Joe, the term "safety officer" should be clarified.
Is this an individual such as a Home Inspector, where some are very knowledgeable and others are not, and maybe this person is the latter interpreting something wrong.
I know this may not be a qualified answer, but we know this is not a NEC requirement.
If this is an in house issue where he is employed, so be it, but I'm not aware of any codes that would require it.
