• Health and Safety Managers develop and coordinate safety and health systems and strategies for organisations and identify workplace hazards and risks to employees.

The exact scope of the responsibilities of a Health and Safety manager may vary per organisation, but you will essentially be tasked with eliminating or minimising physical, chemical and biological hazards that may pose harm to humans within a particular workplace.

What are the duties and tasks of an Occupational Health & Safety Practitioner?

Safety Officers have multiple duties which can be performed in an in-house team, as an independent consultant or within a larger consulting firm. Here are some of the overall duties that safety officers may deal with on a daily basis but are not limited to:

• Keeping up to date with health and safety regulations.
• Developing, implementing, and improving health and safety plans, programmes and procedures in the workplace.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant health and safety legislation.
• Identifying OHS-related training needs in the workplace.
• Conducting safety inspections and risk assessments.
• Investigating workplace accidents.
• Checking the safety and proper storage of equipment
• Training and carrying out drills and exercises on how to manage emergency safety situations.

What skills and abilities are required to become an Occupational Health & Safety Practitioner?

• Knowledge of OHS Legislation and Regulations.
• Risk Management and Assessment Skills.
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills.
• Training and Facilitation Skills