First and foremost, occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals have rewarding jobs, creating safe work environments by preventing workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. But choosing to be a safety professional isn't only about being altruistic. It is also a practical decision.
Below are 5 of today's top courses you can take that may either expand your current job responsibilities or help you start a career as a safety professional.
- Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety.
- Certificate IV in Government Occupational Health and Safety.
- Certificate IV in Public Safety (Community Safety)
Personal protective equipment, commonly referred to as "PPE", is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. These injuries and illnesses may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.
(a) For establishments-with less than ten (10) workers and low risk establishments with ten (10) to fifty (50) workers. - The OSH program, which shall be duly signed by the employer, must include at least the following: 1.
KEY SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
- Carrying out post incident analysis.
- Establishing workplace safety and health committees.
- Knowledge of decontamination procedures.
- Knowledge of good safety practices.
- Developing emergency procedures.
- Ability to maintain effective work relationships with people from all social backgrounds.
Safety engineers often work for the same company as the staff that they are protecting. Safety officers typically work for the government and their job is to enforce workplace safety regulations. They have the authority to fine companies that violate safety or environmental regulations.
But how many representatives should actually be appointed for the workplace? According to section 17 of the OHS Act, shops and offices must have at least 1 representative for every 100 workers or part thereof. All other workplaces must have at least 1 representative for every 50 workers or part thereof.
Consultation is a two-way process between you and your workers where you: - talk to each other about health and safety matters - listen to their concerns and raise your concerns - seek and share views and information, and - consider what your workers say before you make decisions. WHS Act section 48.
Five simple steps to elect a Health and Safety Representative
- STEP 1: Request for a HSR. Any worker may ask the Principal to facilitate elections for one or more HSRs.
- STEP 2: The Department must commence negotiations for work groups within 14 days. HSRs represent work groups.
- STEP 3: Workers must be notified.
- STEP 4: Election of HSRs.
- STEP 5: Work group notified of election outcome.
HSR training. Health and safety representative (HSR) training is not mandatory. Once trained you have the power to issue PINs and direct work to stop. If you ask for HSR training, you must be allowed to attend an approved course.
The workers on an HSC must ensure genuine worker representation and an HSR can be a member of the HSC, if they want to be. A HSR is to be a member of the committee, if they consent. If there are two or more HSRs at a workplace, then they can choose one or more who consent to be members of the committee.
A safety committee should include the following: 1) Chairperson, 2) Vice Chairperson, 3) Secretary, and 4) General Members. The General Members should be made up of individuals from various areas and levels of the organization that represent administration, operating departments and staff personnel.
Health and safety committees give a structured approach to consultation. They provide a forum where management and employees can work together to resolve any health and safety issues. For employees who do not belong to a trade union, establishing a health and safety committee is not a legal requirement.
The HSR represents the interests of a work group. This may include workers in the same department or who carry out similar work. HSCs are responsible for the health and safety of the entire workforce. The role of work health and safety committee members is to address and resolve WHS issues.
The primary role of a HSR is to represent the employees in their designated work group (DWG) with their operator on matters of health and safety of those employees. investigating health and safety complaints. initiating emergency stop-work procedures, and. issuing a provisional improvement notice (PIN)
Safety Leadership is defined as "The process of defining the desired state, setting up the team to succeed, and engaging in the discretionary efforts that drive the safety value," which broadly boils down to "engaging in and maintaining behaviors that help others achieve our safety goals".
10 Easy Workplace Safety Tips
- Train employees well.
- Reward employees for safe behavior.
- Partner with occupational clinicians.
- Use labels and signs.
- Keep things clean.
- Make sure employees have the right tools and have regular equipment inspections.
- Encourage stretch breaks.
- Implement safety protocols from the start.
Communication skills.Occupational health and safety specialists must be able to communicate safety instructions and concerns to employees and managers. They need to be able to work with technicians to collect and test samples of possible hazards, such as dust or vapors, in the workplace.
Sidebar: Tips to Become a Successful Safety Leader
- Be a positive influence on others.
- Be proactive and take action to avoid injuries.
- Work toward common goals.
- Serve the customer.
- Practice the “talk, walk and do” safety model.
- Don't take chances.
Safety is the state of being "safe" (from French sauf), the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
The BOSH training is part of a program developed by DOLE in support to Article 162 of the Labor Code on mandatory occupational safety and health standards training to eliminate or reduce occupational safety and health hazards in workplaces.
To become a safety officer, you need postsecondary education and specialized training. Though some jobs require a master's degree in occupational health or a related field, most safety officer jobs only require a bachelor's degree. You should study the basics of occupational health and safety, including OSHA standards.
The safety officer is in charge of inspecting site conditions to determine if hazards are present and to establish procedures and policies to overcome those hazardous situations. The safety officer looks for broken equipment, defective tools, and other potential hazards, focusing on worker safety.
