Health and Safety Officer (Temporary)

Our client, a university recognised for its academic excellence and global impact, has asked us to recruit a Health and Safety officer to work on a number of sites, leading the Department in providing a safe environment for all staff, students, visitors and contractors in their daily activities.

Duties and responsibilities:

• To work on behalf of the Head of Department (H.O.D) in ensuring that both Departmental and Health and Safety Policies and Procedures are implemented and adhered-to within the Department.
• Liaise with the Safety Services Team to ensure appropriate central/departmental objectives and issues are adhered-to and addressed adequately.
• Provide support across the Department towards achieving a robust and systematic means of ensuring the management of health and safety of its activities.
• Maintain on behalf of the H.O.D. records of the Responsible Person’s Register ensuring with Senior Management that there are enough volunteers for the various health and safety roles.
• Provide a first point of contact regarding health and safety issues within the Department.
• To use and understand the IT system RiskNET in order to document activity within the Department and ensure that all incidents are reported via RiskNET.
• Report to the H.O.D. any non-compliance or breaches of safe activity within the Department.
• To promote the use of RiskNET for reporting accidents, Incidents and near misses.
• To investigate accidents/incidents and near misses so that they are fully reported, recorded and closed off on the RiskNET system.
• To work with colleagues and students to ensure that operations procedures are written and followed for each activity undertaken within the department including teaching and research.
• Keep updated the local safety arrangements within the department.
• To promote these to the staff and students at presentations and meetings across the cohort.
• Maintain safety on the Departmental website and Safety pages.
• Work with staff of all levels and students in advising and drafting of Risk Assessments.
• Ensuring that good quality risk assessment is the normal practice.
• Advising on necessary safety planning to enable work to proceed.
• To put in place corrective actions to minimise risk of a reoccurrence from incidents.
• To report and follow up on maintenance issues to ensure issue is closed off.
• Conduct workshop, laboratory and office inspections and ensure necessary improvements brought about by the inspections are completed within an acceptable period.
• To work with Safety Services to implement the T100 safety system of management and various safety objectives.
• To liaise with Building and Laboratory managers associated with the Department across the various sites.
• To ensure that safety equipment requiring testing such as local exhaust ventilation, lifting gear, filters on extraction and detector alarms are scheduled for maintenance within the specified times governed by legislation.
• To provide safety advice on procedures and equipment for academic, technical, research staff and students.
• To promote and contribute to the Faculty Resilience plan.
• To be part of the Departmental Safety, Security and Laboratories Committee providing an up to date report on safety issues and setting goals for future improvements.
• To attend other committees as appropriate.
• To keep up to date on standards, UK legislation changes and changes in law.
• Able to be contacted out of hours in case of Emergency.
• As general duties and responsibilities change, the job description will be reviewed and amended in consultation with the post holder.
• The post holder will carry out any other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job as requested by the line manager or Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering.
• The post holder will actively follow the University’s policies including Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies.
• The post holder will maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations.
• The post holder will update policies within the Department to reflect the changes to Fire and Health and Safety Regulations.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge

Essential:

• Educated with a degree or have proven experience in Mechanical Engineering.
• Have proven knowledge in the operation of Health and Safety Management.
• Extensive knowledge in one or more of the following: fuels, gases, chemicals and laser use.
• The minimum academic requirement for the role is Graduate membership of IOSH (Grad IOSH) and be working towards Charted Member status (CMIOSH) or other relevant professional body (e.g. IOSH, ISTR) or evidence of working towards achievement.
• Experience of being a Health and Safety Officer at this level in a similar enviorment.
• Experience of developing policies and procedures and experience of working with and influencing senior management.
• Experience of conducting risk assessments, health and safety inspections and audits on a wide range of activities.
• Experience of giving health and safety presentations to all levels of staff (and students) on various health and safety topics.

Desirable:

• Experience in one or more of the following areas: working in research laboratories, workshops or engine testing facilities.
• Qualification in health and safety training (as a Trainer) such as IOSH or NEBOSH etc.

Skills & Abilities

• Must be computer literate with skills well developed in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Email and Outlook.
• Have good problem solving skills.
• Have good interpersonal skills to assist and implement safe practice whilst understanding the pressures of the group.
• Have the personal authority to close laboratories or workplaces, if they are deemed unsafe.
• Instruct and assist staff in good safety practices, using risk assessments
• To be able to deliver health and safety and fire procedures and show leadership in case of emergency.
• To understand the Department’s various sites and the specific requirements in each building.