Many things can happen at once in a company, especially in the logistics industry. Each of us should be working in a safe and secure environment. This is where a safety officer steps in to assist us and protect us from potentially dangerous situations. Someone like them is needed to recognise what could go wrong and what to do if something goes wrong.

What are the roles of a Safety Officer?

The role of a safety officer tends to vary in different companies and industries, but they all have one thing in common: it is to ensure that everyone in the workplace is safe. It is critical for them to ensure that everyone adheres to the safety rules and regulations. They must also ensure that the job procedures are safe for the employees and that customers’ machines are protected.

Let us share some of our safety officer’s main roles with you.

1. Oversee employees’ safety at work

At the job site
As a Sin Chew safety officer, it is critical that they provide brief instructions to the employees prior to the start of the job to ensure that everyone is on the same page. They must also check on every employee to ensure that their personal protective equipment (PPE) is fully equipped. Before they enter any job site, they must wear safety helmets, vests, and boots to avoid any potential injuries.

In the office
Yes, you may think that the safety officers are only looking over the job procedures, but every office has the potential for hazards. Fire safety, using chairs or tables to reach overhead, damaged emergency equipment, and any other potentially dangerous activity are all common office hazards. Besides preventing accidents, the safety team must also look after our employees’ health and well-being, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the safety team must be vigilant and informed on the Safe Management Measures at the workplace. 

2. Safety planning

Safety officers must ensure that the employees have the right equipment and attire during operation. They need to make sure that the job procedures are planned safely for them and that it will also ensure customers’ machines are safe. For example, for high floor moving, they would require specialised equipment to bring them up safely and the necessary tools to keep them safe up there.

3. Assign safety workload

One of the important tasks is to organise and assign employees’ workload accordingly so that no harm comes to them or anybody else while performing their duties. They must ensure that employees can do tasks without endangering the workplace or others. The safety officer is responsible to assign and ensure that there’s a banksman to guide the employees along to prevent any blind spot collisions while operating Forklift or Reach Truck.

4. Communication is the key

Besides giving out clear instructions to the employees, they are also responsible to liaise and work closely with relevant departments to develop strategies and control risks at the job site. As a safety officer in Singapore, he would need to interact with people from nationalities. It is important to ensure that all of our colleagues are aware of the safety instruction to prevent any incidents from happening.

5. Conduct a routine site inspection

Conducting a job site inspection is one of your daily responsibilities in the safety department. The safety officer and employees would have to thoroughly inspect the equipment before using it. The Safety Officer would be responsible for ensuring that the employees follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) and that there are no potential hazards in the area. It is critical to be alert, detail-oriented, and concerned about the employees’ safety.

6. Safety Training

As a safety officer in a heavy machinery moving and packing company, it is vital to attend safety training classes to ensure that certifications are current and that you have safety knowledge at your fingertips at all times. This is due to the fact that the safety officer serves as a role model for all employees to emulate. Continuous safety training is essential to instilling this knowledge throughout the organisation, ensuring that our employees’ and customers’ machines are well protected and safe in our care.

Interested to find out how we put safety first in our services? Click here

Now, we’d like to hear from you:

• Out of the five main roles that we shared, which one do you think is the most important for a safety officer?
• Any other points that we have missed out on?

Either way, let us know by leaving a comment below right now.