What Does
Safety Coordinator Mean?
A safety coordinator is an individual charged with managing safety within a workplace, a process that is sometimes referred to as occupational compliance.
The duties include risk assessment, risk reduction, and the reduction of costs related to safety incidents.
Safeopedia Explains Safety Coordinator
Safety coordinators work with employers, managers, and employees to develop workplace safety policies, and they ensure that these policies are complied with by everyone within the workplace. The duties that result from these responsibilities typically include accident investigation and reporting, safety inspections, and safety training within a particular jurisdiction.
The presence of a safety coordinator allows an employer to demonstrate that he or she has undertaken reasonable due diligence in the event that a workplace accident or other safety incident occurs.
In some jurisdictions, such as Colorado state, the use of a safety coordinator is part of a set of criteria that an employer must meet in order to become eligible for a reduction in workers’ compensation premiums. Furthermore, many jurisdictions that allow workplaces to self-insure against workers' compensation claims require employers to designate a safety coordinator as part of the requirements that must be met to run self-insurance programs.
As recognized responsible persons, safety coordinators in some jurisdictions can be found liable for occupational health and safety violations if it can be shown that they did not conduct reasonable due diligence.