Safety officer - not a replacement for plant jobs

Some plant managers are of the opinion that conveying their safety issues to safety officer ends their responsibility. They expect safety officer to attend safety issues and hold him / her responsible for not working on it.

It is like blaming the police for theft in their house, or fire department for fire in their house. Question arises at first place, why the theft/fire occurred. What are the lapses/deviations in the house. Instead of setting own house in order, if other agencies are blamed for their problems, they will remain unsolved.

Conveying safety issues to safety officer is also not a solution. Safety officer can only offer advice, but can not work on behalf of the plant, as he is not the owner of the plant and he does not have the authority or influence. As long as this realization does not dawn upon plant officials, safety issues continue to pileup.