Job title: Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer
Salary: SO2 £37,280 - £39,152
Hours: 37
Contract: Permanent
Location: Merrion House as team base, along with other locations across the city and some flexibility around homeworking
As a Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer, you’ll thrive on creating a positive Health, Safety and Wellbeing culture in our teams across the Children and Families Directorate.
This is great opportunity for you to join a forward thinking and motivated team, working across a variety of Services to help improve compliance with all Health and Safety requirements, policies, standards and procedures, along with making a real difference to people’s well-being in the work-place.
It’s a chance to be part of embedding and supporting a positive well-being and safety culture, assisting, leading and supporting teams and managers to provide health, safety & wellbeing advice to ensure a safe workplace - making a real impact on people.
The successful candidate will be a highly flexible, well-motivated self-starter who possesses excellent communication skills and a commitment to ensuring the highest level of health and safety.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.
About you
As our next Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer, you will bring the following to the role:
-
A sound experience of working within a Health & safety Role.
- A confident, well organised approach, with a flexible ‘can-do’ attitude as a key team player.
- Excellent communication and organisation skills to encourage, educate and support colleagues make good HSW choices.
- Experience of workplace risk, compliance, legislation, data trend analysis and control measures to drive improvement and injury reduction.
- Good IT knowledge and able to use a range of M365 and in-house applications
- You will also need to have access to a vehicle for work and be qualified to NEBOSH General Certificate level or equivalent.
About the role
The Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer will be part of a networked team of professional Health & Safety Officers based in different Service Areas.
The roles will seek to support our work in Learning supporting schools in Leeds but will also receive additional support from our Corporate HSW Business Partner, and the network of HSW Officers across the Council to ensure professional support is provided and best practice shared.
This role will directly contribute to improved wellbeing and reduced work-related injuries and illness for our employees and colleagues.
What we offer you
We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:
-
a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
- membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
- flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
- a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
- a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further
How to apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidancefor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.
If you have any queries about the role please contact:
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job Purpose: Support the Senior Leadership Team to meet compliance with all statutory and legislative Health and Safety requirements and Approved Codes of Practice and compliance with the relevant underpinning Council Policies. To achieve high levels of efficiency, cost effectiveness and quality, ensuring maximum performance in accordance with the targets, standards and policies of the Council. To ensure overall value for money is achieved through the effective management of resources.
Responsibilities:
-
Assist and lead where appropriate in providing health, safety & wellbeing advice to operational managers and teams on a day-to-day basis across all sections of the service.
- Assist Service and Operational Managers in ensuring that all operatives undertake work in a safe and competent manner.
- Liaise with operational teams to ensure that all sites, works and offices are managed consistently and in the appropriate manner in relation to health, safety & wellbeing.
- Assist with incident investigations in a professional, competent and compassionate manner and provide accurate and independent reports and where applicable instigate corrective actions and track to the full resolution of the highlighted issues.
- Co-ordinate key information and documentation to advise managers on the measures required to ensure that work operations comply with relevant legislation and codes of practice, and thus informing compliance and assurance processes.
- Compile regular summaries, analysis and reports of all records and in accordance with operational requirement including performance information in an accurate and timely manner.
- Undertake internal monitoring of procedural compliance and undertake observation of work practices to provide assurance that systems are operating robustly.
- Carry out workplace inspections.
- Work with the local service training team to help develop health and safety compliant training by responding to changes in legislation and guidance and lessons learned from in-house accident trends.
- Comply with all internal health, safety and wellbeing Policies, Procedures, Practices and Legislation.
- Assist with training and developing staff across the Service on health and safety procedures.
- Work with the Corporate Health, Safety & Wellbeing Team on a range of identified issues and Corporate health, safety & wellbeing priorities.
- Maintain an up-to-date expert awareness and knowledge of health and safety practices and current legislation to provide sound advice applicable to your service.
- Develop effective working relationships with those you work with.
- To carry out appropriate administrative duties relative to your role
- Communicate and provide information by relevant methods internally and externally to assist and enable organisational operations and delivery of effective services.
- Lead on the development of Risk Assessments, Method Statements and Safe Systems of Work to ensure it meets legislative requirements.
- Ensure the procurement of goods and services is in accordance with financial regulations, corporate policy and legal requirements.
- Facilitate the wellbeing strategy for Leeds City Council.
- Be aware and promote the staff networks within Leeds City Council.
- Take a leadership role for wellbeing using the toolbox supplied within the service they are supporting.
- Escalate any wellbeing concerns to appropriate person within Leeds City Council.
- Take a lead role in any staff surveys to ensure best possible return rate.
- Provide specific advice to support the appropriate and effective management of health and safety, including the interpretation of health and safety performance standards, health and safety best practice, legislation and specific business needs.
- Effectively communicate and present information on a range of health, safety & wellbeing issues and project areas to a range of audiences.
- Liaise with union and non-union Safety Representatives and attend Safety Committees as required.
- Undertake a lead role on health and safety projects/cases, as directed by the Service Health and Safety Manager.
- Contribute and support council wide change initiatives and service projects, especially around the health, safety & wellbeing agenda.
- Develop excellent relationships with key stakeholders in support of overall and local health and safety objectives, in particular managers at all levels, Trade Unions, HR etc.
- Liaise and engage with external enforcement agencies as necessary e.g. HSE, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
- The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.
Qualifications Hold a NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent
Essential Requirements It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.
-
Able to work with managers at all levels in an advisory capacity.
- Able to formulate and implement practical guidance to implement safe working practices.
- Able to influence and negotiate with others when communicating on health and safety issues.
- Able to work to conflicting and strict deadlines.
- Excellent communication skills at all levels, using a variety of formats.
- Able to undertake health & safety briefings for all levels of staff on the implementation of Service procedures.
- Good IT knowledge and able to use a range of M365 and in-house applications.
- Organisational skills necessary to manage and organise own workload.
- Able to respond to changing priorities to meet deadlines.
- Able to produce work of a high standard with an attention to detail.
- Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate.
- A full driving license is required for this role.
- Sound understanding of H&S legislation and requirements in a similar/relevant) environment.
- Ensure legislative knowledge and practice is kept up to date in line with regulatory changes and appropriate training is undertaken where required.
- Knowledge of software integrated computing skills & experience
- Understanding of the Council values and a commitment to embed them into ways of working.
- Understanding of the role of Elected Members within the Council and the community.
- Experience of working in a health and safety environment and/or working in a similar area.
- Experience of producing risk assessments and method statements.
- Experience of working in partnership with other agencies. (DEFRA, HSE, Contractors, RoSPA)
- Experience of reporting to and working effectively with a range of colleagues and partners including Trades Union officials.
- Experience of problem solving, individually and in a group setting
- Experience of carrying out training or briefing sessions to staff/colleagues and partners.
Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics
- Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
- Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
- Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
- A clear understanding of the importance of diversity and a commitment to implementing and promoting them in all aspects of the work.
- Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
- Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
- Take care of your own Health and Safety and the safety of others whilst at work and ensure you do not cause harm to others or the environment through your acts or omissions.
- Courteous manner towards clients, customers and colleagues.
- Highly self-motivated and ability to use initiative, when necessary.
- Have a methodical approach to work.
- The flexibility to work outside normal office hours as required.
- Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
- Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
- Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
- The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
