Compliance Officers and Workplace Safety

09/26/22 By Dana Szymkowiak

Compliance is “the act or process of complying to a desire, demand, proposal, or regimen” or “coercion conformity in fulfilling official requirements.” But what does that mean for the workplace? OSHA regulations are implemented to help reduce the risk of injury and accidents on the job. Compliance is practicing those regulations to keep your workplace safe, not just in theory but in actions.

Purpose of a Compliance Officer:

Safety and compliance carry a lot of weight. Having a designated person to decipher, learn and guide your company can help keep your business running like a well-oiled machine. In doing so, problems such as fines, liability, legal complications, and ruined reputations can be avoided.

Compliance officers focus on five stages to steer their workplace to better, safer practices:

  • Identification: Of risks that the organization faces.
  • Prevention: By implementing controls or procedures to avoid those risks.
  • Monitoring & Detection: Of the effectiveness of those controls and risk exposure.
  • Resolution: Finding the best solution for avoiding risk or following a regulatory process.
  • Advisory: Discussing with the team and keeping everyone informed helps keep the workplace safe and compliant.

Safetec’s Compliance Officer: Curt Mancuso, Ph. D.

Curt joined the Safetec Family in 2021 as the Director of Quality & Regulatory Affairs with nearly 30 years of pharmaceutical and regulatory experience and an understanding of the importance of detailed documentation.

Curt helps to build quality into Safetec products and communicate with regulatory authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration. As the head of our Quality department, he oversees regulatory and quality activities to develop, deliver, and support Safetec products. Curt ensures that the Quality Management System is established, maintained, implemented, and periodically assessed for its performance in accordance with all applicable requirements.

We touched base with Curt to ask him a few questions about Compliance:

Why is compliance so important in our industry?

Safetec is special because our compliance helps other companies/jobs/people be compliant. When we follow procedures and regulations to ensure our products are developed, labeled, tested, produced, and delivered properly according to guidelines, we then guarantee a quality product to the end consumer, a product they can trust.

 

What are the qualities that a compliance officer needs to be successful?

A good compliance officer needs meticulous attention to detail; this will allow them to be highly analytical and thorough when reviewing and identifying processes and risks. In addition, they must be familiar with legal requirements and procedures pertaining to their workplace. In addition, they must have good communication skills, verbal and written, so they can better advise their fellow workers.

 

How do you stay motivated in your work?

Knowing that I am identifying and correcting the risks of noncompliance internally and externally helps me offer value and credibility to Safetec and our customers. I like knowing I am ensuring full compliance with the regulatory boundaries of our industry.