The role and the importance of a Safety Officer in the workplace is often overlooked. The role of a safety officer in the workplace cannot be stressed enough since companies are required by law to comply with health and safety standards set out by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). Incidents and accidents in the workplace can occur at any time and often have a ripple effect on the entire workplace. It ends in loss of productivity which means loss in profits. It is therefore especially important to have a safety officer that will help mitigate such events.  

The number one priority of a safety officer is to look after the safety of employees in the workplace as well as the safety of any other persons coming into the workplace such as customers, suppliers, and visitors. A safety officer also must always ensure that employees are safe and healthy and that the work environment is risk-free. In performing duties safety officers also help to decrease injuries, accidents, and illness, this saves a company money, increase productivity, and improves employee morale. 

A safety officer is a key professional in the workplace. The livelihood and safety of employees in the workplace is in the hands of a safety officer. They are responsible for guiding and leading the entire organisation in terms of adopting, implementing, and following sound safety practices. The role of a health and safety officer in an organisation are the following: 

• Staying abreast with health and safety regulations. These regulations change frequently, employers can unfortunately not always keep up with the regulations as they have other duties. A health and safety officer will always be up to date with the regulations. 
• Drawing up safety management policies that follow the OHSA and company policies. These policies are important and serve as guidelines in an organisation. Employees are expected to always adhere to them for their own safety and those whom they work with.  
• Engaging employees in safety training sessions on a regular basis. One of the biggest responsibilities of a safety officer is to train employees on OSHA standards, best practices, and company protocol. 
• Conducting regular workplace safety inspections and audits. Safety officers conduct inspections and audits to identify potential hazards and to ensure that everything health and safety related is still in place. They also observe employees to ensure that safety procedures are followed while performing tasks. Additionally, safety officers conduct audits according to company policy and compliance requirements to ensure that the health and safety program is still adhered to and to avoid potential non-compliance fines   
• Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation. The safety officer stays up to date with meeting the requirements as well as any changes that may occur over time.  

• Ensuring that the work environment is free from potential hazards. These hazards will normally be identified during inspections. Safety officers then report such hazards and work on implementing preventative measures. 
• Enforce health and safety policies. Safety officers are like the law enforcement of organisations. They are equipped with all health and safety regulations and behave by the book. They ensure that regulations are upheld and speak up should they notice any behaviour or acts that could lead to an incident or misfortune in the workplace.  
• Investigate and report accidents and incidents. Safety officers investigate incidents and accidents be it minor or major to identify how it happened and to be able to put preventative measures in place for future purposes. 
• Checking the conditions of tools and equipment. Health and safety officers check tools and equipment to see if they are still in good conditions and are safe to use. 

It is important that employers ensure that there is a health and safety officer or at least a representative in their organisation. Appointing a person in this role really saves lives and saves a company money and time. Having a health and safety officer or representative also ensures that an organisation is operating within the set OHSA guidelines. Organisations who do not yet have an appointed health and safety officer should do so and can either outsource the person or select employees and have them undergo training to successfully fulfil the role.  

Altra Medical Productions offers Health and safety training at affordable prices. If you are an organisation who needs to have an employee or employees trained for health and safety, please contact Altra Medical Productions.  

jaco@altramed.co.za  0861 111 504 

Let us make our workplaces safer!