Occupational safety and health (OSH) roles and responsibilities in an organisation

In this resource

• Understanding roles and responsibilities in occupational safety and health
  
• Roles and responsibilities of OSH stakeholders
• • What OSH professionals do
    
  • What business leaders do
  • What department heads, middle managers do
  • What line managers and supervisors do
  • What human resource teams do for OSH
  • What workers at all levels do
• Key takeaways
• Checklist

Understanding roles and responsibilities in occupational safety and health

This is critical because it ensures accountability, clarity, and effective implementation of safety measures.

When everyone knows who is responsible for what, hazards can be managed proactively, legal compliance maintained, and the risk of accidents or health issues is reduced.

Compliance with regulation and achieving good practice in OSH is dependent on everyone taking responsibility and being held accountable.

Roles and responsibilities of OSH stakeholders

Examples are below – these will vary between businesses, dependent on the nature of their work.

What OSH professionals do

• Identify hazards and reduce risks: Look for things that could cause harm, assess how much of a risk they are, and suggest controls to keep people safe. 
• Shape safety policy: Develop and advise on safety policies, procedures, and strategy that fits the business and legal requirements. 
• Respond and learn from incidents: Lead and support incident investigations and ensure corrective action is applied. 
• Monitor and improve safety: Inspect, audit, and track safety KPIs (e.g., accident rates), and drive continuous improvement.  
• Offer expert advice: Provide technical know-how to solve work-related safety and health problems
• Train and communication: Help teach workers about safety and share important safety information. 
• Build OSH culture: Encourage reporting, empower workers to speak up, and support leaders to adopt safe behaviours. 
• Assure compliance: Help the organisation meet legal duties and relevant standards.

Note: All businesses should have access to a competent OSH professional. In some cases and countries this is a legal requirement. The OSH professional may be a full-time employee, contractor, or consultant.

What business leaders do

• Own the safety plan and the budget: Approve the organisation’s safety and health policy, strategy, and provide the resources needed to make it work. 
• Stay accountable for OSH performance: Take responsibility for how the organisation performs on safety and health.  
• Set clear goals for senior managers: Agree simple, measurable OSH targets for department heads (e.g., “close 90% of corrective actions within 30 days”) and monitor the progress. 
• Review OSH performance and risks regularly: Review the safety reports and dashboards, discuss top risks and incidents, and make decisions to reduce them. 
• Demonstrate visible leadership: Spend time with teams, listen to concerns, recognise good practice, and show that safety, health and wellbeing matter as much as cost, quality, and schedule.

What department heads, middle managers do

• Turn policy into everyday practice: Convert the organisation’s OSH policy into simple, specific actions for your team - clear procedures, roles, and targets that people can follow on the job. 
• Provide the resources and set priorities: Make sure people have the time, training, equipment, staffing, and budget to work safely.  
• Track progress and report it: Check that agreed OSH actions are happening (e.g., maintenance done, training completed, risk assessments in place). Share results with senior leaders and the OSH professional. 
• Investigate and fix problems: Lead reviews of incidents with your OSH professional. Find root causes, agree to fixes, and make sure they’re completed and working. 
• Build knowledge and confidence: Coach your team on safe, healthy ways of working - onboarding, refreshers, toolbox talks - and make sure people know what “good” OSH looks like in their role. 
• Lead by example and keep conditions safe: Model safe behaviours (PPE worn correctly, permits followed, housekeeping maintained). Remove hazards promptly and stop work if something isn’t safe.

What line managers and supervisors do

• Support vulnerable workers: Identify people needing extra support (such as new starters, young workers). Work with OSH professionals to put reasonable adjustments in place - such as modified tasks or additional training. 
• Set OSH goals: Agree simple, achievable and job‑specific OSH targets with each worker (such as complete pre‑task risk check daily, wear PPE correctly 100% of the time). 
• Manage absence and return‑to‑work (RTW): Keep in touch with the worker during absence, hold supportive RTW meetings, and coordinate accommodations with the OSH team. 
• Address risky behaviours fairly and firmly: When behaviours create risk (for the person or others) manage this fairly and firmly through a learning, not blaming culture.

What human resource teams do for OSH

• Support vulnerable workers: Work with line managers and the OSH team to identify workers who may need extra support (such as disabled workers) and coordinate reasonable adjustments.
• Manage absence and return‑to‑work (RTW) practice: Provide guidance and coaching for line managers to manage absence fairly and consistently. 
• Coordinate referrals to Occupational Health (OH): Arrange timely OH referrals with clear questions that the organisation needs answered (such as workers' fitness for work or necessary adjustments). 
• Support performance management: Help line managers apply performance management that’s consistent, transparent, and proportionate. 
• Align policy, process, and records: Maintain clear, straight forward and up to date OSH related policies and procedures (such as absence management and RTW, adjustments).

What workers at all levels do

• Work safely and follow the rules: Use safe work procedures, permits, and checklists as intended.  
• Use equipment and PPE correctly: Wear and care for the PPE provided and report damage. Don’t bypass guards or safety devices.  
• Spot and report hazards: If you see a hazard (such as spill) you need to report it immediately and, if unsafe, make it temporarily safe (for example cordon off the area or clean up). 
• Take part in training and apply it: Attend inductions, toolbox talks and refresher training and apply the knowledge you leant on the job. 
• Participate in risk assessments and safety conversations: Share practical insights about your job explaining what could go wrong and how to make it safer. 
• Use health support appropriately: Attend health surveillance where required and report any work‑related symptoms early. Report on the use of medication which may impact your ability to complete your work (such as painkillers).

Key takeaways

• Clear accountability is essential for effective management of OSH. 
• OSH professionals provide expertise, policy development, incident investigation, and compliance assurance. 
• Business leaders own OSH strategy, allocate resources, and demonstrate visible leadership. 
• Managers translate policy into practice, track progress, and lead by example. 
• HR teams support vulnerable workers, manage absence and RTW, and align policies. 
• Workers must follow safety rules, use PPE correctly, report hazards, and engage in training. 
• Building a positive OSH culture requires collaboration across all levels.

Checklist

• Does your organisation have a competent OSH professional? 
• Are OSH policies and procedures up to date and communicated? 
• Do leaders review OSH performance regularly and set measurable goals? 
• Are managers providing resources and monitoring compliance? 
• Is there a process for investigating incidents and applying corrective actions? 
• Are vulnerable workers identified and supported? 
• Are workers trained, using PPE correctly, and reporting hazards? 
• Is health surveillance and RTW managed effectively? 
• Is there evidence of a learning culture rather than a blame culture?

Understanding roles and responsibilities across all levels of the organisation will be essential for ensuring compliance, reducing risks and developing a safety culture.

An organisation that collaborates with each other can create overall safer workplaces, improve worker wellbeing and higher rates of performance, achieving long-term success in occupational safety and health.