Safety Inspector
What the work is
Inspects machines, equipment, working conditions and public places to ensure compliance with government and industry standards and regulations in relation to work health and safety.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Examines equipment specifications, and inspects and tests machines, equipment and clothing to monitor and enforce compliance with safety standards and serviceability
- Inspects factories and other work sites to ensure compliance with government and industry standards and regulations
- Investigates workplace accidents, incidents and complaints related to workplace health and safety
- Assists in conducting safety meetings and campaigns, and organising training in general safety principles, in keeping with regulations
- Advises organisations on ways to comply with work health and safety legislative and regulatory requirements
- May issue notices to enforce immediate compliance under work health and safety legislation and if necessary, impose penalties or recommend prosecutions for breaches
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in building sites, warehouses and workplaces across a fictional region, with an office and a ute to move between them. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A builder thanks you for explaining exactly what needs to change, and does it the same day
- You find a hazard before anyone gets hurt
- A site you flagged last month is now tidy and organised, and the crew are proud of it
Hard days
- A builder who is angry about a failed inspection and a delay to the schedule
- A site where everyone knows the problem and nobody wants to admit it
- A long day of driving, climbing and writing reports in the rain
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 312234, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.