Job summary
We are recruiting for a Health & Safety Advisor who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
As a Health & Safety Advisor you will be appointed to provide expert advice, assistance, and support to all levels of the organisation as required under relevant statutory provisions.
The post holder will be required to exercise their unique professional judgement to influence decision making at all levels and ensure the Trust can meet compliance or mitigate residual risks
The Health and Safety Advisor will work closely with the Safety & Security Manager and key stakeholders at all levels of the organisation, to review performance and identify risk reduction priorities, contributing to the formulation of the Trusts health and safety plans.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values:Include,Respect, andImprove. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
Undertake and provide support to all areas of the Trust in the development and implementation of uniquely complex Health and Safety risk assessments and its process to identify hazards and advice on remedial actions to be taken and the implementation of control measures to effectively manage the identified risks.
Provide a visible, accessible presence in all service areas across the wider Trust and deploy communication, engagement and influencing skills to convey complex and potentially contentious information to a variety of stakeholders in both formal and informal settings.
Work on own initiative to make judgements and decisions and take any necessary action in relation to Health and Safety issues in line with associated legislation, direction, and Trust policy.
Liaise with specialist managers, including Risk Management, Fire Safety, Manual Handling, Security, Head of Capital Planning and Estates, Health@work, Legal Services, and Infection Prevention regarding their specialist areas and provide expert health and safety advice /information.
About us
At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
1. The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
2. New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
3. Hertford County, Hertford
4. Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
5. Breadth and depth of Health and Safety knowledge and experience.
6. Extensive experience of audit and review processes.
7. Experience of liaising, influencing, engaging, and advising senior management across a large and diverse organisation.
8. Practical experience of monitoring construction activities.
9. Experience of development, implementation and monitoring senior level action plans across an organisation.
10. Experience of undertaking organisation-wide audits / reviews and feeding back results via action plans and recommendations.
11. Experience of managing people / projects / strategic planning.
12. Experience of multi professional working arrangements.
13. Experience of managing the development, design and delivery of Health & Safety / Risk Management training and awareness programmes to audiences of a variable size and grades.
14. Experience of investigating incidents.
15. Strategic engagement / involvement at Executive Team / Board level.
Desirable
16. Setting/managing budgets and financial resources.
17. Experience of working within the NHS / Healthcare Sector or Public Sector and/or a good understanding of NHS processes and systems
18. Experience of working within security or risk management field
19. Experience of working with committees
Skills
Essential
20. Evidence of excellent written communication skills including ability to write reports and policy documents.
21. Management and leadership skills.
22. Computer literate (including knowledge of Microsoft Office applications).
23. Demonstrate an ability to manage and influence difficult situations where there is completing and / or conflicting views and requirements that may impact on health and safety issues / concerns.
24. Demonstrate ability to meet challenges and achieve significant improvement / change.
25. Ability to work within rigid and challenging deadlines. Team working skills.
26. Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and maintain effective relationships both within and outside of the organisation.
27. Prioritisation & planning skills
28. Ability to manage own time effectively.
Qualifications
Essential
29. Educated to degree level or equivalent as recognised by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
30. Chartered Member (or working toward) of IOSH
31. Post graduate qualification in related safety field.
32. Committed to Continued Professional Development
Desirable
33. Management qualification.
34. Member of Risk/Safety Institute.
35. Risk Management qualification.
36. Suitable teaching/training certificate.