Health and Safety Officer in Huddersfield

CHS is able to offer a wide range of services. Our scale enables us to offer competitive rates and we have a long track record of providing high quality, customer-focused services. We offer comprehensive estates, facilities management, medical engineering, catering solutions and procurement services supporting the provision of safe, effective healthcare to our communities. We are committed to delivering our Green Plan goals of reducing carbon emissions, air pollution, waste generation and improving recycling throughout delivery of our services. We also enable profit to go back into patient care. CHS recognises that its staff are its greatest asset and that its business is its people. The company aims to create an environment and culture of openness, trust and honesty. We encourage and celebrate diversity because broader perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge will enrich and enhance the value we bring to each other, our clients, shareholders and other stakeholders.

The Health & Safety Officer will support the delivery of the Health & Safety service across Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions (CHS) and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT). This is a development role for someone wishing to establish and progress a professional career in health and safety. Working alongside the Group Health & Safety Manager and Health & Safety Adviser, the postholder will take responsibility for defined areas of H&S activity while progressively developing the knowledge, experience and professional competence required to progress towards a Health & Safety Adviser role.

Main duties of the job include:

• Undertaking a varied range of operational H&S duties including workplace inspections, audits, incident investigations, DSE assessments and compliance monitoring.
• Coordinating and monitoring actions arising from incidents, risk assessments and inspections.
• Maintaining H&S records and electronic monitoring systems.
• Supporting COSHH management arrangements.
• Preparing reports, dashboards and management information.
• Providing practical H&S advice to managers and staff within their level of competence and escalating more complex or specialist matters to senior members of the H&S team.

The postholder will hold operational responsibility for a number of defined H&S compliance workstreams, including the Trust-wide DSE programme, action tracking systems, electronic compliance monitoring and elements of COSHH quality assurance. They will independently manage a varied workload across multiple departments, engage directly with managers and staff to resolve compliance issues and progress corrective actions, and undertake lower and medium-complexity investigations within their competence. They will analyse information from incident and compliance systems, identify trends and areas requiring intervention, contribute to organisational assurance reporting and identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness and consistency of H&S systems and processes.

Main Responsibilities include:

• Managing allocated H&S workstreams and ensuring that associated assessments, records and actions are appropriately monitored and progressed.
• Exercising judgement in determining priorities and appropriate follow-up action.
• Challenging unsafe practice where identified.
• Escalating significant or complex concerns appropriately.
• Regular engagement with staff and managers across CHS and CHFT.
• Participating in training, mentoring and professional development.

Person specification includes:

• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Confident communicator able to speak with staff at all levels of the organisation.
• Comfortable taking the initiative to contact staff, visit work areas and open honest discussions.
• Displays the confidence and integrity to engage in difficult conversations.
• Ability to explain health and safety matters clearly and practically.
• Basic IT skills including Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.
• Ability to organise workload, prioritise competing demands and manage tasks effectively.
• Ability to analyse information and identify trends or areas requiring follow-up.
• Able to work independently within defined areas of responsibility.

Experience required includes:

• Maintaining electronic records, databases or monitoring systems.
• Communicating with managers or coordinating actions across teams.
• Experience in an administrative, customer service, compliance or office environment.
• Supporting compliance, governance, safety or quality systems.
• Working in healthcare, estates or facilities environments.

Qualifications required include:

• GCSEs or equivalent including English and Maths at Grade 4 (C) or above.
• HND, Foundation Degree or equivalent higher education qualification.
• Health and safety qualification such as IOSH Working Safely or NEBOSH National General Certificate.

Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions (CHS) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.