Health & Safety Officer CV

Ensure your CV format is structured to best highlight your unique experience and life situation.

To get ahead in Health and Safety, you need to write a CV that convinces employers of your vocational expertise and consistent attention to detail.

Use the following tips to tailor your CV and present yourself as a specialist that employers can depend on.

1. Start with a tailored summary of your skills and achievements

Your CV summary should give a quick overview of your skills and experience, emphasising specific health and safety areas and the scale of your previous work.

Tailor your CV to match your experience level and the specific fields you’ve worked in. Here are a few examples:

Entry-level health and safety officer CV summary

NVQ-qualified Health and Safety Support Officer with a strong foundation in workplace safety practices. Strong foundation in using accident and incident reporting tools such as SHE Assure, as well as maintaining accurate records using Excel. Competent in carrying out basic workplace inspections and assisting with internal audits.

NHS health and safety officer CV summary

Dedicated Health and Safety Officer with a strong understanding of clinical and non-clinical risk environments, seeking to contribute to the NHS’s commitment to safe patient care and staff wellbeing. Proven ability to support compliance with NHS health and safety policies, conduct audits, and promote best practices in complex healthcare settings.

Technical health and safety officer CV summary

NEBOSH Diploma-qualified Health and Safety Officer with 3 years’ experience in technical environments, looking to leverage in-depth knowledge of HSE legislation, auditing, and hazard management in a role that values proactive risk mitigation. Adept at analysing technical procedures and implementing pragmatic, safety-focused solutions across multidisciplinary teams.

Senior health and safety officer CV summary

Experienced Senior Health and Safety Officer with 5 years at a leading UK food and drink manufacturer, seeking to bring proven leadership and continuous improvement expertise to a progressive organisation. Skilled in managing large-scale safety programmes, driving compliance with BRC and HSE standards, and cultivating a zero-harm safety culture across operations.

2. Use hard numbers to give context to your work experience

Including context and hard numbers in your health and safety officer work experience section allows employers to efficiently and accurately assess your potential value to their organisation.

The most compelling work experience entries in this field clearly illustrate the environments in which the applicant operated, including the scale of operations, the complexity of hazards, and the specific industry regulations that they had to navigate.

Here are some examples of metrics you can include to give your health and safety officer CV adequate context:

• Scale of operations (e.g., number of employees, size of facilities)
• Complexity of hazards (e.g., types of machinery, specific risks involved)
• Diversity of work environments (e.g., office, lab, construction site)
• Scope of responsibility (e.g., specific departments, projects, or geographic locations)

And here are some examples of how those metrics might look when presented effectively in your CV’s work experience section:

Developed and implemented site-specific safety protocols across three manufacturing plants, encompassing over 500 employees and 2 million square feet of operational space

Ensured full compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910 regulations and ISO 45001 standards, leading to successful annual audits with 0 non-conformities

3. List essential qualifications in a separate section

Qualifications, such as IOSH, NEBOSH, and NVQs in Occupational Health and Safety, quickly demonstrate to employers that you have the knowledge and training to carry out the job requirements efficiently and effectively. Therefore, it’s important to format these qualifications prominently in your education section.

Make sure you include the qualification title, name of the awarding body, and your completion year so employers can check that your training is up to date:

NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety
National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health | 20XX

IOSH Managing Safely
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health | 20XX

NVQ Level 5 Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Practice
City & Guilds | 20XX