Occupations and Terms of Reference › Occupational health and safety officer
Universal terms of reference · POS-032 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Occupational health and safety officer
To keep staff safe at work, so that hazards are controlled, injuries and exposures are prevented, and staff can work safely.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You keep staff safe at work. You run risk assessments, investigate injuries and near misses, check equipment and workplace hazards, and support staff health and safety training.
Reports to: Risk manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Carry out workplace risk assessments.
- Investigate staff injuries and exposures.
- Check safety of equipment and workspaces.
- Run staff safety training.
- Report staff safety data each quarter.
Working conditions and demands
- Works across all sites.
- Some hazards are physical and urgent.
- Handles confidential staff health information.
What good looks like
- Hazards are assessed and controlled.
- Injuries are investigated promptly.
- Staff know how to work safely.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Quality means the patient's experience as well as the clinical result; both are measured.
- Problems are reported early and without blame, and learned from.
- Standards are followed the same way on every shift and at every site.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal.
- Improvement work is planned, measured and kept going until it is embedded.
- Data is used to improve care, and is protected while it is used.
- Where a standard cannot be met, the gap is recorded and escalated the same day.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-032 |
| ISCO-08 | 3339 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Quality and safety |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-027. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Risk manager | Staff risk entries. |
| Infection prevention and control (IPC) lead | Exposures and precautions. |
| Facilities manager | Physical hazards and equipment. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk assessment | Assesses workplace risks and makes sure controls are in place. | Assessments current for each area | Annually | C-01 | T-05 | – | 2 |
| Injuries and exposures | Investigates staff injuries and exposures promptly. | Investigations within 72 hours | Monthly | C-02 | T-05 | POL-INC · POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Training | Delivers staff safety training. | Training compliance reported monthly | Monthly | C-03 | T-08 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Equipment checks | Checks that workplace equipment is safe and in service. | Equipment checks complete | Monthly | C-01 | T-05 | – | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Immediate controls for workplace hazards | Serious injuries or deaths at work (risk manager and CEO) |
| Scope of staff safety investigations | Staff exposures that need medical follow-up (occupational physician) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Degree in occupational health, safety or a related field | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Occupational health and safety certificate | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Occupational health and safety in a workplace, ideally health care | 3 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-02 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | C-03 |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Hazard identification and risk assessment | Identifies hazards | Assesses risks | Designs the workplace risk system | Assessment audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Injury and exposure investigation | Reports injuries | Investigates injuries | Leads investigation of serious events | Investigation review | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-03 | Safety training for staff | Attends training | Delivers training | Designs safety training | Training audit | Every 12 months | T-08 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Risk assessments current | 100% | assessment register | Annually |
| PI-02 | Injuries investigated within 72 hours | 100% | incident register | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Safety training compliance | 100% | training records | Quarterly |
| PI-04 | Lost-time injury rate | set by facility | incident register | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Occupational health and safety officer | 3 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 practitioner | T-05 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |