Roles and Responsibilities of a Safety Officer
A hundred things happen at once in an organization. And each of these activities needs to take place in a safe environment.
So it’s crucial to have a person in your company who can recognize what could go wrong, act when something goes wrong, and be willing to take ownership of the situation.
This is where the role of a safety officer comes in.
Who is a Safety Officer?
The safety officer is an internal employee who is assigned to prevent accidents, respond to emergencies and evaluate the effectiveness of the company’s safety programs. A safety officer identifies safety hazards, investigates them thoroughly, and controls them before someone gets hurt.
The safety officer is the ‘head’ of the safety department and, in most organizations, reports to the Chief Operations Officer. The safety officer also checks if the safety program is working effectively and efficiently to meet all requirements of the OSHA standards.
What Are the Roles of a Safety Officer in an Organization?
The role of a safety officer can vary from company to company, but they all have one thing in common — ensuring the safety of everyone in the workplace. They verify that everyone on the site is following safe work practices and doing their jobs safely.
In general, safety officers have three main roles:
Planning
Safety officers must create a safe environment by making sure they have all the necessary equipment for their team. They also have to ensure that they have all the required things for their team.
An example of this would be ensuring they have shoring equipment at hand that they can use to shore up an unstable wall. Making sure that the employees have all the necessary tools to finish their work safely is also a part of the responsibility.
Organizing
Safety officers are also responsible for organizing their workload so that no harm will come to them or anyone else during their work activities. They have to make sure that employees can complete the tasks without causing any damage to the workplace or anyone else.
Supervising
Finally, safety officers are responsible for supervising everyone who works under them to ensure that they are doing their work safely. When supervising, they need to make sure that each person knows their role in the process and where they fit in.
Safety officers handle a broad range of tasks, including various first-aid procedures and safety checks on equipment. They also help set up and operate emergency equipment correctly. In some companies, they may be the only person on-site with first-aid training. In some other companies, they will oversee a group of first-aid trainers or safety managers who do not have their own training as first-aid responders.
Irrespective of their specific role or position in the organization, all safety officers should follow a set of responsibilities.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Safety Officer?
The safety officer is responsible for ensuring the safe and effective operation of any and all areas and facilities in the organization. Here are some of the specific responsibilities that every safety officer has.
- Identify and assess hazards, risks and control measures for a specific operation or process.
- Conduct ongoing review of operations and processes to identify potential hazards, risks and control measures that should be implemented to reduce these risks, including all costs involved in implementing such measures.
- Assess and document hazards, risks and controls in a manner consistent with established procedures and practices.
- Set up and supervising temporary work areas.
- Supervise the safe handling, storage & disposal of hazardous materials.
- Supervise the operation of any potential hazards in the workplace.
- Improve workplace safety and employee productivity by transitioning from manual safety procedures to digital safety management systems.
- Ensure that all company employees meet all OSHA requirements.
- Provide OSHA training if necessary.
- Ensure that health, safety, and environmental policies are followed.
- Investigate workplace accidents and injuries and refer them to the proper authorities.
Ideally, a safety officer will have a degree in a technical field, such as mechanical engineering or structural engineering, and a certification in safety practices.
What Are the Safety Officer Qualifications?
A safety officer should have at least a bachelor’s degree. And some organizations may require a master’s degree. If you have a degree in health and safety-related courses, then it’s an added advantage. It also helps if you have related job experience or internships in security and safety roles.
You can get certified as a safety professional from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). You can get the eligibility details here. Or you can get certified as an EHS professional. Either of these certifications will make the profile stronger.
Wrapping Up
Every organization needs to have a safety officer to look out for its employees and prevent any major safety issues. Safety officers can maintain a safe and healthy work environment and prevent accidents or injuries to employees.
If you’re a safety officer, you must have many responsibilities to handle—assessments to make, training to provide, supervising jobs, etc. This is where simple online checklists will come in handy. Check out our customizable checklists here.
Related read:
Our listing of the best EHS Software.
Ramesh Nair is the Founder and Principal Partner of Niyati Technologies, the company behind Safetymint.
He’s a dedicated advocate for workplace safety. Ramesh firmly believes that every individual deserves to return home safely after a day’s work. Safetymint, the innovative safety management software, emerged from this conviction. It’s a platform designed to streamline safety management, empower safety professionals, and enhance safety in workplaces.
Through his blog, Ramesh shares insights, best practices, and innovative solutions for workplace safety. Visit his social media profiles to follow him for regular updates.
