Health and Safety Officer

What does a health and safety officer do?

As a Health and Safety Officer (also known as a WHS Officer or Safety Officer) you would be responsible for protecting the safety and wellbeing of staff. Health and safety jobs involve creating and implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) or workplace health and safety (WHS) strategies to make sure hazards and risks are properly identified, assessed, and managed.

So what is work health and safety and what does this job entail day-to-day? WHS Officers manage risks to benefit the health and safety of those in the workplace. In this role, you would be involved in investigating workplace incidents to ascertain how and why they occurred, as well as implement preventative measures for future situations. As a Safety Officer, you might also oversee the coordination of emergency procedures and assign staff to first aid and fire warden positions.

Is a career as a health and safety officer right for me?

If you have an eye for detail and an appreciation of regulations and procedures, you might enjoy a role as a safety officer. Other skills and attributes beneficial for this role include: 

• good interpersonal skills  
• the ability to work independently and as part of a team  
• strong leadership skills  
• good communication skills  
• the ability to problem-solve effectively. 

How to become a health and safety officer

Every journey to study is individual and there are several paths to reaching your career goals. At UniSQ, we offer the following degrees in the area of human resource management: