Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Occupational Health and Safety Advisor

🎯 Role Definition

As an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Advisor, you will design, implement and continuously improve workplace safety systems to protect people, assets and operations. You will deliver regulatory compliance, lead hazard identification and risk assessment activities, conduct incident investigations and root cause analyses, develop and deliver training, and partner with operational leaders to embed safety-first behaviours. The successful candidate will have a strong background in WHS legislation, safety management systems (including ISO 45001), incident investigation, and consultative stakeholder engagement across multiple sites or business units.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Safety Officer / Safety Coordinator with 1–3 years' practical experience
Environmental Health Officer or EHS Technician
Site Supervisor or HR/Compliance professional transitioning into OHS

Advancement To:

Senior Occupational Health and Safety Advisor
Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Manager
Regional Safety Manager or Head of Safety (EHS Director)

Lateral Moves:

Environmental Compliance Specialist
Risk & Resilience Analyst
Training & Safety Facilitator / Learning & Development (Safety)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and maintain the organisation’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS/WHS) management system in alignment with ISO 45001 and local regulatory requirements, ensuring documentation, version control and management review processes are current and auditable.
Conduct comprehensive workplace risk assessments, job safety analyses (JSAs) and hazard identification workshops across sites, producing clear mitigation plans with owners, timelines and residual risk ratings.
Lead incident and near‑miss investigations using root cause analysis methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa), prepare investigation reports, identify corrective and preventive actions, and track completion through to verification.
Coordinate and execute routine and programmed site safety inspections, toolbox talks and behavioural observations (BBS), produce clear findings and follow-up actions, and present trends to operational leadership for continuous improvement.
Monitor legislative, regulatory and industry standard changes for OHS/WHS, evaluate impacts on operations, and implement timely compliance updates including permits, licenses and statutory reporting.
Deliver practical, engaging training programs and inductions on core safety topics (permit to work, confined space, manual handling, PPE, working at heights, electrical safety) and assess competency through practical evaluation and refresher scheduling.
Support contractor prequalification, site-specific safety inductions and ongoing contractor performance monitoring to ensure contractors operate to company safety standards and meet insurance and contractual obligations.
Lead or support emergency preparedness activities including business continuity planning, site emergency response exercises, evacuation drills and maintenance of emergency response equipment and documentation.
Establish and maintain OHS performance metrics, KPIs and dashboards (e.g., TRIFR, LTIFR, near misses, corrective action close rates), perform trend analysis and prepare monthly/quarterly reports for executive leadership.
Provide operational leadership and frontline supervisors with practical advice and coaching on hazard controls, safe work procedures (SWPs), permits and compliance obligations, influencing safe decision-making at the point of work.
Manage asbestos, hazardous substances and chemical safety programs, including SDS management, storage, handling procedures and compliance with hazardous materials legislation.
Implement ergonomics and occupational health initiatives such as workstation assessments, injury prevention programs, early intervention and return-to-work case management in conjunction with HR and health providers.
Oversee workplace health surveillance programs and coordinate medical monitoring, fitness-for-duty assessments and referrals to occupational health professionals where required.
Prepare and submit statutory incident and notifiable event reports to regulatory bodies and maintain relationships with regulators and external auditors during inspections or investigations.
Develop, review and maintain policy, standard operating procedures (SOPs), safe work method statements (SWMS) and permits to work to ensure they reflect current risks and best practice controls.
Support safety assurance activities including internal audits, third-party audits and corrective action plans; lead follow-up reviews to verify effective closure of non-conformances.
Manage safety-related procurement inputs, ensuring purchased equipment and PPE meet required safety standards and that vendor documentation and certifications are obtained and verified.
Provide subject matter expertise on ergonomics, occupational hygiene, noise, dust and other exposure monitoring programs; partner with consultants and labs to coordinate environmental and personal monitoring tests and interpret results.
Facilitate cross-functional safety committees, safety culture programs and continuous improvement initiatives to uplift engagement and ownership of safety across the workforce.
Maintain accurate records and databases for training, incidents, inspections, regulatory correspondence and safety documentation to support internal governance and external compliance.
Advise on design and modification of equipment, facilities and work processes to reduce hazards during planning and capital projects, participating in risk workshops and design reviews.
Support behavioural safety initiatives and change management programs, using observations, coaching and recognition programs to reinforce positive safety behaviours and reduce at-risk actions.

Secondary Functions

Provide technical inputs into procurement and contract documents to ensure OHS requirements are embedded in tender specifications and supplier contracts.
Support occupational hygiene and exposure monitoring projects by coordinating site access, sample collection scheduling and liaising with specialist consultants.
Assist Human Resources with return-to-work planning, workers’ compensation coordination and accommodation assessments to support injured or ill employees.
Participate in cross-departmental project teams to review safety implications of new processes, technologies or operational changes and ensure safety is designed in at project conception.
Prepare content and communications for safety campaigns, bulletins and leadership safety messages to maintain high visibility of safety priorities and initiatives.
Maintain and continuously improve safety document control systems and knowledge repositories so that safe work information is easily accessible and up to date.
Help manage safety-related budget items such as PPE procurement, training budgets and contractor safety compliance costs to deliver value while maintaining compliance.
Support periodic benchmarking and industry best practice reviews to identify opportunities to modernize systems, tools and processes and drive operational excellence in safety.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong knowledge of local and national OHS/WHS legislation and regulatory reporting requirements, and ability to interpret and translate legislative change into operational requirements.
Experience implementing and maintaining ISO 45001 or equivalent OHS management systems, including internal audits and management review processes.
Proven capability in conducting incident investigations and root cause analysis (5 Whys, RCA, Fishbone), developing corrective actions and verifying effectiveness.
Competency in performing formal risk assessments, job safety analysis (JSA/JHA), permit-to-work systems, and creating effective SWMS/SOPs.
Proficiency with safety data, KPI tracking and dashboarding tools (Excel, Power BI, Tableau or equivalent) and experience producing actionable management reports.
Practical knowledge of occupational hygiene principles including exposure monitoring, asbestos management, noise and air quality assessments.
Training design and delivery skills with experience facilitating adult learning, toolbox talks, inductions and competency assessments.
Contractor management experience including prequalification, safety performance evaluation and contract compliance oversight.
Familiarity with emergency response planning, crisis management and coordination of drills and exercises.
Experience using incident management and safety management software (e.g., iAuditor, Intelex, Enablon, Gensuite) for reporting, tracking and investigations.
Technical ability to review equipment and workplace design for safety and contribute to capital project safety reviews / HAZOPs.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills with ability to build credibility with frontline workers, supervisors and senior leadership.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear, concise reporting, policy writing and delivering training and presentations.
Problem-solving and critical thinking with attention to detail when analysing incidents, trends and compliance gaps.
Resilience and adaptability to manage multiple sites, competing priorities and changing regulatory or operational conditions.
Collaborative mindset and ability to work cross-functionally with HR, operations, procurement and legal teams.
Coaching and mentoring capability to develop safety leadership and frontline competency within the business.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills to manage contractor disputes, compliance issues and corrective action enforcement.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusive approach to engage diverse workforces and promote a positive safety culture.
Project management skills for driving safety projects, audits and system rollouts to timely completion.
Ethical judgement and professional integrity when handling confidential incident information and regulatory interactions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Diploma or Associate degree in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental Health, Industrial Engineering or equivalent.
Relevant professional qualifications such as NEBOSH General Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely, Cert IV in Work Health and Safety, or equivalent nationally recognised OHS certification.
ISO 45001 Lead Auditor or OHS Management Systems training (preferred).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Occupational Health & Safety
Environmental Science / Engineering
Industrial or Mechanical Engineering
Human Factors / Ergonomics
Public Health / Health Sciences

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3 to 7 years of progressive experience in occupational health and safety roles, ideally across multi-site operations or complex industrial environments.

Preferred:

5+ years’ experience as an OHS Advisor or similar role with demonstrable experience in incident investigation, safety management system implementation (ISO 45001), contractor management, and training delivery.
Experience within the industry sector (e.g., construction, manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, utilities) or with similar hazard profiles is highly preferred.
Proven track record of driving measurable reductions in incidents and demonstrated ability to influence leadership and operational teams to improve safety outcomes.