Role Expansion: Implications of the Security Role Expanding into the EHS Function

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of safety professionals regarding the expansion of their role into security functions. One hundred eleven returned surveys from practicing safety professionals in the manufacturing, oil and gas, and construction industries were examined. Fifty seven percent of respondents agree with role expansion into security and twenty three percent of participants do not. Thematic patterns emerged from their comments and are provided. The remaining twenty percent of respondents fell into a category of “it depends” and the provided reasons suggest other variables that could have influence. A Chi square test for independence indicated that role expansion is independent of industry type; suggesting there is agreement for role expansion into security functions regardless of industry type. Another primary finding is that although the majority of safety professionals agree with role expansion, security coursework is currently not required in a review of accredited occupational safety and health program curricula. This suggests recent graduates may not be formerly prepared for the security elements of their role and should seek or be offered additional training.