The Safety Association for canada's Upstream Oil and Gas Industry

From Enform to have some info

What courses do I need to become a safety officer in the field? – How do I become a safety officer?

To clarify your questions, is your inquiry regarding the role of a safety practitioner in the oil and gas field, construction safety officer or a provincial OH&S officer that enforces health and safety regulations?


Safety Practitioner in oil and gas field

If interested in becoming a Safety Practitioner in oil and gas, commonly referred to as a Health and Safety Coordinator or Advisor, the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada provides an occupational profile that can provide direction. Using this profile and working with your current employer to identify your organizations required experience and education requirements and possible opportunities, will provide you a better understanding where to begin.



Construction Safety Officer

If you are interested in the construction safety officer role, this position in most of Canada is referred to as a person with the National Construction Safety Officer or NCSO designation. This designation and the required training courses are managed by the provincial construction safety associations such as the Alberta Construction Safety Association, British Columbia Construction Safety Network and the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association. These associations require the applicant to have a minimum of 3 years field experience in the construction industry and successfully complete 13 health and safety related courses. Please contact one of the mentioned Construction Safety Associations for more details as Enform does not provide training for that designation.



Provincial OH&S Officer

The role of a Provincial OH&S Officer in the provinces is managed by the provincial government. These roles require the applicant to have significant experience, education and knowledge of health and safety in the provincial industries. While Enform does provide safety training that maybe required for this role, for example H2S Alive or First Aid, you will have to consult with the regulatory bodies in the province of interest to understand their specific skill set requirements for this role.



Enform's role in Safety training

Enform does provide several training courses geared towards specific industry hazards. These courses can be used to support a greater understanding of hazards and risks in the workplace but most Health and Safety positions require a greater understanding of management systems and a foundation of Health and Safety that is achieved from undergraduate studies from schools that include the University of Alberta, BCIT, Ryerson University and the University of New Brunswick.