In many hospitals, the safety officer serves as chairperson of the safety committee.
However, it is also common to separate these functions, so the safety officer serves as a
member of the safety committee but not as its chairperson. In smaller organizations, the
safety officer may be given responsibility for not only the safety management plan but
also other environment management plans such as those for life safety management, management
of hazardous materials, and waste management. In a relatively small number of
hospitals, clinical engineers serve as safety officers. This represents an appropriate opportunity
for career development for hospital-based clinical engineers