9 Skills Occupational Safety Specialists
Need to Master

See also: Risk Management

Before considering a career in occupational safety, you should possess the essential skills necessary to fulfill such a specialized role in the industry. You can receive certification as an occupational safety specialist by completing the health and safety training and knowing your safety regulations and principles backward. However, you will only capably fulfill the position if you also possess the inherent skills needed for the job.

While you’ll find the required qualifications and regulatory know-how positioned high up on this skills list along with the necessary physical attributes, pay close attention to the other vital “people” skills to glean further insight into what’s required, as a person, to become an occupational safety specialist.

1. Qualifications and Regulatory Knowledge

Before investigating which necessary “soft skill” personal qualities you’ll require, familiarize yourself with the training and awareness needed to physically fill an occupational safety specialist position. To enter a specialized health and safety role in the U.S., you will likely need a prior degree in health and safety or a related industry, as well as knowledge and experience of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.

You will have to work under the auspices of the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which enforces safety guidelines in the workplace. For instance, minimizing heat-related illnesses in excessively hot working environments requires you, as an occupational safety specialist, to know how to combat and deal with exertional heat illness from physical activity and environmental heat illness from the excessive environment.

2. Physical Fitness and Stamina

Occupational safety specialists stand for long periods in taxing environments, like the excessive heat mentioned. Depending on the industry involved, these could include physically demanding settings within mines, tunnels and construction sites. As a result, you’ll need adequate fitness and stamina to succeed in your job specification.

You will also have to travel in the role, maintaining high mental focus. Keeping yourself physically fit means being mentally more healthy and capable, with the ability to complete an array of responsibilities, whether more mundane or physically taxing, with higher energy and commitment levels.

3. Communication

Communication takes many forms. Transferring information verbally, through writing or images, or nonverbally via body language, eye contact, gesturing or voice tones, means communicating. Doing so in a manner others understand means you’re communicating well, and an occupational safety specialist must be able to speak to both superiors and employees in ways that highlight workplace safety concerns and hazard prevention.

A large part of the communicative ability is understanding, which means you’ll need to listen and absorb what others tell you to apply essential feedback to your safety planning and techniques. Dealing with technicians who analyze dust and vapors gathered in the workplace means understanding their analysis and results to use in practical workplace scenarios and improve environmental safety. Communicating well is an essential soft skill in the workplace and in life.

4. Observation and Attention to Detail

Understanding and implementing governmental health and safety standards requires a detailed understanding of their contents. That way, you can apply them to practical workplace environments and enforce them accurately to improve the safety of every employee and manager on a specific site.

An occupational safety specialist will spot potential hazards on factory floors or construction sites during on-site examinations and walk-throughs, which only observing the finer details makes possible. Failure to do so could result in unnecessary accidents that you’re employed to prevent.



5. Decision-Making and Problem-Solving

If your attention to detail and exceptional powers of observation notice potential problems in a workplace environment, you’ll have to know what to do next. Solving problems means an occupational safety specialist must make educated and accurate decisions quickly and efficiently, without hesitation.

Making the correct call could save lives, prevent plant damage, justify your position and potentially save your employer time and money. Often, companies call upon specialists to evaluate existing safety protocols and recommend changes based on their expertise. To do so, you’ll need to gather and assess data, solve any problems and decide on the best course of action for the future. Many endeavors and enterprises fail through poor problem-solving efforts.

6. Organizational Skills

While problem-solving and decision-making abilities fit closely with these skills, allocating time and resources to several projects simultaneously means an occupational safety specialist must be able to organize and prioritize effectively. If you can function capably in multiple pressurized situations, your value to an employer or client will escalate.

As a specialist in any field, with coordinating workplace safety among the most revered, you command respect and attention from your superiors due to your organizational skills, making their responsibilities more manageable. Being able to report back on projects in a timely and concise manner reduces time and action delays on essential decisions from above.

7. Growing Relationships

In any industry, productively growing relationships can improve an enterprise's modus operandi — one reason why human resources departments are so in demand. Occupational safety specialists invariably act as unofficial go-betweens between workforces and management, with their expertise in providing valuable feedback on safety issues often highlighted by staff on the floor before their investigations.

Establishing a consensus among the workforce regarding safety issues means building a relationship in which they trust you enough to speak up about any concerns. From there, you can provide your views on the issues and open a dialogue to zone in on the primary factors requiring more profound research and analysis. Thereafter, you can present any findings and suggestions to senior management for action.

8. Being Tech Savvy

Besides a standard ability to complete spreadsheets and presentations, occupational safety specialists nowadays require considerably higher technological understanding. With wearable technology, AR and VR systems, AI robotic machinery and navigational equipment all playing increasing roles in workplace safety in many industries, specialists in the field require understanding to incorporate technology into their daily safety analyses and planning.

9. Dedication to Improvement

Maintaining safety levels in the workplace means doing an admirable job, but a good occupational safety specialist will always look for new and improved ways to enhance safety in a warehouse or on a factory floor. Constant forward-thinking keeps you in touch with the latest safety techniques and technologies, reducing the chance of accidents or mishaps.


The Importance of Occupational Safety Specialists

Too often, employees take workplace safety for granted until something happens to highlight specific hazards. They can only do this because of the dedication of occupational safety specialists and their teams, whose efficiency and dedication allow a working environment where workers don’t have to question their safety. Before this point, the best safety officers will incorporate workplace campaigns highlighting safety procedures and processes.

As an occupational safety specialist, your job is to protect the well-being of employees and the business you work for. Providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for all on-site means protecting staff from occupational injury and illness — all while experiencing enhanced satisfaction and morale at work to build an efficient, productive and proactive working environment and culture.

Equally necessary is the work you do to protect your employer. Making a business aware of the importance of health and safety regulation compliance, updated workman’s compensation returns and capable insurance policies provides valuable knowledge. Your advice on investment in effective safety procedures and policies can reduce the chances of legal and financial liability through potential workplace accidents. Effectively, an occupational safety specialist plays an essential role in any business.

Specializing in Occupational Safety Is Tough but Fulfilling

With the required physical and soft skills, you’ll make a tangible difference as an occupational safety specialist. The role is demanding, but applying your skills to improving workplace environment safety through reducing hazards and threats is more than just a job — it’s a calling. While the position is challenging and pressurized, knowing that your expertise ensures the safety of others will play a primary part in your job satisfaction.


About the Author


Jack Shaw is a freelance writer who has spent the last five years writing about fitness and health. He's served as senior writer for Modded, and since then has contributed to Sports Medicine Weekly, Better Triathlete, and Hella Wealth among many other publications. When not writing, he can often be found training for the next event, hiking or running with his dog.

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