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Health and Safety Officer

Health and Safety Officers are responsible for the health and safety of everyone who works in or uses health and care buildings.
 
You will use your skills and knowledge to promote a positive and safety lead culture in the workplace. You will carry out risk assessments and consider how the risks could be reduced. You wll work as part of a team to plan, implement, monitor and review protective and preventative safety measures.  

Role Characteristics

  • Complete risk assessments and consider how risks could be reduced
  • Write safety outlines which identify and consider all relevant hazards
  • Carry out site inspections to check policies and procedures are being implemented
  • Ensure working practices are safe and comply with legislation
  • Prepare health and safety strategies and develop internal policy
  • Lead in-house training with employees about health and safety risks and issues

Skills

  • Planning
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation
  • Advice giving
  • Record keeping
  • Observation

Day in the life

Watch this video to learn more about roles in Health and Safety.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

  • GCSEs
  • BTEC
  • A-Levels
  • Undergraduate degree
  • Postgraduate degree

How to become

There are many routes into health and safety; these include university or apprenticeships. 
You will normally need 5 GCSEs including English, maths and sciences, or equivalent. You will normally need either A-Levels, BTEC or T-Levels depending on your preference in learning. However, volunteering and work experience is valued by employers. 

It is important to check your preferred course provider's entry requirements for guidance. 

Health and Safety Officers have a qualification in health and safety. To join the NHS as a Health and Safety Officer you often need a degree level qualification.

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care.

With experience, a Health and Safety Officer can become a Manager, with a team of staff or responsible for the health and safety of a larger building or organisation. Or, you may choose to become a Consultant, providing specialist advice and support to small organisations.

Another option is to move across into academia, where you could lecture, and carry out research, on undergraduate or postgraduate courses.

Location

  • Offices
  • Hospitals
  • Community Settings
  • Pharmacies
  • Schools, colleges and universities
  • Prisons
  • Opticians
  • Armed Forces
  • Care Homes
  • GP Practices
  • Laboratories

Working hours

  • Weekdays
  • Part Time
  • Full Time
  • Casual Hours
  • Overtime
  • Flexible Hours

Leeds Opportunities

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