An Aramco approved safety officer is a safety professional whose name, CV and certificates have been accepted by the Saudi Aramco proponent organization (SAPO) for a specific contractor job. The Saudi Aramco Construction Safety Manual does not describe a single “Aramco certified safety officer” course or exam that anyone can sit. Approval comes from a review of your experience, education, training and certificates, and the contractor submits it for you.
This guide summarizes what the manual requires for contractor site safety staff: minimum years of experience by role, English, the review, the training and the first aid certificates. It uses the Construction Safety Manual, 5th edition (October 2011), read on a third-party site on 1 Nov 2026. Later editions and individual contracts may differ, so confirm the current requirement with the contractor or the Aramco proponent.
Experience and English by role
| Role (job titles the manual accepts) | Minimum safety experience | English |
|---|---|---|
| Site safety manager (site safety superintendent, senior safety engineer, safety coordinator) | 10 years, specific to the contract’s scope of work | Fluent, spoken and written |
| Site safety supervisor | 7 years, specific to the contract’s scope of work | Fluent, spoken and written |
| Field safety officer (safety inspector, site safety engineer, safety advisor, safety representative or similar) | 5 years, specific to the contract’s scope of work | Fluent, spoken and written |
Safety officers with less than five years of experience, and clerical staff, fire watchers, confined space standby men and hazardous materials handlers, are not counted in the manual’s staffing numbers. The text does not say that a degree or a certificate replaces the years of experience.
How many safety staff a contractor needs
Table 4.1 of the manual sets full-time site safety staff by the maximum number of contractor and subcontractor employees on site at one time. Aramco can ask for more, for example for high-risk work.
| Employees on site | Safety manager | Minimum safety supervisors | Safety officers to employees present (minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 25 | No | No | None |
| 26 to 50 | No | One | None |
| 51 to 500 | No | One | 1:50 |
| 501 to 1,000 | Yes | 1 for every 10 safety officers | 1:50 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | Yes | 1 for every 10 safety officers | 20 officers plus more at 1:100 |
| 5,001 and over | Yes | 1 for every 10 safety officers | 60 officers plus more at 1:150 |
What the proponent reviews
- Submission before work. The names and qualifications (CV and training certificates) of the safety manager, supervisors and all field safety officers are submitted to the proponent for review and concurrence before work begins.
- What is checked. Years of relevant safety work experience, academic education and degrees, formal safety training and internationally recognized safety certifications such as OSHA, NEBOSH and NSC.
- Exam or interview. If the proponent asks, the safety staff must take and pass a written examination or an interview.
- Rejection or replacement. The proponent can reject proposed staff after the review, and can require the contractor to replace anyone whose work it finds unacceptable.
- Records on site. Safety staff qualifications must be available at the contractor’s site office when the proponent asks.
- No dual roles. A safety officer cannot also be, for example, the scaffold inspector.
- Presence. Safety staff must be on site at all times while contractor and subcontractor personnel are working, including nights, weekends, holidays and extended hours.
Training the manual expects
Section 8.6 requires contractor site supervision and safety staff to receive formal safety training, including a minimum 24-hour OSHA, NEBOSH, NSC or other proponent-approved equivalent program. It must include a review of typical site hazards and safe work practices. They must also be trained in:
- the job-specific Contractor Site Safety Program (CSSP) and hazard identification plan (HIP);
- the contract’s safety requirements and the specific hazards and safe work practices of the job;
- the relevant sections of the Saudi Aramco Safety Handbook and Construction Safety Manual;
- injury and incident reporting and investigation;
- emergency response procedures;
- first aid and basic life support, with valid certificates carried at all times.
The manual lists OSHA, NEBOSH and NSC as examples, so these are common routes. See the HSE study guide for how the NEBOSH and OSHA routes compare, and OSHA 30-hour certificate for the US option.
A practical route to approval
- Build experience in the type of work. The manual counts years specific to the contract’s scope, so oil, gas or construction experience matters for those contracts.
- Complete recognized safety training of at least 24 hours. OSHA, NEBOSH, NSC or an equivalent the proponent accepts.
- Get first aid and basic life support certificates and keep them valid.
- Prepare a clear CV and copies of certificates. These are what the contractor submits.
- Apply to a contractor, not to Aramco directly. Under the manual the contractor submits the names and qualifications to the proponent.
- Be ready for an exam or interview. See safety officer interview questions and the Aramco safety officer evaluation exam page.
- Learn the work permit system. Permit receivers and issuers hold separate Aramco certificates. See how to become a certified work permit receiver and how to fill an Aramco work permit.
What training providers and job ads add
Training pages and job advertisements often list more than the manual does. Treat these as what employers and providers commonly ask for, not as Aramco rules, and confirm each one with the contractor that will sponsor you.
| Item | Where it appears | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Related degree (a 4-year or 2-year degree) | A training provider’s Aramco safety officer page (Global Technical Institute, read 1 Nov 2026) | Not in the 2011 manual |
| At least five years of construction or industrial safety experience | The same provider page, which quotes the manual’s field safety officer figure | Matches the manual for field safety officers |
| NEBOSH or IOSH Working Safely certificate | The same provider page | Not named in the manual. The manual accepts OSHA, NEBOSH, NSC or an approved equivalent |
| Prerequisite courses: hazard recognition and control, lock out and tag out, confined space entry, and contractor work permit receiver | The same provider page, for the Aramco safety officer certification course | Not in the 2011 manual. The Aramco work permit receiver route is covered in becoming a certified work permit receiver |
| Valid BOSIET or FOET with HUET, and H2S certification | One offshore safety officer job advertisement on saudijobs.in, read 1 Nov 2026 | Job-specific. The Safety Handbook separately requires a valid HUET certificate to travel offshore over water by helicopter and an H2S certificate to enter a drilling and workover site |
The provider page also quotes a salary range with no source, so this page gives no pay figures.
What this page does not give
The manual does not list approved training institutes, course fees, salaries or a fixed time to approval, so this page does not either. Fees and pay depend on the employer and the contract. Check each job advertisement for its own requirements, which can add task training such as hydrogen sulfide awareness, confined space entry or first aid.
Common mistakes
- Applying with fewer than five years of relevant safety experience for a field safety officer role.
- Assuming a certificate alone gives approval. The proponent reviews experience, education, training and certificates together and may test you.
- Letting first aid or basic life support certificates lapse. The manual asks for valid certificates to be carried at all times.
- Submitting a CV that does not show experience in the contract’s type of work.
- Weak English. The manual requires fluent spoken and written English.
Frequently asked questions
1. Is there an Aramco safety officer certificate I can take?
Not in the manual. It describes review and concurrence of your qualifications by the proponent organization. Aramco does certify other roles, such as work permit receivers and riggers.
2. Can I become an Aramco approved safety officer without experience?
The manual sets minimum years of safety experience for each role: five for a field safety officer, seven for a supervisor and ten for a manager. Without that experience you can work towards it in other roles or on non-Aramco jobs.
3. Which safety certificates does Aramco accept?
The manual names OSHA, NEBOSH and NSC as examples of internationally recognized safety certifications and asks for a minimum 24-hour program from one of them or an equivalent the proponent approves.
4. Is an exam required?
Possibly. If the proponent asks, safety staff must pass a written examination or an interview.
5. Who submits my application?
The contractor submits the names and qualifications of its safety staff to the proponent before work begins.
6. Do I need prerequisite courses first?
The 2011 manual does not list any. Some training providers say Aramco’s safety officer certification course requires hazard recognition and control, lock out and tag out, confined space entry and contractor work permit receiver courses first. Ask the contractor that will sponsor you which ones it needs.
Related guides
- Safety officer vs HSE officer
- Construction safety officer duties
- Safety officer interview questions
- OSHA 10 certification online
- Saudi Aramco safety officer evaluation exam
- Back to HSE Documents home
Sources
- Saudi Aramco, Construction Safety Manual, 5th edition (October 2011), Volume 1 Contractor Safety Administrative Requirements, sections 4.5 (Contractor Site Safety Staff, including Table 4.1) and 8.6 (Safety Training for Site Supervision and Safety Staff), as published on a third-party site, read 1 Nov 2026.
- Saudi Aramco, Safety Handbook: Minimum Safety Rules, 2nd edition (2017), Aviation Safety (HUET) and Drilling and Well Servicing (H2S certificate), as published on a third-party site, read 1 Nov 2026.
- Global Technical Institute, Saudi Aramco (Safety Officer) page, and a saudijobs.in offshore safety officer job advertisement, both read 1 Nov 2026 and used only as examples of what providers and employers ask for.