Of course, not everyone in a career with OSHA is going to do exactly the same thing. Different positions are going to have different requirements, and will perform various duties according to what's needed out of their position. Let's look at some common positions that workers in OSHA fill, and what they need to do as part of their jobs. An OSHA safety career can be a really rewarding and fulfilling position as long as you've got what it takes.
One option for people working with OSHA, and probably one of the careers we think about when OSHA is mentioned is that of a compliance officer. The compliance officer is responsible for developing and administering procedures and policies to make workplaces safe and productive places to be. These people work with other departments to make sure that employees are following the rules and sticking to safe, legal, ethical ways of working. These people will look over the code of conduct regularly, and get in touch with heads of departments and employees to make sure that everything is being done in the safest way possible. If you have a job as a compliance officer, you'll also be responsible for reporting violations and getting in touch with all the appropriate people.
Safety and occupational health specialist positions require workers to analyze and inspect workplaces to prevent, eliminate, and control diseases and conditions that might be caused by factors in the workplace. If they see a chemical, biological, or other agent that might be dangerous, it's their job to check it out. These people also make sure that organizations and companies follow the law when it comes to health and safety, whether it's a state law or a national one.
Foremen are lower down on the chain of OSHA specialists, but their work is just as important as the jobs of people who make the rules. Foremen are responsible for seeing that their workers get the job done efficiently and safely. They make all the day to day safety and production decisions, and often work alongside other employees so they have a better understanding of what's going on. The foreman is there to make sure that all regulations are being paid attention to and that all machinery is working the way it's supposed to.
Environmental specialists are also important OSHA workers. Their job is to put together information about the environment, investigating complaints, interpreting information, and checking out permits. The information they gather is then looked at in order to write a policy on occupational health and safety issues. Most environmental specialists will have just one area they do most of their work in, like natural resources or agriculture.
Project engineers also work with health and safety concerns. These people coordinate all the technical activities on a given project, scheduling and paying attention to all engineering work. They make sure that everyone on the job is complying with the laws and codes that apply to their situation. They also talk to local authorities, suppliers, subcontractors and others to make sure that the entire project goes forward correctly, and without too much risk to the workers on site.
OSHA jobs are extremely important. Without people making sure that employers provide safe situations, and that employee’s stick to the safety regulations designed to keep them healthy, there might be a lot more accidents on the job. A lot more people might also find themselves injured or too sick to work, because of situations at their place of employment. If you want to make sure that everyone stays safe and that production keeps on going, you might want to take a look at positions with OSHA.
