- Provide first aid / CPR to injure associates.
- Contract position with duties ranging from RCRA audits weekly.
- Used knowledge of NRC and EPA regulations to handle and dispose of waste.
- Unload the scaffolding materials; include the rails, planks and ladders for the scaffold.
- Conduct EHS programs and self assessment audits on site in order to maintain both regulatory and company compliance status and codes.
- Identify the need for large scale recycling of used plastics which are contaminated with trace salts & buffers/NON, RCRA residues.
- Provide one-on-one monitoring of patients' mental well-being.
- Provide recommendations to bring customers into compliance with NFPA regulations.
- Ensure facility comply with EPA's annual chemical inventory reporting requirements for hazardous chemicals.
- Provide detailed information back to management that are crucial to safety operations and meeting OSHA guidelines.
- Participate in updating college-level EHS training programs emphasizing the meticulous setup and use of training management systems.
Safety technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Safety Technicians are proficient in OSHA, Patients, and Customer Service. 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 Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 12%
Assisted with investigations and prepared OSHA mishap/accident reports to company Vice President.
- Patients, 9%
Manage situations in which patients present volatile behavioral health Characteristics.
- Customer Service, 5%
Provided front line customer service assistance in identifying technical issues.
- Safety Procedures, 5%
Performed periodic inspections/audits on safety procedures
- Safety Equipment, 4%
Document safety inspections, citing dangerous areas/procedures and recommending corrective procedures, and maintaining safety equipment supply and availability.
- CPR, 4%
Provide heath education classes for new parents, including CPR, Boot Camp for Dads and Child Safety Seat 101.
Most safety technicians use their skills in "osha," "patients," and "customer service" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential safety technician responsibilities here:
Ability to use technology. One of the key soft skills for a safety technician to have is ability to use technology. You can see how this relates to what safety technicians do because "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to use advanced technology." Additionally, a safety technician resume shows how safety technicians use ability to use technology: "coordinate incident investigations and evaluations of hazardous conditions or operating procedures to identify preventive techniques to ensure hazards are managed. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling safety technician 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 technician resume, here's how safety technicians can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "decontaminated work areas after spills occurred and prepared incident reports describing the incident in detail. "
Physical stamina. This is an important skill for safety technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how safety technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to stand for long periods and be able to travel regularly." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a safety technician: "provide aid to physical therapists by ensuring that patients adhere to their therapy as prescribed. ".
Communication skills. A big part of what safety technicians do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to safety technician 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 technician tasks: "provided guidance and maintained effective communication with personnel to ensure standards derived from nec, osha, and epa were followed. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a safety technician to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what safety technicians 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 technician duties can be seen in an example from a safety technician resume snippet: "filled out incident reports and incident investigations providing corrective actions and solutions to prevent future incidents. "
The three companies that hire the most safety technicians are:
- UnityPoint Health28 safety technicians jobs
- Tanner Health System12 safety technicians jobs
- Atlantic Health11 safety technicians jobs
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Compare different safety technicians
Safety technician vs. Health and safety coordinator
A health and safety coordinator is responsible for identifying the potential safety risks of an organization, recommending solutions to mitigate hazards that may affect the company's operational performance and productivity. Health and safety coordinators inspect the safety and security of the facilities, including the production tools, equipment, and machinery, and analyze findings to develop procedures that would eliminate work-related threats. They also facilitate safety training and programs for the employees, as well as emergency drills and reiteration of safety policies and protocols for strict compliance.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, safety technician responsibilities require skills like "patients," "customer service," "cleanliness," and "ladders." Meanwhile a typical health and safety coordinator has skills in areas such as "environmental health," "rehabilitation," "state regulations," and "powerpoint." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Health and safety coordinators tend to reach higher levels of education than safety technicians. In fact, health and safety coordinators are 5.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Safety technician vs. Health & safety officer
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.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that safety technician responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "customer service," "cleanliness," and "ladders." But a health & safety officer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "em-385," "ssho," "occupational health," and "scaffolding."
On average, health & safety officers earn a higher salary than safety technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, health & safety officers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $55,791. Whereas safety technicians have higher pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $42,773.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Health & safety officers tend to reach higher levels of education than safety technicians. In fact, they're 7.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for safety technicians 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 technician vs. Safety engineer
The duties of a safety engineer depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the implementation of the safety policies and regulations in a company by conducting regular inspections and maintenance checks, coordinating with department personnel to gather data, assessing risks, and arranging precautionary measures. A safety engineer must also address issues and concerns, responding to them in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, there are instances when they have to lead safety orientations and seminars to maintain a safe and productive environment for everyone.
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 technician resumes include skills like "patients," "customer service," "cleanliness," and "ladders," whereas a safety engineer is more likely to list skills in "fmea," "fault tree analysis," "training programs," and "safety culture. "
Safety engineers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $91,164. On the other hand, safety technicians are paid the highest salary in the construction industry, with average annual pay of $42,773.When it comes to education, safety engineers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to safety technicians. In fact, they're 10.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Safety technician vs. Safety coordinator
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.
Types of safety technician
Updated January 8, 2025
