ROLES OF

O C C U PAT I O N A L
SAFETY &
H E A LT H
PROFESSIONALS
JOB TITLES

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

 MODERN
SAFETY &
H E A LT H T E A M S
The issues that concern modern safety and health
managers are multifaceted and complex. They include
such diverse issues as stress; explosives; laws, standards,
and codes; radiation; acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS); product safety and liability;
ergonomics; ethics; automation; workers’ compensation;
and an ever-changing multitude of others.
It would be unreasonable to expect one person to be an
expert in all the many complex and diverse issues faced
in the modern workplace. For this reason, the practice of
safety and health management in the age of high
technology has become a team sport.
 JOB TITLES
SAFETY & HEALTH MANAGER
The individual responsible for establishing
and maintaining the safety organization and
its activities in an enterprise. Typically, the
safety manager administers the safety
program and manages subordinates,
including the fire prevention coordinator,
industrial hygienist, safety specialists, and
security personnel.
 S A F E T Y & H E A LT H
MANAGER:
DUTIES
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive company-wide safety and health
program.
• Assess and analyze all departments, processes, and materials for potential hazards.
• Work with appropriate personnel to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate
accident prevention and hazard control strategies.
• Ensure company-wide compliance with all applicable laws, standards, and codes.
• Coordinate the activities of all members of the company’s safety and health
program.
 S A F E T Y & H E A LT H
MANAGER:
DUTIES

• Plan, implement, and broker, as appropriate, safety and health-related training.

• Maintain all required safety and health-related records and reports.
• Conduct accident investigations as necessary.
• Develop and maintain a company-wide emergency action plan.
• Establish and maintain an ongoing safety promotion effort.
• Analyze the company’s products from the perspectives of safety, health, and
liability
 JOB TITLES

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENIST
Although basically trained in engineering, physics, chemistry, or biology, this
individual has acquired through study and experience knowledge of the effects on
health of chemical and physical agents under various levels of exposure. Industrial
hygienists are primarily concerned about the following types of hazards: solvents,
particulates, noise, dermatoses, radiation, temperature, ergonomics, toxic
substances, biological substances, ventilation, gas, and vapors.
I N D U S T R I A L H Y G I E N I S T: D U T I E S
• Involved in the monitoring as well as in
the analytical methods required to
detect the extent of exposure and the
engineering and other methods used
for hazard control.
• In a safety and health team, the
industrial hygienist typically reports to
the safety and health manager.
 RISK MANAGER
JOB TITLES The Risk Manager in an organization is typically
responsible for insurance programs and other activities
that minimize losses resulting from fire, accidents, and
other natural and man-made losses.
 RISK MANAGER:
DUTIES

• Plan, organize and oversee various activities and strategies that an

organization can use to protect itself from situations, circumstances, or
events that may undermine its security.
• Work closely with safety and health personnel to reduce the risk of
accidents and injuries on the job. (reduction)
• Work closely with insurance companies to achieve the most effective
transference possible. (transference)
 JOB TITLES
SAFETY ENGINEER
An individual who, through education,
licensing, and/or experience, devotes most or
all of their employment time to the application
of scientific principles and methods for the
control and modification of the workplace and
other environments to achieve optimum
protection for both people and property.
 SAFETY ENGINEER:
DUTIES
• Has the overall responsibility for the
company’s safety program.
• Responsible for the traditional aspects of the
safety program, such as preventing
mechanical injuries; falls, impact, and
acceleration injuries; heat and temperature
injuries; electrical accidents; fire-related
accidents; and so on.
JOB TITLES
HEALTH PHYSICIST
An individual who is concerned primarily
with radiation in the workplace.
Consequently, they are employed by
companies that generate or use nuclear
power or industries generating / emitting
radiations.
 H E A LT H P H Y S I C I S T:
DUTIES
• Monitoring radiation inside and outside the facility
• Measuring the radioactivity levels of biological
samples
• Developing the radiation components of the
company’s emergency action plan
• Supervising the decontamination of workers and
the workplace when necessary
 JOB TITLES

OCCUPATIONAL PHYSICIANS
Occupational physicians are fully degreed and
licensed medical doctors. In addition, they must
have completed postgraduate work in specific
areas of safety. In the past, the primary role of
the occupational physician was treatment, today
the primary role is prevention. This means more
analytical, diagnostic, and intervention-related
work than in the past and a much more
proactive rather than passive approach.
 O C C U PAT I O N A L
PHYSICIAN: DUTIES

• Appraisal, maintenance, restoration, and improvement of the workers’ health through

application of the principles of preventive medicine, emergency medical care,
rehabilitation, and environmental medicine.
• Promotion of a productive and fulfilling interaction of the worker and the job, via
application of principles of human behavior.
• Active appreciation of the social, economic, and administrative needs and responsibilities
of both the worker and work community
• Team approach to safety and health, involving cooperation of the physician with
occupational or industrial hygienists, occupational health nurses, safety personnel, and
other specialties.
 JOB TITLES
OCCUPATIONAL NURSE
He / she is someone who provides for and delivers health and safety
programs and services to workers, worker populations and community
groups. The practice focuses on promotion and restoration of health,
prevention of illness and injury, and protection from work-related and
environmental hazards. Occupational and environmental health nurses have
a combined knowledge of health and business that they blend with health
care expertise to balance the requirement for a safe and healthful work
environment with a ‘healthy’ bottom line.
 O C C U PAT I O N A L
NURSE: DUTIES
• Coordinate and deliver services and programs.
• Promote an interdisciplinary approach to health care and advocate for the employee’s right
to prevention-oriented, cost-effective health and safety programs.
• Encourage workers to take responsibility for their own health through health education and
disease management programs, such as smoking cessation, exercise/fitness, nutrition and
weight control, stress management, control of chronic illnesses and effective use of medical
services.
• Monitor the health status of workers, worker populations and community groups.
• Conduct research on the effects of workplace exposures, gathering health and hazard data.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The specific roles and responsibilities of safety
professionals depend upon the jobs in which
they are employed or the types of hazards
present where they work.

1. Accident Investigation: determining the

facts and causes related to an accident based
on witness interviews and site inspections.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
2. Work with Emergency Response Teams:
organizing, training, and coordinating skilled
employees to react to emergencies such as
fires, accidents, or other disasters.

3. Environmental Protection: recognizing,

evaluating, and controlling hazards that can
lead to undesirable releases of harmful
substances into air, water, or the soil.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
4. Ergonomic Analysis and Modification:
designing or modifying the workplace based
on an understanding of human
physiological/psychological characteristics,
abilities, and limitations.

5. Fire Protection: eliminating or minimizing fire

hazards by inspection, layout of facilities, and
design of fire suppression systems.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
6. Hazard Recognition: identifying conditions
or actions that may cause injury, illness, or
property damage.

7. Hazardous Materials Management:

ensuring dangerous chemicals and other
products are stored and used in such a
manner as to prevent accidents, fires, and the
exposure of people to these substances.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
8. Health Hazard Control: recognizing,
evaluating, and controlling hazards that can
create undesirable health effects, including
noise, chemical exposures, radiation, or
biological hazards.

9. Inspection/Audit: evaluating/assessing
safety and health risks associated with
equipment, materials, processes, or activities
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
10.Recordkeeping: maintaining safety and
health information to meet government
requirements, as well as provide data for
problem solving and decision making.

11.Regulatory Compliance: ensuring all

mandatory safety and health standards are
satisfied.
S A F E T Y A N D H E A LT H
P R O F E S S I O N A L’ S R O L E S
AND RESPONSIBILITIES
12.Training: providing employees with the
knowledge and skills necessary to recognize
hazards and perform their jobs safely and
effectively.