Health and safety officer

Description

Health and safety officers execute plans for the improvement of work environments and cultures. They assess risks and interview employees to ensure the work environment is compliant with health and safety rules, as well as ensuring the interaction within the workplace occurs in a positive and productive manner. If employed in a healthcare facility the health and safety officer has to investigate infections spreading across a facility and advice all employees how to combat and prevent infections. Furthermore health physics is applied at facilities where people are exposed to ionizing radiation such as nuclear power plants and research institutions.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to health and safety officer:

occupational health officer
occupational health and safety officer
workplace health and safety advisor
occupational health nurse
public health inspector
environmental and occupational heath officer
occupational hygienist
health and safety advisor

Minimum qualifications

Master’s degree is generally required to work as health and safety officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Health and safety officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Health and safety officer career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to health and safety officer.

emergency response coordinator
ombudsman
government planning inspector
equality and inclusion manager
secretary general

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of health and safety officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of health and safety officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of health and safety officer.

Health, safety and hygiene legislation: The set of health, safety and hygiene standards and items of legislation applicable in a specific sector.
Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
Personal protective equipment: Types of protective materials and equipment foreseen for various types of tasks such as general or specialised cleaning activities.
Environmental legislation: The environmental policies and legislation applicable in a certain domain.
Assessment of risks and threats: The security documentation and any security-related communications and information.
Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of health and safety officer.

Ensure compliance with environmental legislation: Monitor activities and perform tasks ensuring compliance with standards involving environmental protection and sustainability, and amend activities in the case of changes in environmental legislation. Ensure that the processes are compliant with environment regulations and best practices.
Communicate health and safety measures: Inform about applicable rules, guidelines and measures to avoid accidents and hazards in the workplace.
Advise on risk management: Provide advice on risk management policies and prevention strategies and their implementation, being aware of different kinds of risks to a specific organisation.
Draw up risk assessment: Assess risks, propose improvements and describe measures to be taken at the organisational level.
Follow safety standards in industrial contexts: Abide by safety procedures and standards for industrial contexts, mostly where machinery is involved.
Monitor legislation developments: Monitor changes in rules, policies and legislation, and identify how they may influence the organisation, existing operations, or a specific case or situation.
Advise on conflict management: Advise private or public organisations on monitoring possible conflict risk and development, and on conflict resolution methods specific to the identified conflicts.
Present reports: Display results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.
Educate employees on occupational hazards: Provide information and advice to employees related to the possible occupational hazards, such as industrial solvents, radiation, noise and vibration.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of health and safety officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Audit techniques: The techniques and methods that support a systematic and independent examination of data, policies, operations and performances using computer-assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATs) such as spreadsheets, databases, statistical analysis and business intelligence software.
Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.
Pollution prevention: The processes used to prevent pollution: precautions to pollution of the environment, procedures to counter pollution and associated equipment, and possible measures to protect the environment.
Employment law: The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees’ rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of health and safety officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Apply conflict management: Take ownership of the handling of all complaints and disputes showing empathy and understanding to achieve resolution. To be fully aware of all Social Responsibility protocols and procedures, and to be able to deal with a problem gambling situation in a professional manner with maturity and empathy.
Make health, safety and environment assessments: Execute health, safety and environmental assessments to ensure proper working environment and conditions.
Perform risk analysis: Identify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation’s functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.
Issue licences: Issue official documentation which grants licence holders with official permission to perform certain activities, after having investigated the application and processed the necessary documentation.
Use different communication channels: Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.
Think analytically: Produce thoughts using logic and reasoning in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Conduct workplace audits: Conduct work site audits and inspections in order to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.
Educate on emergency management: Educate communities, organisations, or individuals on risk management and emergency response, such as how to develop and implement prevention and reaction strategies, and educate on emergency policies specific to the risks applicable to that area or organisation.
Identify policy breach: Identify instances of non-compliance to set plans and policies in an organisation, and take the appropriate course of action by issuing penalties and outlining the changes which need to be made.
Perform health assessment: Autonomously perform comprehensive health assessment, using professional judgement to refer patients requiring specialist attention to other health professionals and agencies as appropriate.
Conduct research interview: Use professional researching and interviewing methods and techniques to gather relevant data, facts or information, to gain new insights and to fully comprehend the message of the interviewee.
Observe confidentiality: Observe the set of rules establishing the nondisclosure of information except to another authorised person.
Advise on environmental risk management systems: Evaluate requirements and advise on systems for environmental risk management. Ensure the customer does his part in preventing or limiting adverse environmental impact through the use of technology. Ensure required licenses and permits are obtained.
Test safety strategies: Test policies and strategies related to risk and safety management and procedures, such as testing evacuation plans, safety equipment, and carrying out drills.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.
Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Implement strategic planning: Take action on the goals and procedures defined at a strategic level in order to mobilise resources and pursue the established strategies.

ISCO group and title

2263 – Environmental and occupational health and hygiene professionals

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Health and safety officer – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022