In recent years, many organisations have added “risk” to the titles and responsibilities of traditional safety roles, including safety officers, advisors, superintendents, managers, and specialists. While this transition might seem logical at first glance, the reality is that safety and risk management are fundamentally different disciplines. Safety roles are typically reactive, focused on managing day-to-day incidents and ensuring immediate compliance. Risk management, on the other hand, is inherently proactive, requiring a strategic approach to identify, evaluate, and control potential risks before they result in incidents.
This shift raises an important question: can safety generalists automatically become effective risk managers just because their title changes? The answer is no. Effective risk management requires specific skills, patience, strategic thinking, and the ability to see beyond immediate concerns.
Similarly, emergency response roles are typically separated from safety roles due to their distinct skill sets and functions; while safety focuses on proactive risk management and compliance, emergency response demands focused, specialised crisis management skills and immediate, tactical decision-making under pressure. Just as safety and risk roles require different mindsets and approaches—one centring on day-to-day compliance and the other on strategic, long-term risk mitigation—safety, emergency response, and risk roles each contribute unique expertise.
Together, they form a comprehensive approach that anticipates, manages, and responds to workplace hazards and crises effectively.
Here’s a closer look at the differences between these roles and how organisations can effectively upskill safety personnel to meet the demands of risk management.
Key Differences Between Safety and Risk Management Roles
Safety Management: Reactive and Compliance-Driven
Safety roles are traditionally focused on compliance and incident response. Safety personnel are involved in:
Low-level risk assessments: Conducting Job Safety and Environmental Analyses (JSEA) and in-field observations.
Incident management: Responding to and investigating workplace incidents, ensuring that safety protocols are followed.
Safety programs: Implementing safety initiatives, training programs, and cultural shifts to encourage safe behaviours.
Safety is often about influencing culture and reacting to hazards as they arise, with a focus on reducing immediate risks through behavioural programs and adherence to standards.
Risk Management: Proactive and Strategic
Risk management, in contrast, requires a strategic, forward-thinking approach. Risk roles involve:
Big-picture analysis: Identifying, assessing, and prioritising potential risks that could impact the organisation.
Critical controls development: Facilitating risk assessments, such as bowties, to identify and establish critical controls for high-consequence risks.
Verification and assurance: Setting up assurance processes to monitor the effectiveness of controls over time, ensuring they function as intended.
Risk management is about being empathetic, thinking strategically, and looking beyond the immediate environment to anticipate potential threats and establish long-term solutions.
These two roles require very different skill sets. Safety professionals are often trained to handle daily operational risks, while risk managers need to think more strategically, have a deep understanding of critical controls, and stay focused on the “bigger picture.” For organisations that simply changed job titles without adequate upskilling, this shift has led to gaps in risk management.
Why Combining Safety and Risk Roles Can Be Ineffective
In high-risk, poor-culture worksites, combining safety and risk roles can be particularly challenging. When the two roles are blended, the result can often be a “firefighting” approach, where personnel are constantly reacting to incidents rather than focusing on proactive risk management. Some common issues that arise when these roles are combined include:
Lack of Focus on Proactive Risk Management: Safety generalists may lack the strategic mindset to identify and manage risks proactively. Without proper training, they can miss critical vulnerabilities.
Inconsistent Control Verification: Safety personnel are often more focused on immediate hazards and may not have the time or knowledge to consistently verify critical controls, which is essential for effective risk management.
Difficulty in Shifting Between Daily Safety and Long-Term Risk Tasks: Balancing daily safety duties with the strategic demands of risk management can be overwhelming and counterproductive, leading to an environment of constant reactivity rather than strategic foresight.
Skills Needed for Effective Risk Management
While safety and risk management share some foundational concepts, they differ significantly in approach and focus. Effective risk management requires:
Patience and Empathy: Risk managers need to listen to all stakeholders, understand diverse perspectives, and carefully consider potential impacts.
Strategic and Analytical Thinking: They must be able to step back and assess risks at a systems level, rather than focusing on individual incidents.
Curiosity and Open-Mindedness: Discovering and identifying new risks often requires thinking outside the box, challenging assumptions, and remaining open to new information.
Technical Skills in Risk Tools: Proficiency with tools like risk bowties, critical control frameworks, and assurance processes is essential for managing complex risks effectively.
These skills are not typically covered in traditional safety training programs, so upskilling is crucial if organisations expect safety personnel to transition into risk management effectively.
Steps for Transitioning Safety Professionals to Risk Roles
For organisations that wish to integrate risk into their safety roles, a structured upskilling program is essential. Here are some best practices for transitioning safety professionals to risk-focused roles:
Provide Formal Risk Management Training: Offer training that covers risk assessment tools, critical control verification, risk bowties, and assurance processes. ISO 31000-based risk management courses or certification programs can give safety professionals a solid foundation.
Mentorship and Coaching: Pair safety personnel with experienced risk managers who can coach them on strategic thinking, systems-level risk assessment, and effective use of risk tools.
Encourage Participation in Proactive Risk Activities: Start by involving safety personnel in proactive risk management activities, such as risk workshops, scenario analysis, and critical control verification sessions. This exposure allows them to learn by doing.
Allocate Time for Risk-Focused Work: To prevent “firefighting,” ensure that safety professionals have dedicated time for proactive risk management activities. Avoid overloading them with reactive tasks that detract from strategic risk work.
Clarify the Different Roles and Expectations: Educate both safety and risk teams on the differences between their roles, ensuring that each team understands its unique value. Clarifying these distinctions prevents confusion and enables smoother collaboration between safety and risk personnel.
Encourage Collaboration Between Safety and Risk Teams: When safety and risk roles are separate but collaborative, organisations can achieve a comprehensive approach to managing both immediate safety concerns and long-term risks. Having defined but complementary roles fosters a more effective overall safety and risk culture.
The Importance of Dedicated Risk Roles in High-Risk Environments
In high-risk environments or poor safety cultures, risk management needs to be a dedicated function, rather than an add-on to safety. Risk management is a specialist area that requires a strategic focus and a structured, proactive approach. Safety generalists can become effective risk managers, but this transition requires significant training, guidance, and a shift in mindset.
Without this investment in skill-building, organisations risk diluting their approach to both safety and risk management. Effective risk management requires a specialised set of skills, and assuming that safety professionals can transition into this role without support creates vulnerability within the organisation.
The Importance of True Risk Specialists in Managing Organisational Safety
In recent years, operational risk and control specialists, who have honed their skills and gained substantial experience in risk-specific areas, often find themselves competing for specialised risk roles against safety generalists who have simply added ‘risk’ to their title. This title change can create the impression that these individuals have extensive experience in risk management, when in reality, their background may primarily lie in day-to-day safety management. For organisations recruiting for roles that demand a specialist with a focus on strategic risk and control management, it’s essential to tailor job descriptions and interview questions accordingly. Focusing on candidates’ experience in strategic and operational risk, critical control management, and assurance practices—rather than daily safety compliance and incident response—will help ensure you’re selecting a true risk specialist who can add value at a strategic level.
Having the wrong people in risk roles is, in itself, a risk that organisations must actively manage. To prevent serious incidents, fatalities, and regulatory consequences, including industrial manslaughter charges, it is critical to have qualified specialists managing risk. Just as legal, accounting, human resources, and environmental roles require dedicated expertise, risk management should always be treated as a specialist function. With the right risk professionals in place, organisations can build robust, proactive frameworks that protect both people and operations.
Final Thoughts
Transitioning traditional safety roles to include risk management responsibilities requires careful planning, training, and support. Simply changing a job title does not equip safety professionals to think strategically, manage complex risks, or verify critical controls effectively. By recognising the distinct differences between safety and risk roles and investing in dedicated upskilling and mentorship, organisations can build a resilient workforce that excels at both immediate safety management and long-term risk mitigation.
If your organisation is looking to integrate risk into its safety roles or develop a structured risk management framework, consider working with a company that specialises in both fields. We offer tailored guidance in risk management training, critical control development, and assurance processes, helping organisations build the right foundation for effective safety and risk practices. For more information, feel free to get in touch or browse through our face-to-face or online courses that we offer.
Jessica Urquhart
Ph: 1800 231 173
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