What does a Safety Officer do?
A safety officer specializes in maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for employees in a building or establishment. Aside from adhering to the safety standards and regulations within a company, a safety officer also has to craft and improve policies that prioritize the physical and mental health of workers. Furthermore, it is essential to implement safety programs by educating workers on various precautionary measures, performing regular inspections of equipment and machines, and ensuring the proper disposal of any hazardous waste materials.
Safety officer responsibilities
Safety officers play a crucial role in ensuring a safe and secure environment. They are responsible for managing and directing safety teams, facilitating extensive safety and hazmat training, and instructing personnel in emergency situations. They also supervise the handling of hazardous chemicals, develop comprehensive safety management plans, and conduct regular site inspections to ensure safety compliance. As Christine Foster, Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University, notes, "So much of what we do in occupational safety is assessing risk and then translating that into recommendations that are then managed to execution." This highlights the importance of risk assessment and project management skills in a safety officer's role.
Here are examples of responsibilities from real safety officer resumes:
- Manage safety coordination with EHS and owner representatives.
- Manage and facilitate extensive Safety/Security and HAZMAT training for all personnel.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations to include OSHA and NFPA guidelines.
- Prepare clients for ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification.
- Maintain cleanliness of all equipment for maintenance and inspections.
- Give applicants full CDL exam and submit appropriate paperwork to DDS.
- Restrict NFPA prohibit items and advise staff on any potential safety hazards within the department.
- Inspect fire extinguishers, ladders, and other equipment in the field of fabrication work.
- Assist staff with daily needs of patient, such as hygiene, room cleanliness and feeding.
- Ensure that all hazardous containment containers are mark and labele by 49 CFR standards for storage and orShipping
- Conduct research for compliance directives through multiple regulatory guidelines and directives including NIOSH, NFPA and ANSI.
- Perform safety consulting including OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 audits, injury trend analysis, training development and presentation.
- Conduct life safety compliance in juvenile lock-up facility, train staff in emergency procedures, CPR and fire protection systems.
- Prepare drivers for their CDL basic skills test, to include vehicle inspection, skills test, and road test.
- Rotate stations from patrol to security checks performing identification security protocol for members.
Safety officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Safety Officers are proficient in OSHA, Patients, and Patrol. 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 Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 8%
Inspected work sites to evaluate safety programs and safe working conditions, documenting violations/infractions regarding specific OSHA requirements and/or unsafe actions.
- Patients, 7%
Scheduled appointments, educated patients on special medical orders, and processed insurance authorizations.
- Patrol, 6%
Investigate crimes as directed by Criminal Investigations Unit, Patrol assigned areas as designated, Conduct routine investigation,
- Safety Procedures, 6%
Conduct safety inspections and investigate violations to ensure safety procedures are being followed as well as counsel managers and employees accordingly.
- Safety Program, 5%
Developed and implemented laboratory safety program and monitored operations to ensure employee and equipment compliance with safety policies and procedures.
- Risk Management, 4%
Managed five departmental Safety Petty Officers in the area of safety training and risk management increasing safety awareness throughout the organization.
Common skills that a safety officer uses to do their job include "osha," "patients," and "patrol." You can find details on the most important safety officer responsibilities below.
Ability to use technology. The most essential soft skill for a safety officer 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 officer resume shows how their duties depend on ability to use technology: "maintain regulatory reporting for both fda and military exemptions. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform safety officer duties is detail oriented. Safety officers responsibilities require that "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians need to understand and follow safety standards and complex government regulations." Safety officers also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "completed detailed reports for safety and security incidents to include reporting to the fda and ada as well as others. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of safety officers is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday safety officer 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: "provided security for school campus respond to emergency situations escort students requiring disciplinary action prevent and control physical altercations prepare incident reports"
Communication skills. For certain safety officer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a safety officer rely on this skill, as "occupational health and safety specialists and technicians must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what safety officers do: "enforced equipment and personnel safety compliance of osha rules and standards monitored multiple communications systems for emergencies and hazard communication. "
Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for safety officer responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of safety officers 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 officer resume shows how this skill is central to what a safety officer does: "evaluate the practicality of possible solutions for resolution of potential emergency situations. "
The three companies that hire the most safety officers are:
- Carle Foundation125 safety officers jobs
- TPI25 safety officers jobs
- Hartford Public Schools12 safety officers jobs
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Compare different safety officers
Safety officer 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a safety officer are more likely to require skills like "patrol," "safety procedures," "safety program," and "risk management." On the other hand, a job as a health specialist requires skills like "health education," "public health," "data collection," and "veterans." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Health specialists earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $56,603. On the other hand, safety officers are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $59,274.On average, health specialists reach higher levels of education than safety officers. Health specialists are 7.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Safety officer 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.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real safety officer resumes. While safety officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "patrol," "safety procedures," "risk management," and "cpr," public health interns use skills like "environmental health," "public health," "powerpoint," and "epa."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Public health interns tend to reach higher levels of education than safety officers. In fact, they're 6.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Safety officer 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.
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 officer is likely to be skilled in "patients," "patrol," "risk management," and "customer service," while a typical environmental health safety manager is skilled in "environmental health," "epa," "continuous improvement," and "ehs management."
Environmental health safety managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $90,664. Comparatively, safety officers have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $59,274.When it comes to education, environmental health safety managers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to safety officers. In fact, they're 5.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Safety officer 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.
Types of safety officer
Updated April 25, 2024
