Role of the Safety Professional

The safety professional should be aware of the various pitfalls open to management and other employees relative to rules of doing business. Employees unaware of the consequences of their actions may engage in activities detrimental to the well-being of the organization. In a lawsuit, even in situations where no dollar amount is awarded to a plaintiff, the company may have to expend large amounts of money 

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DEFINING RISK AND THE ROLE OF THE SAFETY PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO RISK... 

Robert Andres takes an appropriate and futuristic view of the role of the safety professional in designing for safety in these excerpts from the Summer 1996 edition of the Engineering News Letter issued by the American Society of Safety Engineers. 

In the 2005 survey, which was a follow-up to its 1995 White Paper survey, the ISHN reported the following information concerning the role of the safety professional ... 

The role of the safety professional is to anticipate, identify, and evaluate hazards give advice on the avoidance, elimination, or control of hazards and attain a state for which the risks are judged to be acceptable. To achieve this, they adopt a system-safety concept that includes ... 

You will not find a statement in this book indicating that the role of the safety professional in favorably influencing an organization s culture is easily fulfilled. Yet, the endeavor remains worthwhile and attaining positive results, perhaps in small steps, can be rewarding. 

The role of the safety professional is to advise and assist each level of the organization [2], Typically in the traditional safety approach, the safety professional becomes a gopher, doing the bidding of management. 

Acquire an understanding of the safety professional s role and responsibilities in creating and maintaining diversity in the workplace. 

The need for a safety vision An effective safety professional needs to be a visionary. Because his or her role crosses many different organizational functions and departments, he or she is in a unique position to gain a much wider perspective of the overall (safety) needs of the organization. Thus, it is the responsibility of the safety professional to develop safety programs and processes that fulfill many different needs, whether they be regulatory or company-driven. ... 

The role of a safety professional is broad. It requires knowledge of many different areas. The breadth of required knowledge has expanded over the years. Table 2-2 lists areas of knowledge and the proportion of safety professionals with responsibility for each area. 

While this list provides examples of specific activities performed by the safety professional, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has published a document titled Scope and Functions of the Professional Safety Position. This ASSE publication presents a broad picture of the safety professional s roles and responsibilities (see figure f-f). 

Understand the role of the safety and health professional in company terrorism planning activities... 

What is the safety and health professional s role with respect to the safety culture In an organization where safety is a core value and management at all levels walks-the-talk and demonstrates by its actions that it expects the safety culture to be superior, the role of the safety and health professional is easier as he or she gives advice that supports and maintains the culture. 

We hope that you have learned what it takes to develop a successful safety culture. We have defined a safety management system and how existing safety programs can be integrated into the safety process. The question is, has the recent interest in safety management systems created a new role for the safety professional, or is it a continuation of traditional past practices— doing it the same way that we have always done it ... 

To promote the ISA role of a safety professional as a means of providing independent safety assurance to the supplier, purehaser and user... 

Historic practices of calling safety professionals safety officers should be changed, as should their roles. They are safety advisors because of the role they play and should not be portrayed as punishers or enforcers. If safety staff believe that employees actions are the only cause of accidents and are intent on focusing on the fault of persons only, this mind-set should be changed as part of the safety culture change. 

Safety professionals should be aware that defending an ADEA charge or an ADEA action in a court of law is not usually within the safety function responsibilities however, it is important for safety professionals to understand the complexities of the possible defenses as well as the safety professional s possible role as a witness or support for the defense team. Safety professionals should be aware that as a result of several recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, including but not limited to Gross v. 

Most companies and organizations go the extra mile to ensure that their workplace is free of any type of discrimination or harassment. Safety professionals often place a key role in ensuring that the workplace is free of discrimination or harassment due to the fact that the safety professional is involved in every aspect of the operation and thus serves as the eyes and ears of the company or organization. 

A role of many hats The safety professional has had several unwritten duties added to the job description over the years. 

The society was founded in October 1911 as the United Society of Casualty Inspectors. This nonprofit organization is the only organization of individual safety professionals. It works to promote the safety profession and foster the professional development of its members. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) plays an important role in the development of safety standards. The society continues to expand its focus in the United States and also operates chapters in the Middle East and Great Britain. A 25-member board of directors that includes 13 regional vice presidents guides the ASSE. The society operates 138 chapters to promote, establish, and maintain standards for the safety profession. 

Although top management may be interested today, they typically do not have a clear understanding of the safety process or what to do to make safety activities successful. This is what the safety professional s job is to outline the roles and responsibilities of management and how the management system should work [2]. 

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