What courses do I need to do to become a Health and Safety officer?
Health & Safety Officer/ Compliance Manager/ OSH Auditor Jobs Ireland
Any person appointed in a Health and Safety officer job should have a minimum of 2 years’ work experience as a occupational health and safety practitioner. They should have gained enough knowledge to understand the occupational health and safety management system that operates in their organisation. They are expected to know how the plan, do, check and act cycle applies.
Key Skills: Health and safety officers must be clear about the health and safety policy and monthly objectives, to implement plans, monitor and check compliance, and put forward solutions to safety and health issues. The health and safety officer will have some autonomy, independence and decision-making authority however they are directly accountable and reportable to the health and safety manager.
Auditing: A health and safety officer should be trained in auditing and have attended short 1 -3 day courses in internal auditing, lead auditing, or auditing to ISO:45001 standards. Knowing how to audit is an essential part of ensuring compliance. Addressing non-compliance issues in the form of an action plan is equally important and ensures continuous improvement.
Risk identification: Identifying risk requires health and safety officers to encourage worker reporting. Understanding the level and nature of risk and how it fits into the overall risk management and governance structure of the organisation
Risk assessment: This is a big part of the role and involves analysis of risk-related data, facts, patterns and trends, critical failure/hazard points, the scale of the risk, its probability and impact. In many cases health and safety officers will put forward risk control measures using the hierarchy of control (e.g. minimising the risk form occurring or removing the risk altogether). These control measures should be proportionate to the risk in terms of likelihood and severity.
Incident investigations: Dealing with worker casualties, incidents, near misses, slips, trips and falls, preserving the scene for investigation, and implementing incident reporting processes are fundamental to the role.
The health and safety officer with two or more years’ experience, will be busy and be expected to carry out health and safety plans and objectives agreed with their health and safety manager.
Health and Safety Officer courses and qualifications
Many health and safety officers due to time constraints at work, are aware they need further education knowledge and qualifications to progress.
Becoming a Certified Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Officer will require a minimum qualification of a level 6 Occupational Health and Safety Diploma (comparable to level 7 Ireland).This will take 7 months to 1 year of study.
At OHS Officer level, you are gaining a deeper knowledge of areas such as health and safety management, health and safety practice, risk and incident management, health and safety culture, Health and safety law and techniques to maintain a Safe working environment.
Consider becoming a Certified Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officer today.
For more information on this course CLICK HERE
