The view from Singapore: “There are no real safety pros”

Maybe in the UK, Australia, U.S., and other developed countries there are real safety pros. What I have seen (sorry if it's blunt) in Asia and even in the Middle East (I served in southeast Asia and the Middle East) is that there are no real safety pros.

My view of a safety professional is someone who learns things and the environment, conceptualizes,  understands challenges and opportunities, designs simple or complicated solutions, implements and executes, is analytical, is a good sales person and a people person.

Here in Singapore, we have people who call themselves Safety Officers or managers but don't know the construction sequence (or the works being performed in their company), who take more medical leave, disappear from work, hang out at smoking sheds, never walk the ground, and just do nothing.

Companies have no choice but to hire them because the law says they need to. Companies feel they add no value. And they even demotivate other staff because they are paid higher than project managers!

 Education wise, Singapore is doing the wrong thing by coming up with a "specialist diploma in HSE" but without much of an entry requirement and no tests/exams.

So the question should also be- "why do companies/managers hate their safety staff?"

But the good thing is the companies can see a difference between the few (who are doing the right thing) and the many (who employ ignorant Safety Officers).

-Raj from Singapore