Health and safety officer to ombudsman
A health and safety officer already meets 33% of what the ombudsman role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.8/ 100
1 How much of what an ombudsman is expected to do is already part of a health and safety officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ombudsman role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ombudsman role treats 3 of its required skills as things a health and safety officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply conflict management
- employment law
- observe confidentiality
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ombudsman role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a health and safety officer background worth leading with.
- already held educate employees on occupational hazards communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held communicate health and safety measures communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held identify policy breach management skills
- already held advise on conflict management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on risk management information skills
- already held observe confidentiality assisting and caring
All 9 carried skills, including the 3 the ombudsman role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn show impartiality required
- still to learn apply knowledge of human behaviour required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn facilitate official agreement required
- still to learn manage contract disputes required
- still to learn show intercultural awareness required
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held promote social awareness optional
- optional, not held protect employee rights optional
- still to learn respond to enquiries required
- optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ombudsman role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 private law study this
- 02 show impartiality practise this
- 03 apply knowledge of human behaviour practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held apply conflict management skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held advise on conflict management skill
- already held advise on risk management skill
- already held communicate health and safety measures skill
- already held educate employees on occupational hazards skill
- already held health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
- already held identify policy breach skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interview people optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional
- optional, not held moderate in negotiations optional
- optional, not held promote social awareness optional
- optional, not held protect employee rights optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
29 held skills the ombudsman role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on environmental risk management systems skill
- not needed by the target role assessment of risks and threats knowledge
- not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct research interview skill
- not needed by the target role conduct workplace audits skill
- not needed by the target role draw up risk assessment skill
- not needed by the target role educate on emergency management skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow standards for machinery safety skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic planning skill
- not needed by the target role issue licences skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role make health, safety and environment assessments skill
- not needed by the target role monitor employee's health skill
- not needed by the target role monitor legislation developments skill
- not needed by the target role occupational health knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform health assessment autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role personal protective equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide improvement strategies skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role test safety strategies skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn private law required
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
Other moves recorded from health and safety officer
Common questions about this move
Can a health and safety officer become an ombudsman?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A health and safety officer already covers 33% of what an ombudsman is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 3 of which the ombudsman role treats as required.
What skills does a health and safety officer need to become an ombudsman?
8 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is private law.
How hard is the move from health and safety officer to ombudsman?
Its learning distance is 59.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.