Safety Officer Salary in South African Rands

Ensuring the health and safety of the employees at the workplace is the first priority of every organization in South Africa. Therefore, they hire experts who can look after safety measures for staff. The safety officers are responsible for assessing the health conditions of workers and looking after their safety. The job is pretty challenging as the majority of the staff do not focus on the safety conditions and work extra hours.

In South Africa, a safety officer is a position very few people know, but it is a respectable job. However, the question arises: how much does a safety officer earn per month in South Africa? After estimations and meetings with the safety officers, I discovered their monthly salaries and responsibilities, so read further to explore more about them.

Safety Officer Salary

The safety officer has a tough job in which he has to plan the prevention of accidents at the workplace, guide the workers, and make them understand that their safety is more important than the work they are doing. South Africa is one of those countries that adopted this position after a long time, and there are a few legal regulations regarding the seat. Furthermore, the officer receives a moderate salary in the beginning, and pay increases with the passage of time.

The average salary of a safety officer is about R18,415 per month or R84 per hour. The safety officer work is mostly contract based in which an organization hires an officer, works with him for three to four months, and as the contract ends and work is completed, the organization leaves the officers. But the interesting part is that the organizations pay according to their projects; if there is a mega project, then the chances are high that the officer will get more bucks.

On the other hand, if you compare the salary of a safety officer in the US with SA, then you will find that an officer gets $3,983 per month in the USA, which is more than the SA officer’s salary. But here is a fact required to address: there is a huge currency difference between SA and the USA. On the other hand, the USA has more inflation as compared to the SA, that’s why it pays more to the safety officers.

I should also inform you that the salary is based on the experience level of the officer; there are different levels, such as beginner, intermediate, and expert. The higher your level is, the more salary you will get. According to a survey, a beginner receives R17,888, then comes an intermediate who gets R27,514, and the experts may charge according to their experience. However, the majority of the experts charge R42,7398 per month.

Responsibilities of A Safety Officer

The responsibility varies according to the project and the location of the project. For example, if a construction team hires a safety officer to estimate safety measures on the edge of the mountain, there are chances that the officer uses all of his tools and team to investigate it. On the other hand, if there is a safety officer working with a team in Cape Town’s main city building construction, the officer might complete his job soon but these are the responsibilities a safety officer performs:

Risk Assessment

The first part is to identify if there is any risk to the health of the staff or workers at the workplace. In this step, an officer deals with all kinds of risk assessments, such as checking the floor, and checking oxygen levels if there is a special place, such as a cave or mountain. Then he estimates how much weight a worker can carry and what types of bridges are safe for the workers.

For example, he sees that the shoes of the workers should be slippery-resistant if the floor stays wet. All kinds of assessments are important before starting work on a project once the government institute allows the organization to start work after going through the report by safety officers.

Safety Training

After examining all the conditions, the safety officers provide training to the team so that they can stay safe in case of an accident. The safety training must include providing first aid to the workers in case of any mishap. Then comes the critical issues in which the patient may die if there is a slight mistake therefore, the trainers guide them on how to stay calm and relaxed in case of such incidents and in do-or-die conditions.

The training part is one of the most difficult because the officer has to address all kinds of risks and tell their solutions to the workers. Anyhow, he provides multiple workshops on safety training and tells them how they can use different techniques and tools to save themselves in case a fire erupts or suffocation in the deep cave. He also teaches them how to use the safety materials and use the resources to prevent accidents.

Hazardous Materials Management

Then comes one of the most challenging jobs in the field, managing the hazardous materials that are life-taking and dangerous for the workers. These chemicals often exist near volcanos or near carbon eruptions and in jungle fires. There are also chances that such chemicals exist around the factory areas.

Anyhow, to prevent and keep the lives of the workers safe, the safety officers plan a complete structure on how they can work in such conditions without losing their health or life. You might have seen that the firefighters come in complete suits, the construction workers wear a uniform and the factory workers have a complete dress code according to the SOPs of the hazardous chemicals. All these are designed and planned by the safety officers.

Health and safety are the first priority of every person. If one is healthy and safe, he can work for long hours. Because the majority of the workers do not have concerns about their health and safety, that’s why one should look after them and provide training on how they can prevent accidents. Anyhow, I have explained how much a safety officer earns and what his responsibilities are I hope this information helps you in the future.