title: [Tasks, roles and expectations of safety practitioners at free-standing occupational health and safety services in Spain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the professional activities commonly performed by occupational health and safety professionals and their level of satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a survey in a sample of 236 health and safety practitioners employed in free-standing occupational health services located in the Balearic Islands, Andalusia and Madrid between November 2009 and May 2010. The survey instrument was based on the questionnaire proposed by the International Social Security Association and the European Network of Safety & Health Practitioner Organisations (ISSA-ENSHPO).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tasks most frequently performed by health and safety professionals in our sample (described as being performed at least monthly by 80% or more of respondents) are risk assessment, proposing preventive measures, providing information and training. Certain tasks, such as establishing staff selection criteria or performing cost-benefit analyses, are generally considered (by more than 50% of respondents) to be outside the scope of work for health and safety practitioners. Respondents would like to devote more time to their tasks, especially those related to their own continuing education and communication within the company.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health and safety professionals in our sample mostly perform tasks related to technical assessments of the workplace, worker training and information dissemination. There is a desire for greater involvement in professional knowledge management and human relations in the company.
authors.affiliation: CISAL-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, 08003, Spain. pere.boix@upf.edu.
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boix Ferrando
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gil Alcamí
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Velarde Collado
authors.forename: María Inés
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Ximena
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Daniou Vargas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D024382:Professional Role; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult