Tarff Valley Ltd is Scotland’s oldest Agricultural Co-operative, established in 1903 and has more than 1300 members. Tarff is an Agricultural Merchant supplying the rural community in Southern Scotland, Northern England, Ayrshire and Islay. The business sells a wide range of agricultural products including animal feed, fertiliser, seeds, animal health products, hardware, clothing and footwear.
Tarff is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Health and Safety Officer to join the team.
Reporting to the Operations Manager the Health & Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring a safe working environment across all company sites, including retail stores, blend sheds, transport yards, and offices. The role supports legal compliance under H&S legislation, promotes best practice, develops safe systems of work, and drives continuous improvements in workplace safety. This position is a key function in a busy operations department . You will also provide a consultation service for Tarff Valley farming members regarding health and safety matters.
Key Roles, Tasks & Responsibilities
Health & Safety Compliance, Inspections & Legal Requirements
- Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation including HSWA, PUWER, LOLER, COSHH, RIDDOR, and Working at Height regulations.
- Ensure compliance with fire safety legislation, including the Fire (Scotland) Act and associated regulations.
- Maintain company health & safety policies, procedures, and risk assessments, updating them as processes or regulations change.
- Conduct regular site inspections to monitor safety conditions and identify improvements.
- Ensure contractors work safely on site, coordinating with the Facilities Manager on permits to work and contractor inductions.
- Inspect warehouses, stores, blend sheds, yards, loading areas, racking, work-at-height zones, and emergency routes.
- Ensure PPE standards are maintained and suitable for all tasks.
- Support improvements to site to reduce risk of injury and accident.
- Deliver training, toolbox talks, inductions, and awareness sessions on manual handling, vehicle safety, COSHH, PPE, first aid, emergency procedures, fire safety awareness, etc.
Risk Assessments, Safe Systems of Work & Permit Management
- Write, review, and update risk assessments, method statements, SSOWs, fire risk assessments and safe operational procedures.
- Ensure all assessments and procedures are communicated, understood, and adhered to.
- Support operational teams with hazard identification and risk reduction planning.
- Manage permit-to-work systems as required.
Incident Investigation, Reporting & Performance Tracking
- Lead investigations into accidents, near misses, property damage, and safety concerns.
- Maintain incident records, ensure RIDDOR reporting is completed, and track actions through to closure.
- Share lessons learned across sites to prevent recurrence.
- Track H&S KPIs such as incident rates, near-miss frequency, training completion, and audit scores.
- Identify safety trends, lead improvement initiatives, and support monthly or board-level reporting.
- Recommend investments or operational changes that improve safety performance.
- Promote a positive safety culture and engage teams in proactive safety behaviours.
Training, Behavioural Safety & Farm Health & Safety (Tarff Services
- Provide consultancy support through Tarff Services, including:
- Developing customer Health & Safety policies
- Assist in creation of risk assessments for farm businesses
- Assisting customers in implementing safe systems of work
- Supporting farmers to meet regulatory and assurance scheme requirements
Additional Duties
- Participate in site emergency planning, drills, and incident response.
- Maintain COSHH records, SDS sheets, and chemical inventories in collaboration with Quality & Compliance.
- Support mental health and wellbeing initiatives.
- Assist in developing long-term H&S strategy and improvement plans.
Skills & Knowledge
- Experience in a health & safety role
- Strong knowledge of health & safety legislation and best practice.
- Confident conducting risk assessments, investigations, and delivering training.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proactive, solutions-focused, and able to influence behaviour at all levels.
- Able to travel to multiple sites and respond to urgent safety issues.
- Proficient in MS Word, Excel and Outlook
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £33,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Life insurance
- Profit sharing
Experience:
- Health and Safety: 2 years (preferred)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving License (preferred)
Work Location: In person
