FARM SAFETY MANAGER in Kent

Clock House Farm is looking for an experienced and practically minded Farm Safety Manager to help lead Health & Safety across our growing agricultural business. This isn't a desk-based safety role. We are looking for someone who wants to be out on the farm, working alongside Managers, Supervisors, machinery operators, seasonal employees and our Safety Champions to understand how work is actually being carried out and help us make it safer.

At Clock House Farm, Safety FIRST is more than a slogan. Our objective is to develop a culture where safety becomes instinctive, people are confident to challenge unsafe practices and everyone goes home safe at the end of every working day - the ambition set out by our Managing Director for 2026 and beyond.

The Role

As our Farm Safety Manager, you will take a leading role in the practical delivery and continuous improvement of Health & Safety across our farm estate. You will work across a diverse range of agricultural operations involving tractors and trailers, agricultural machinery, telehandlers and forklifts, harvesting operations, polytunnels and growing structures, workshops, workplace transport, contractors, farm infrastructure and development projects.

You will conduct farm safety inspections, develop risk assessments and safe systems of work, investigate accidents and near misses, identify emerging risks and work directly with operational teams to implement practical solutions. You will also help develop our network of CHF Safety Champions, strengthening employee engagement and ensuring safety remains visible at the workface.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for somebody with genuine operational credibility. You'll ideally have experience within agriculture, horticulture or another high-risk land-based environment and understand that effective farm safety requires more than policies and paperwork. You'll need a recognised Health & Safety qualification - ideally NEBOSH Certificate or equivalent - together with practical experience of risk assessment, incident investigation and operational safety management.

Most importantly, you will need the confidence to challenge when something isn't right, the communication skills to bring people with you and the practical mindset to find solutions that work. Safety at Clock House Farm is everyone's responsibility.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading farm safety inspections and operational safety walkarounds.
• Developing and reviewing practical Risk Assessments and Safe Systems of Work.
• Leading investigations into accidents, incidents and near misses, identifying root causes and ensuring corrective and preventative actions are implemented.
• Providing specialist oversight of agricultural machinery, tractors, trailers, mobile plant and workplace transport safety.
• Supporting safe machinery selection, guarding, operator competence, maintenance, isolation and safe use.
• Supporting the management of risks associated with PUWER, LOLER, COSHH, work at height, hazardous substances, electricity and workplace transport.
• Supporting safe arrangements for pesticides, agrochemicals and other substances associated with agricultural operations.
• Monitoring contractors and supporting appropriate CDM arrangements for construction and development activities where applicable.
• Identifying emerging and changing risks associated with seasonal operations, weather, ground conditions, machinery and working practices.
• Developing and supporting our network of CHF Safety Champions.
• Working with Managers and Training to improve safety knowledge, competence and operational standards.
• Monitoring safety performance, identifying trends and reporting significant or emerging risks to senior management.
• Supporting the development of new farms, buildings, machinery and processes so that safety is designed in from the outset.

You will have the professional confidence and authority to challenge unsafe practices and, where there is a serious or imminent risk of harm, require an activity to be stopped and made safe.

Agricultural Machinery & Workplace Transport

Agricultural machinery and workplace transport will be a key focus of this position. You should be comfortable working around and understanding the risks associated with tractors, trailers, telehandlers, forklifts, agricultural implements and other mobile plant. You will work with operational and training teams to improve standards relating to operator competence, pre-use checks, defect reporting, machinery guarding, trailer and implement connection, reversing and manoeuvring, loading and load security, vehicle/pedestrian segregation and safe working around moving machinery.

We are therefore particularly interested in candidates who have developed their Health & Safety career within a practical agricultural environment.

Essential

• Previous practical professional experience within agriculture, horticulture or commercial farming.
• Health & Safety management or advisory experience within an agricultural or similarly high-risk operational environment.
• NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety, or recognised equivalent.
• Practical knowledge of agricultural machinery and farming operations.
• Experience of risk assessment and developing Safe Systems of Work.
• Experience conducting operational Health & Safety inspections.
• Experience leading or supporting accident and incident investigations.
• A practical understanding of relevant requirements including PUWER, LOLER, COSHH, RIDDOR and workplace transport safety.
• The ability to communicate confidently with employees, Supervisors, Managers and senior leaders.
• The confidence to professionally challenge unsafe practices.
• Strong written, organisational and reporting skills.
• Full UK driving licence.

Desirable

• Higher-level NEBOSH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification.
• IOSH membership or progression towards appropriate professional membership.
• Agricultural machinery or plant qualifications.
• Accident investigation / Root Cause Analysis training.
• Training or instructional qualifications.
• Auditing qualifications.
• First Aid or Fire Safety qualifications.
• Experience of contractor management and CDM.
• Experience working with large seasonal or multilingual agricultural workforces.

The qualification threshold remains consistent with the benchmark H&S Manager specification, which identifies a NEBOSH Certificate as its minimum professional qualification.

The Person

Qualifications matter, but how you work with people will be equally important. We are looking for someone who is:

• Agriculturally credible - you understand farms, machinery and the pressures of agricultural production.
• Visible - you're comfortable putting your boots on and spending your working day out across the farms.
• Practical - you develop controls that work in the real world.
• Approachable - employees should feel comfortable raising concerns with you.
• Confident - you're prepared to challenge poor practice regardless of position.
• Investigative - you want to understand why something happened, not simply record that it happened.
• Proactive - you look for the accident that hasn't happened yet.
• Collaborative - you work with operational management to improve safety rather than becoming the 'Safety Police.'

And above all, you have the moral courage to act when something isn't right.

Our Safety Culture

At Clock House Farm, Safety FIRST is fundamental to how we operate. As our business grows, we recognise that new farms, machinery, technology, people and processes introduce new and evolving risks.