10 Skills Required Becoming Better Occupational Health & Safety Officer

By Author: John
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Safe and healthy workplaces are sometimes taken for granted in many organizations. But nowadays safety is the conscious factory for every organization. A better safe workplace is a direct result of hard work made by those working officers in the field of occupational health and safety.

It is important when somebody gets injured at work, the costs can be serious and widespread. The injured person can lose so many things like income, benefits, and sometimes life, not only that the organization loses an experienced worker. Organization confidence and status can also be affected. That is the reason why safety officers are so vital part of an organization. Their occupation is to stop workplace damages and diseases by classifying risks, implementing safety legislation, and making sure everybody follows the right measures. So, all you need to start a career with the Occupational Health & Safety Officer Training to improve health and safety performance, reduce costs associated with accidents and incidents, as well as improve staff relations and morale, and business efficiency.

So, here are important 10 skills that ...
... are required for occupational health & safety officer:

1. TRAINING IN HEALTH AND SAFETY
Several safety officer positions need post-secondary training in occupational health and safety. Also having a degree related to health and safety is beneficial.

2. AWARENESS OF SAFETY REGULATIONS/ PRINCIPLES
As a big part of a safety officer’s job is applying safety law, it needs to have a solid hold on the relevant laws and regulations, which includes the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA), and other applicable policies.

3. A COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Having good communication skills is one of the top safety officer qualifications. This occupation involves communicating with individuals at all levels of an organization. A person needs to be able to get the message clearly and effectively, both in person and in writing.

4. HEALTH AND SAFETY CERTIFICATION
A lot of employers like to hire safety officers who have become certified through recognized organizations like the Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP). The BCRSP offers two levels of certification: the entry-level Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST) and the more advanced Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).

5. UNDERSTAND TECHNOLOGY
As a safety officer, it is expected to write numerous reports and deliver many presentations. That is why organizations want people who know their way around standard Microsoft applications like Word and PowerPoint.

6. OBSERVATION SKILLS
A good at noticing changes in the environment or things that could cause a problem down the line? Safety officers need to be able to find possible hazards during worksite walk-throughs and examinations. That involves top-notch observation skills. Also need to recognize risks and unsafe conditions so that can take steps to deal with them.

7. PROBLEM-SOLVING AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS
When it comes to safety, comprehensive decision-making is vital. It will be called upon to evaluate safety-related problems and change recommendations based on the findings. This means it needs to be able to gather relevant data, analyze it, and come up with a result.

8. ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
The ability to juggle multiple projects is a key safety officer skill. It will likely have numerous projects on the go at any given time. It needs to be able to prioritize tasks. If you can stay organized and function effectively in a fast-paced environment, it will be more attractive to potential employers.

9. RELATIONSHIP- AND CONSENSUS-BUILDING SKILLS
Safety officers must be proficient at establishing productive relationships with both employees and managers. It needs to be able to convince people to accept the safety recommendations and buy into your proposed policies.

10. DEDICATION TO CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
Employers value safety officers who are always determined to find new ways to avoid accidents and keep individuals safe.