Throughout all of the United Kingdom and Europe, companies are seeking to fill the roles of health and safe managers. With so many chemicals and other things in the air today, it's important for a company to practice social responsibility and do its part in assuring the safety and well-being of its workers as well as those who visit its premises.

For the health and safety manager, assuring the safety of everyone who enters the company's property is an ongoing job. It is the manager's responsibility to implement and enforce health and safety regulations that are in line with the conditions in existence at his place of business. For example, a plant manufacturing hazardous materials may require all workers to wear face masks, goggles, protective clothing, and a certain type of shoe or boot. An office environment at another company may require nothing more than assurance that desk drawers and file cabinets are closed, any spills are cleaned up and appropriate signs posted, and fire exits are clearly marked.

Another role of the health and safety manager may be that of scheduling routine fire drills and assuring that each department has a designated person to act as a monitor, assuring that all personnel in their charge have exited the building and are in their designated meeting spots. He may also walk the floor on a routine basis to look for violations and make sure they are corrected. In many cases, your health and safety manager is the first line of defence in the effect of an illness that results because of hazardous fumes released to the work areas.

The health and safety manager will have a degree in his field from a college or university and likely have several years of experience in the field of health and safety before assuming the role of a manager. The education is an ongoing process and must be kept up to date because of new products that enter the market, especially for the international company. It is his responsibility to assure that all fire extinguishers are in working order and that everyone knows where to find them and how to use them. In many companies, the health and safety manager orients new hires into the company's health and safety policy and provides the instructions on certain behaviours and where to find the fire exits in case of a fire alarm or other emergency.