Safety Consulting

What is it exactly and what’s the role of a safety consultant?

Businesses are responsible for providing their workers with a safe environment. Safety consulting involves employing the expertise of a professional – the safety consultant – to equip businesses with knowledge and guidance to maintain that safe environment.

Safety consultants are well-versed in and stay up-to-date on best practices for executing safe worksites and provide a deep understanding of safety compliance regulations that may be specific to an industry. Their primary objectives are mitigating dangers, maintaining compliance, and preparing for emergencies.

How does a safety consultant help your business?

Charged with overseeing the safety programs for a business, safety consultants perform a range of critical tasks, including:

Hazard Identification

From physical hazards to procedural and environmental risks, safety consultants analyze the workplace to identify apparent and hidden dangers that could lead to accidents or injuries.

Risk Assessments

A safety consultant will evaluate the likelihood and potential severity of hazards, enabling businesses to prioritize safety measures.

Compliance Strategies

Safety consultants develop compliance strategies tailored to the industry and job site, helping businesses adhere to regulations set by OSHA and other industry-specific regulatory or advisory bodies.

Training and Education

Training is essential to preventing accidents. Safety consultants develop and deliver training programs that equip employees with the knowledge and skills to conduct their jobs safely. Consultants can also ensure that employees have all the requisite training courses regulatory organizations require.

Emergency Response Planning

Safety consultants use their expertise to create coordinated emergency response plans that outline procedures for first aid, fire safety, evacuations, and other actions in the event of an accident.

Incident Investigation

Should an incident occur, safety consultants conduct investigations to determine the root causes and then provide corrective actions designed to prevent future similar incidents.

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DIY vs. Outsourcing: The benefits of hiring a safety consultant

Businesses face the choice of employing an in-house safety consultant (sometimes assigning these duties to an existing worker) or outsourcing the job. The right choice will depend on the business resources and needs.

In-house/DIY

Maintaining an in-house safety expert provides the advantages of having internal and institutional knowledge, as well as a comfort factor with the people and organizational culture. However, some companies face budgetary pressures that limit their ability to maintain the overhead of a full-time safety consultant.

Outsourcing a safety consultant

While outsourced consultants might initially lack organizational familiarity, third-party safety consultants do provide several advantages:

Specialization – Whereas many in-house safety managers maintain multiple duties and responsibilities, outsourced safety consultants bring highly specialized expertise.

Objectivity – Hired consultants aren’t influenced by their relationships and institutional knowledge, and therefore can provide impartial and objective assessments of processes and plans.

Cost savings – While there is an initial investment, outsourcing a safety consultant typically saves in the long run through improved efficiency and accident and penalty prevention.

Shared liability – Hiring a consultant reduces liability in case of accidents or legal issues.

Reputation building – Employing an outside consultant demonstrates a commitment to safety that gets recognized by workers, potential employees, and regulators.

How to choose the right safety consultant

When dealing with human lives and government regulations, choosing who oversees your programs matters. Selecting a safety consultant should involve asking the following questions:

Do they have the right expertise?

Make sure the consultant you hire has the proper certifications and experience. You’ll want to verify they are knowledgeable in your particular industry and understand the specific needs of your business.

Do they have the right resources?

While consultants provide expertise and guidance, they also need the proper tools, networks, and flexibility to deliver their recommended safety solutions.

How do they communicate and integrate with your company?

Effective communication is essential when lives are on the line. Can the consultant fit into and execute within the structure of the business?

What happens once the consultant is hired?

Before anything, clearly define the scope of work, goals and deliverables, and project timelines to ensure everyone is on the same page for expectations.

Trends in safety consulting

While many of the approaches to keeping people safe are decades old, the delivery of safety services is evolving to meet businesses’ changing needs and provide increasingly safe working conditions.

Total safety management

Smart organizations are adopting holistic approaches to safety management. Similar to how businesses have long outsourced functions like accounting, HR, or marketing, industrial and construction organizations are learning they can deliver safer workplaces while increasing long-term ROI by outsourcing the entire safety function.

Learn more about the Total Safety Management approach.

The role of technology in safety services delivery

Technology plays an increasingly significant role in safety as innovations like wearable devices, data analytics, and AI are helping organizations monitor (sometimes remotely) and improve safety in real time.

What SITEX offers as a safety consultant

Safety is always the top priority of any job. Unfortunately, not every company has on-site safety experts at their disposal.

Many companies talk about mission and values, but we founded SITEX to give workers in dangerous jobs every opportunity they deserve to go home after each shift. At the end of the day, that’s what matters most to us.

Our full range of services always starts with the most knowledgeable and experienced experts in the field. Our CSPs, CIHs, and ASPs provide the insights and consulting to ensure that every job – from a single worker on a single shift to a full Total Safety Management retainer – delivers safe, compliant work sites.

From a single task to an entire safety program, SITEX provides expert safety consulting that lets you focus on your core business – safely. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.