RecordMove

Occupational health and safety inspector to construction safety manager

An occupational health and safety inspector already meets 33% of what the construction safety manager role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From occupational health and safety inspector

Distant match

To construction safety manager

8 You already bring

7 Still to learn

33 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

62.4/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a construction safety manager is expected to do is already part of an occupational health and safety inspector’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 construction safety manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A construction safety manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things an occupational health and safety inspector already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

apply safety management
environmental legislation
follow health and safety procedures in construction
incidents and accidents recording
monitor employee's health
prevent work accidents

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A construction safety manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an occupational health and safety inspector background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held prevent work accidents assisting and caring
already held follow up on safety breaches assisting and caring
already held incidents and accidents recording services
already held monitor employee's health information skills
already held occupational health services
already held apply safety management assisting and caring

All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the construction safety manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 25 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 assisting and caring 2 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn supervise worker safety required
still to learn use safety equipment in construction required

optional, not held assist with emergencies optional
optional, not held ensure conformity to specifications optional
optional, not held manage major incidents optional
optional, not held work ergonomically optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn advise on safety improvements required
still to learn write work-related reports required

optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
optional, not held write specifications optional

03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn monitor construction site required

optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
optional, not held determine fire risks optional
optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
optional, not held test safety strategies optional
optional, not held undertake inspections optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn construction methods required

optional, not held building materials industry optional

05 services 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn human factors regarding safety required

optional, not held fire prevention procedures optional

06 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held construction product regulation optional
optional, not held contract law optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a construction safety manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply safety management skill
already held environmental legislation knowledge
already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
already held incidents and accidents recording knowledge
already held monitor employee's health skill
already held prevent work accidents skill
already held follow up on safety breaches skill
already held occupational health knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 management skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held make time-critical decisions optional
optional, not held supervise staff optional

08 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held clear accident site optional

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
optional, not held clear accident site optional
optional, not held construction product regulation optional
optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
optional, not held assist with emergencies optional
optional, not held building materials industry optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held determine fire risks optional
optional, not held ensure conformity to specifications optional
optional, not held fire prevention procedures optional
optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
optional, not held make time-critical decisions optional
optional, not held manage major incidents optional
optional, not held supervise staff optional
optional, not held test safety strategies optional
optional, not held undertake inspections optional
optional, not held work ergonomically optional
optional, not held write specifications optional

53 held skills the construction safety manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role act with a high level of safety awareness skill
not needed by the target role adhere to OHSAS 18001 skill
not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
not needed by the target role assess ergonomics of the workplace skill
not needed by the target role assist employee health programmes skill
not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role balance the project requirements with health and safety concerns skill
not needed by the target role cleaning industry health and safety measures knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate health and safety measures skill
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 document safety actions skill
not needed by the target role draw up risk assessment skill
not needed by the target role educate employees on occupational hazards skill
not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure annual safety inspections skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role ensure health and safety in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role ensure health and safety of staff skill
not needed by the target role ensure safety in hospitality establishment skill
not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
not needed by the target role follow safety precautions in work practices skill
not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
not needed by the target role foster compliance with health and safety rules by setting an example skill
not needed by the target role framework for a safety management system knowledge
not needed by the target role health and safety in the workplace knowledge
not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role identify hazards in the workplace skill
not needed by the target role identify policy breach skill
not needed by the target role inform on workplace safety standards skill
not needed by the target role instruct on safety measures skill
not needed by the target role interview techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role investigate occupational injuries skill
not needed by the target role issue licences skill
not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role lead inspections skill
not needed by the target role make health, safety and environment assessments skill
not needed by the target role manage health and safety skill

13 further entries not listed here

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn human factors regarding safety required
still to learn construction methods required
optional, not held construction product regulation optional
optional, not held building materials industry optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held fire prevention procedures optional

Index

Other moves recorded from occupational health and safety inspector

Full index of moves from occupational health and safety inspector

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an occupational health and safety inspector become a construction safety manager?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An occupational health and safety inspector already covers 33% of what a construction safety manager is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 6 of which the construction safety manager role treats as required.

What skills does an occupational health and safety inspector need to become a construction safety manager?

7 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is human factors regarding safety.

How hard is the move from occupational health and safety inspector to construction safety manager?

Its learning distance is 62.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.