Safety consultants provide the necessary expertise workplaces need to create a healthy environment for their employees. They are responsible for compiling guidelines that align with specific industry rules. Staying current with these trends and regulations ensures the workplace maintains compliance.
If you are considering pursuing a career as a safety consultant, you should know what steps to take to qualify for a job and what industries you could work in. Let’s look at what a safety consultant does and how to become one.
What is a Safety Consultant?
A safety consultant is an independent third party who advises companies on various matters. Their primary focus is to ensure employee safety in a workplace or establishment. They work with the company and employees by providing training and expertise to create a safer work environment. Acting as a sounding board, a safety consultant improves processes to ensure a workplace complies with regulations defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970.
Safety consultants have the expertise and knowledge to inspect work environments’ safety procedures and appropriate recommendations. As technology and PPE advance, safety consultants stay abreast of these changes and help workplaces adapt to remain compliant. A safety consultant should keep up to date with the latest measures and regulations through regular training and reading the latest publications.
Beyond giving these recommendations, safety consultants know how to equip supervisors to implement and maintain workplace regulations. They can accurately assess a company’s safety conditions to meet evolving standards.
Usually, safety consultants work on specific projects that run for a particular period. Companies may also hire you on a contractual basis to advise on safety standards, protocols, and regulations and provide employees with safety training. As a safety consultant, you will typically consult with various companies over your career instead of working for a single company for an extended time.
What Does A Safety Consultant Do?
A safety consultant is responsible for creating guidelines that help a company create a safer and more productive work environment. Essentially, they aim to help employees avoid accidents. They are responsible for inspecting facilities, pointing out any hazards, making recommendations to improve safety, and implementing the necessary changes to prevent accidents.
To enhance safety, they first need to understand the company’s operations, assess existing protocols, and identify areas for improvement. A safety consultant can determine whether the facility complies with OSHA and is below the permissible exposure limits by performing site audits and inspecting the facilities. If equipment or machinery is not operating correctly or is dangerous to use, a safety consultant should arrange for repairs or replacements. They also look for slip-and-fall hazards and other potential risks.
Safety consultants must listen to workers’ health-related concerns. Getting feedback from employees and acting on it creates a positive safety culture. Using the information gathered from audits and employee surveys, the safety consultant can make recommendations for the company to improve. The safety consultant will then finalize a new policy and create procedures and manuals for compliance. They may need to present their recommendations in reports or presentations.
Training and information programs are some of the tools safety consultants use to instruct employees. They need to teach employees to spot health and safety hazards in the workplace and how to avoid these dangers. In some cases, safety consultants even provide first-aid courses.
A safety consultant should proactively take the lead to align the company’s policies with OSHA rules and equip employees to adhere to the safety standards. By ensuring training aligns with OSHA safety regulations, companies can avoid costly lawsuits that may arise from accidents caused by non-compliance.
Reviewing standards, implementing plans to meet them, and maintaining appropriate records are all procedures safety consultants follow to adhere to OSHA regulations. Safety consultants also complete injury logs and submit the necessary forms to OSHA detailing injuries that resulted in lost work time, job transfers, and restricted duty. Monitoring changes will help you keep track of employee compliance and determine whether the changes have successfully enhanced workplace safety.
A safety consultant investigates the cause of an accident in a workplace. They may speak to witnesses, explore the accident scene, and photograph any damage. Once they have completed their investigation, they will create a report detailing the cause of the accident and make recommendations on how to prevent future incidents. They may also update the company’s safety policy based on their findings.
For More Information on becoming a Safety Consultant, go to: NASP on Being a Safety Consultant
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