We are looking for an experienced Health and Safety Officer, who will be able to apply their health and safety expertise to controlling the wide range of hazards faced by RBFRS staff, which include frontline firefighting roles, office-based roles and staff working within our communities.
The Health and Safety Officer will be an integral member of the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team, reporting to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager they will provide competent health and safety advice, guidance and support to staff at all levels of the organisation and promote a positive health and safety culture.
The successful candidate is expected to work from service headquarters in Calcot, Reading weekly and to regularly visit fire stations across Berkshire. In line with our flexible working policy, this can be balanced with working from home, dependent on organisational and team requirements, to support a good work / life balance.
This is a great opportunity to work for a Public Service organisation which invests in the development and wellbeing of employees.
About you:
The successful candidate will bring sound knowledge of health and safety legislation and best practice guidance and have previous advisory experience within an organisation, which following an induction, can be applied to the fire sector.
This background will ensure you can provide competent support, advice and guidance, to all levels of the organisation from day one. Whilst we work closely with our colleagues who provide fire safety advice to the community and businesses, the focus of this role is on employee health safety and wellbeing, rather than fire safety.
We are seeking a highly motivated, proactive team player that can prioritise tasks, and manage their own workload. You will need the ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with staff at all levels of the organisation.
The key focus of this role (Key Responsibilities and Deliverables) is:
Assists in the development and maintenance of the RBFRS Health and Safety Management System to ensure that RBFRS conforms to current and prospective health and safety legislation.
Undertake and develop risk assessments when required and provide competent advice, guidance and support in the risk assessment process, to all members of the Service,
Support the review of accident investigations and following up on recommendations with other department managers to completion
To represent the department and give competent advice and solutions regarding organisational projects / activities.
Maintain and analyse data and produce monthly and ad hoc reports.
Write and review internal health and safety policies and documentation.
Undertake and contribute to H&S projects.
Take part in external Southeast Region peer review audits and internal audits
Key role requirements (knowledge, skills and experience):
NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety or equivalent
Technical Membership of IOSH (Tech IOSH)
At least one year’s previous health and safety advisory experience within an organisation (a requirement of Tech IOSH membership)
Excellent written communication skills, including reports and policy
Good interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate with people at all levels
Able to manage workloads to meet deadlines and be flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and needs
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .