Safety Officer Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post presents exhaustive information on the safety officer job description, including the main duties, tasks, and responsibilities they typically carry out.

It also provides the major requirements that candidates for the safety officer role are usually asked to satisfy to be qualified for hiring.

What Does a Safety Officer Do?

A safety officer is responsible for overseeing the activities of a workplace, to make sure that employees within that setting comply with government’s safety regulations and/or the organization’s policies.

The safety officer job descriptions usually entails helping employers develop safety policies which are directed towards the reduction or slashing of accident-related costs and prevention of financial losses that may emanate from a decrease in productivity and/or sales.

In the formulation of binding organization-wide policies, the safety officer with the contribution of managers and workers, determine the type and nature of policies that are required within the organization.

After drawing up of relevant safety policies, the officer makes sure that every worker is fully aware of the new laid down rules/policies and immediately start monitoring the workers’ (including managers) compliance to the policies.

The safety officer’s role involves inspecting the entire company area (both internal and external surroundings), in a bid to finding out any safety concerns or hazards.

These safety concerns or hazards may include unnecessarily slippery areas, broken or faulty work equipment, and other objects or situations that can be a source of accident/injury to anybody.

He/she checks the workers to make sure that each one of them put on required protective equipment needed for carrying out his/her daily duties.

These may include hard hats or helmets and required protective footwear as is relevant to any particular role.

In the case of an accident occurring within a particular workplace, the safety officer carries out necessary investigations regarding its cause(s).

His/her work description in some cases includes interviewing witnesses within the accident scene so as to know what actually occurred.

Safety Officer Job Description Example/Sample/Template

A safety officer performs various functions in making sure that hazardous situations in workplaces are curbed, and that the safety of employees/workers within a particular organization is assured at all times.

Here is a job description example that highlights important tasks, duties, and responsibilities that typically constitute the work of safety officers in most companies or organizations:

• Identify and develop relevant training programs for company workers and management
• Keep record of safety-related accidents within a particular time frame
• Recommend appropriate protective equipment that workers should wear while carrying out tasks
• Supervise the installation of potentially harmful equipment and the disposal of hazardous substances
• Stop the continuation of processes that are deemed harmful to the health of workers
• Review existing safety policies and update them where necessary
• Carry out or organize important safety-related training within the company or organization
• Conduct an assessment of possible risks and ensure that preventive measures are taken.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Safety Officer Role

If you are seeking the job of a safety officer and want to know what you need to have, below are major requirements and qualifications you may need to fulfill to be considered for an interview by most organizations or firms:

• Must have excellent communication skills to pass important messages (safety precautions) to workers and management in a way that is clear to everyone concern
• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills to relate effectively with workers and managers
• Must have a keen eye for even the smallest of details
• Must have excellent coordination and organizational abilities
• Must be someone that can easily motivate other workers
• Must be willing to work as part of a team and even to lead a team if required to do so
• Must have good leadership skills to be able to carry everyone along and achieve set goals
• Must have in-depth knowledge of safety legislation and procedures/processes
• Must have basic knowledge of data reporting processes
• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Safety Management, Civil Engineering or in any other related field
• 3 years work experience as a safety officer in an established firm or company
• Must have the relevant safety management certification that is required to work as a safety officer
• To access this position, employers may require that you pass certain assessment tests.

Conclusion

Are you an employer needing to hire for the role of safety officer in your company? If you are, then you will need to write and publish a complete description of the job to let prospective applicants know what the duties and responsibilities of the position entail.

The sample safety officer job description presented in this post can be useful in creating a detailed work description that perfectly represents your organization, and that helps you to get the right candidates for the job.

The information contained in this post is also useful to people who are interested in making a career in the safety management field.

They will learn a great deal about what safety officers do and so will be able to make informed decision about getting into the career or not.