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Work Health and Safety Officer resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what work health and safety officers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most work health and safety officers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Work Health and Safety Officer with experience identifying workplace hazards, running risk assessments, and keeping organisations compliant with WHS legislation. Comfortable investigating incidents, writing safe work method statements, and delivering training that changes how crews actually work, not just ticks a box. Known for clear documentation and steady follow-through on corrective actions.
Key skills
- Risk and internal controls
- Regulatory compliance
- Data analysis
- HIRA templates and risk matrices
- Incident management software
- WHS compliance registers
- Workplace inspection checklists
- Microsoft Excel
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
Experience: example bullet points
- Conducted workplace hazard assessments across multiple sites, identifying control measures that reduced repeat incidents in high-risk areas
- Investigated workplace incidents and near-miss reports, producing findings and corrective action plans within agreed timeframes
- Developed and reviewed WHS policies and safe work method statements to align with current state and national legislation
- Delivered safety inductions and toolbox training sessions to staff and contractors, lifting attendance and completion rates
- Audited compliance against WHS legislation and maintained registers, reporting metrics to management on a regular schedule
- Liaised with site supervisors and management to close out audit findings and reduce outstanding corrective actions
Education
Certificate IV or Diploma in Work Health and Safety (nationally recognised training, e.g. BSB41419 or BSB51319) is the common entry pathway, with many officers holding or working toward a bachelor's degree in occupational health and safety, or a related discipline, for senior and specialist positions.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- WHS Act
- Safe Work Australia
- SWMS
- HIRA
- hazard identification
- incident investigation
- ICAM methodology
- WHS compliance audit
- WorkSafe notification
- return to work coordination
- workers compensation
- ISO 45001
- risk register
- toolbox talk
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.