Expert Views on the Role of a Safety Professional

In this episode, we’re conducting a thorough investigation of a EHS practitioner’s job description to help you focus on the areas of workplace safety that matter most.

We've compiled a collection of thoughts, opinions and ideas about Safety professional’s key responsibilities from 20 of our previous guests.

All agree that practitioners are no longer “Safety Cops” but what should they be instead: facilitators, conduits, coaches? Are they best placed to write policies, implement procedures or conduct investigations? Do duties need to expand into workplace bullying, mental health and full psychosocial risk management? And is Safety even the HSE professional's responsibility??

This Safety role special presents multiple perspectives on these crucial questions from experienced HSE professionals, consultants, authors and academics. It doesn't conclude with a definitive job description, but will help you decide what to do more of - and what is no longer in your remit.

Featured guests (in order of appearance):

• James Junkin (Episode 37): What is a Safety Professional?
• Tanya Hewitt (Episode 7): What do we think the Safety manager's job is?
• Sam Goodman (Episode 27): Redefining the role of Safety
• Subena Colligan (Episode 34): Organizations don’t understand what Safety practitioners do
• Chris Smith (Episode 2): Safety is the ultimate change leadership position
• Chris Moulden (Episode 31): From Safety Cop to ultimate team player
• Mikel Bowman (Episode 51): The power of Safety professionals
• David Provan (Episode 58): Safety professionals can’t be everywhere!
• Bob Edwards (Episode 53): Safety practitioners can’t fix everything!
• Tony Muschara (Episode 70): Safety is not the Safety professional's responsibility
• Brye Sargent (Episode 11): Safety practitioners shouldn’t implement Safety policies
• Bridget Leathley (Episode 19): Safety professionals aren't solely responsible for procedures
• Dr Gary Namie (Episode 41): Safety should be responsible for workplace bullying
• Jason van Schie (Episode 33): Safety’s role in managing psychosocial risks
• Mark Alston (Episode 16): Facilitation is more important than Compliance