One person is a bad idea ( unless it is a small company say under 75-100 people then it's normally handled by the Human Resources Department), something like this for larger companys is usually better in a commitee enviroment where different ideas and situations can be handled.
It also prevents a company getting into an issue like you are talking about.
Most companys here in the States have Enviromental,Health and Safety teams (1 employee & 1 manager from each branch) that meet every 3 to 4 months to not only review past safety issues but be able to prevent future accidents and long term health issues not related to on the job injuries.
They also discuss seperate issues at each branch and how it is being corrected.
They in turn report to the area Company Presidents, and in all the years I have been with the company I don't remember them ever turning down a safety recommendation or a request by any employee that felt their life,health or safety was in danger.
In our company anyone from the President down to the newest tech who was just hired can stop any operation or activity if they deem it unsafe.
Each of our branches have assigned Safety persons who are trained in emergency first aid, CPR and fire fighting, then all of the employees go through different safety training through out the year. When you have 1700+ employees in 12 States safety doesn't cost, safety pays.