Ombudsman to health and safety officer
An ombudsman already meets 27% of what the health and safety officer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.3/ 100
1 How much of what a health and safety officer is expected to do is already part of an ombudsman’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 health and safety officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A health and safety officer role treats 5 of its required skills as things an ombudsman already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on conflict management
- advise on risk management
- communicate health and safety measures
- educate employees on occupational hazards
- health, safety and hygiene legislation
What stands in the way is 11 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. A health and safety officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ombudsman 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 5 the health and safety officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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.
- still to learn monitor employee's health required
- still to learn draw up risk assessment required
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- optional, not held perform health assessment autonomously optional
- optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
- optional, not held conduct workplace audits optional
- optional, not held make health, safety and environment assessments optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- still to learn follow standards for machinery safety required
- still to learn ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- still to learn present reports required
- optional, not held conduct research interview optional
- optional, not held educate on emergency management optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- still to learn personal protective equipment required
- optional, not held occupational health optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a health and safety officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow standards for machinery safety practise this
- 02 monitor employee's health practise this
- 03 assessment of risks and threats study 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 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 apply conflict management skill
- already held employment law knowledge
- already held identify policy breach skill
- already held observe confidentiality skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn assessment of risks and threats required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held provide improvement strategies optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held occupational health optional
- optional, not held perform health assessment autonomously optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held conduct research interview optional
- optional, not held conduct workplace audits optional
- optional, not held educate on emergency management optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held issue licences optional
- optional, not held liaise with managers optional
- optional, not held make health, safety and environment assessments optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
- optional, not held provide improvement strategies optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
15 held skills the health and safety officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
- not needed by the target role apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role facilitate official agreement skill
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
- not needed by the target role moderate in negotiations skill
- not needed by the target role private law knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote social awareness skill
- not needed by the target role protect employee rights skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role show impartiality skill
- not needed by the target role show intercultural awareness skill
9 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 assessment of risks and threats required
- still to learn environmental legislation required
- still to learn personal protective equipment required
- still to learn quality standards required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held occupational health optional
- optional, not held project management optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held pollution prevention optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ombudsman become a health and safety officer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ombudsman already covers 27% of what a health and safety officer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the health and safety officer role treats as required.
What skills does an ombudsman need to become a health and safety officer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is follow standards for machinery safety.
How hard is the move from ombudsman to health and safety officer?
Its learning distance is 70.3 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.