How Completing A Safety Officer Course Increases Your Job Prospects

A safety officer course can help you score your dream job – we’re here to explain how. All businesses in the country are required to provide governing bodies with proof of risk assessments, safety systems, and other documentation, conducted by an in-office safety officer that has completed an accredited safety officer course. The OHS Act dictates that it is the responsibility of any employer to provide its employees with a safe and healthy working environment; and is not only aware of safety issues, but proactive in preventing them.

Keep reading to learn more about how safety officer training can increase your job prospects. With the right training, you can’t go wrong – which is why EMCARE is here to offer the best-of-the-best safety officer training to help you get the job of your dreams.

The Traits Of A Safety Officer

Anyone who is willing to enroll in an accredited safety officer course can be a safety officer. While this is a job with steady demand on the job market, it is also a job that requires a passionate and diligent individual to fully fulfill the duties.

The traits of a good safety officer include:

• Being reliable
• Being trustworthy
• Having good communication skills
• Being diligent about administrative work
• Expressing a sincere concern for the health and safety of coworkers
• Being a natural problem solver
• Being observant
• Responding timeously
• Having a sense of urgency and a desire to address safety concern swiftly
• Having a strong sense of confidence
• Being respectful, but still maintaining the ability to address a manager who is not complying with safety standards
• Having a strong sense of responsibility

How Does Safety Officer Training Increase My Job Prospects?

It is easy to forget that completing a safety officer course doesn't just mean you are a qualified safety officer; it means you are qualified to work as a safety officer across myriad industries.

There is no single set industry that needs qualified safety officers. Every sector in the country needs someone who is responsible and proactive in ensuring the workplace is a safe, healthy and happy environment for all employees. Once you have completed a safety officer course, you will be able to determine which industry you want to work in. The options are endless, from agriculture to manufacturing and the hospitality industry.

Upon completing an accredited safety officer course, you can also focus on international job markets. Depending on the safety officer course you complete, you will qualify to work at companies across the world. Overall, completing a safety officer course can allow you freedom not only in terms of industry and location, but also fiscally. According to Payscale, a tool which allows you to see the average pay for a specific occupation across all provinces of the country, the average salary of a safety officer is R30 000 per month.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that there are additional qualifications needed to be a safety officer within specific industries within South Africa. These include:

Mining Safety Officer:

As a Mining Safety Officer, you must be registered with the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA).

Medical Safety Officer:

To become a Medical Safety Officer, you must be registered with the South African Society of Occupational Medicine (SASOM).

Construction Safety Officer:

To become a Construction Safety Officer, you must be registered with the South African Center for Project Construction Managers and Plumbers (SACPCMP).

The registration process requires you to apply online where your profile is evaluated. If you pass the evaluation phase, you will need to create an exam.

General Occupational Safety Officer:

Must be registered with Saiosh. Saiosh allows you to register security personnel from various industries.

EMCARE's safety officer course is specifically tailored to South African law. This course provides all the theoretical and practical skills for a position as a safety officer.

English proficiency and 10th grade education level are required to enroll in the EMCARE safety officer course. The EMCARE course lasts two weeks.

The Responsibility Of A Safety Officer

Safety officers' roles vary from company to company, but they all have one thing in common: keeping everyone safe in the workplace. They ensure that everyone on site is following safe work practices and working safely.

In general, a security officer has three main roles. These include:

Planning:

A safety officer must ensure that the team has the necessary equipment to create a safe environment. You also need to make sure your team has everything they need.

Organising:

Safety officers are also responsible for coordinating workloads so that they and others are not harmed while working. Employees should be able to complete their tasks without causing harm to the workplace or others.

Supervising:

Finally, safety officers are responsible for ensuring that everyone working under them is doing their job safely. When supervising, you need to make sure each person understands their role and their place in the process. Safety officers perform a wide range of duties, including various first aid procedures and equipment safety checks. It also helps in the correct set-up and operation of emergency equipment.

Depending on the company, they may be the only ones with first aid training on site. Other companies oversee a group of first aid instructors or safety officers who do not have their own first aid training.

How To Find An Accredited Safety Officer Course

Finding a safety officer course is not difficult. Just type the magic word into an online search engine and you'll get tons of recommendations. It is important to find a safety officer course that is accredited by a responsible body and offers comprehensive, in-depth training and theoretical know-how.

As an organisation with numerous offices around the country, EMCARE has an extensive range of safety officer courses that will ensure you understand more than the basics. From developing your company's safety concept to how to deal with workplace incidents, we provide comprehensive training on everything you need to do to be a good and reliable safety officer.

Our Safety Officer course combines first aid levels 1, 2 and 3, basic firefighting, legal liability, risk assessment, accident/incident investigation and emergency evacuation skills. These Security Bureau course modules are available at your convenience on our training calendar. Upon completion of all course modules, you will be provided access to an online Safety Officer course assessment that includes case studies and a final test.

Finally, you will receive both occupational safety officer and safety officer certificates.

The course lasts two weeks and the certificate obtained upon completion is valid for two years until it expires.