The Role of a Workplace Health & Safety Officer

Managers within a business should have health and safety at the uppermost list oftheir priorities as they are required by law to provide a safe working environment for their employees. Negligence in this regard can cause financial loss, as well as damage the company’s reputation. Therefore, many businesses appoint a Health and Safety Officer to carry out a number of important roles.
The law protects employees in their workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act were passed in the United States in 1970 to protect employees from accident and injury arising from their workplace surroundings. All businesses are bound to abide by this law, which does not just cover physical injury, but extends to an employee’s mental or emotional harm as well.

• Importance

A large part of a business’s focus is taken up by profit. While health and safety of employees should be at the forefront of managers’ minds in business, other pressing concerns, such as profits, often run the risk of pushing this important business aspect to one side. Employees, too, may become complacent about health and safety in the workplace.
A Health and Safety Officer has the important task of focusing solely on employee health, safety and well-being, as well as minimizing workplace hazards and training staff in identifying where they may be at risk.
A Health and Safety Officer will ensure the workplace is safe. A Health and Safety Officer provides a point of contact within the business for staff members and employers to consult when they have a query or concern relating to the well-being of themselves and their colleagues. They can also impart their knowledge to others through training, ensuring that everyone is aware of the hazards that they face in their day to day work.
A Health and Safety Officer will also constantly ensure that the workplace is a safe environment, and that employees can carry out their roles at minimum risk to themselves or others.

• Roles

Audits should be carried out to ensure compliance with the law. The Health and Safety Officer serves a number of roles and functions within the business, from advising management on their latest legislation and legal requirements, to carrying out regular audits of the workplace to ensure that staff are working in safe surroundings.
The officer is also responsible for carrying out staff training, so that all employees are aware of occupational hazards, as well as creating and implementing company policies for emergency procedures, such as evacuations. A Health and Safety Officer will also investigate any accidents and incidents, and take measures to ensure the same issue does not arise again.

• Warning

Compensation claims are often very costly. If a company does not have a Health and Safety Officer, then it is at risk of being negligent in its requirements to provide a safe working environment. This could, in turn, lead to accidents and injuries, and the affected employee may seek compensation claims against the company. This can lead to costly financial implications, which can prove catastrophic for small businesses.
Accidents and injuries might also damage a company’s reputation, making it more difficult for it to maintain good working relationships with clients and recruit employees.