Safety officer, role

Having qualified persons in the role of health and safety officer is required. How to determine minimum qualifications at each site is a site-specific task. It would depend on site activities, required and anticipated levels of protection, training requirements, general joh knowledge, and a variety of other factors. Sometimes choosing a qualified SSO can he quite difficult. The authors are in agreement that personally contacting references is very important. 

Safety and Security Officer The mission of the safety officer is to ensure for the safety of the staff, facility, and the environment during the disaster operation. The safety officer has the final authority to make decisions as they relate to safety and hazardous conditions. With the threat of bioterrorism and chemical warfare, the role of the safety officer has taken on added importance. 

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. 

The role of the RSO could be construed as the enforcement arm of the RSC and the radiation safety office (which may be part of a larger organization). If this were the case, the RSO would be the equivalent of an NRC inspector. However, as with many other persons working in safety and health programs who have enforcement duties, their primary function is service to the users. In later sections the other duties will make this clear. 

Twelve of 17 safety representatives interviewed about this firmly believed that staff did know who they were 2 thought that this was the case and 3 believed that some staff would know them. One mentioned that there is such a high turnover of staff that it is difficult to keep people informed of his role. Another mentioned difficulties in finding time to travel around the area and become acquainted with staff. Others suspected that staff may confuse them with health and safety officers employed by the company. 

Health and safety officers/advisors/coordinators, health and safely representatives, health and safety coimnittee members, nnion representatives, snpervisors and managers all have a role in the resolntion of OHS issues. 

Well-trained health and safety officers/advisors/coordinators can play an important role in issue resolution by providing an impartial and skilled source of advice on the hazards and risks involved in the issue, on applicable standards and possible control measures. They may do this through informal contact with management, health and safety representatives or employees. They may also operate as one of the management nominees on the health and safety committee and be asked by the cormnittee to research the issue and so assist the committee to resolve it. 

Line managers should clearly understand that it is their obligation to perform the daily responsibilities for safety as well as production. The safety committee and the safety officer coordinate in a consultative role. 

Organizational structure. The dynamic and constantly evolving set of formal and ad hoc groups, roles, and responsibilities such as NASA s System Safety Office, the Safety and Mission Assurance offices at the NASA centers, formal accident investigation groups, and safety responsibilities within the roles of managers, engineers, and union leaders. 

The role and function of health and safety specialists, e.g. health and safety advisers, nursing advisers, occupational hygienists, occupational health nurses, unit safety officers, occupational physicians, company doctors and trade union-appointed safety representatives. 

Management is directly responsible for preventing injuries and illness, with each level accountable to the one above and responsible for the level below. The Chairman undertakes the role of Chief Safety Officer. 

The fact that multiple agency intervention is most Ukely to occur following a major accident makes it all the more important for prudent mine operators or health and safety officers to familiarize themselves, to the extent appropriate, with each of the agencies that could play a role in the regulation of the mines operations. This chapter discusses the most significant of these federal agencies Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)... 

---