Health And Safety Officer in Brighton

• Reports to job title: Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team Manager
• Division: Health & Safety Wellbeing and Building Services
• Section: Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• Contract Duration – 17th August 2026 – 18th October 2026
• Job purpose

To support council service/departments in developing and implementing frameworks that promote a positive safety culture and ensure compliance with legislation and best practice.

The role holder will provide professional advice and assurance on health, safety, and wellbeing matters, actively contribute to risk management and improvement initiatives, and work collaboratively with operational managers to maintain effective systems, procedures and processes that safeguard employees, visitors, and contractors

• Principal accountabilities
• Provide advice on current best practice in health, safety and wellbeing management and developments in health and safety legislation, in line with the council’s obligations, and ensure that the service’s responsibilities are effectively and robustly carried out.
• Influence and support the achievement of a positive health, safety and wellbeing culture aligned to regulatory requirements and any specific sector-wide requirements, such as staff training, equipment and vehicle/HGV use, site safety, and the maintenance of statutory records.
• Help produce a variety of risk assessments and method statements, through liaising with operational staff at all levels to understand the hazards faced and ensure the identification of suitable and sufficient control measures.
• Prepare Health & Safety briefings, newsletters, and staff communications to keep staff informed and updated relating to health & safety and wellbeing and contribute to the service’s responses to enquiries about health & safety and wellbeing from the public, work colleagues, managers and Councillors.
• Undertake investigations into specific incidents, complaints, reported hazards or dangerous occurrences; recommend and implement innovative and preventative measures to improve safety performance and maximise safety in the workplace.
• Review, develop and implement documented health and safety standards/policies to ensure consistency of approach and help track safety improvements throughout departments and services.

Monitor the application of these standards through a variety of measures including site inspections, work activity observations, compliance reports, and audits.

• Interpret legislation and provide advice on the impact on existing practice and ensure provision complies with statutory requirements.

Working with services to understand and consolidate, technical, sensitive or contentious information, to prepare/ present information to various groups.

Being mindful of professional knowledge and experience and understanding when to raise important or controversial matters to senior colleagues.

• Coordinate and support Managers and Team Leaders in the delivery of proactive and reactive health and safety improvement programmes, ensuring the quality and delivery within specified timescales, as relevant to audit and inspection action plans, mandatory training programmes, department policies and performance targets.

Looking for opportunities to enhance/change processes or systems to deliver these more effectively

• Responsible for direct delivery of health & safety training at the operational team level and setting up systems for ensuring all job relating training takes place and is recorded appropriately by team managers.
• Support the delivery of regulatory compliance activities across the service as relevant to the work area, such as health, safety and wellbeing legislation, operating licences, chemical use registrations, and waste stream management certification.

Ensure the quality and consistency of related health and safety performance through effective evaluation of activities and use this information to recommend options for change.

• Undertake routine monitoring and auditing of health and safety performance to improve safety performance and maximise safety in the workplace.

Identifying issues and trends that need to be addressed by relevant managers or safety boards, including incident and accident records, equipment-use or vehicle driving infringements, adherence to risk assessment controls, or workplace maintenance.

Health and safety accountabilities

All staff are responsible for their own health, safety and wellbeing, and the health, safety and wellbeing of others who may be affected by their acts and omissions.

All staff must ensure that they conduct their duties in a safe manner and in accordance with the Council’s Corporate Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy and arrangements; any Directorate/Service/School policies or arrangements as appropriate; any specific arrangements and guidance relating to activities; and any relevant safety legislation and guidance.

The attention of all staff of the Council is drawn to their legal responsibility, under section 8 of the Health and Safety at Work etc.

Act, not to interfere with or misuse anything, any objects, structures, or systems of work, provided by the Council in the interests of health and safety.

Failure to comply with the Council’s health, safety and wellbeing policy and management arrangements may lead to disciplinary action.

Such offences may be regarded as gross misconduct, which may result in dismissal.

Diversity and inclusion accountabilities

Understand the council’s diversity and inclusion aims and strategies.

Take an active role in ensuring that equality, diversity, and inclusive outcomes are embedded in your work activities, communications and interactions with staff and customers.

Challenge or report incidents where inclusion and equality in practice has not been followed, including reporting discrimination, harassment and bullying to your manager or other senior colleague in your service.

The list of duties in the job description are not exclusive or exhaustive.

There will be other duties and requirements associated with your job and, in addition, as a term of your employment you may be required to undertake various other duties.

The council reserves the right to update your job description, from time to time, to reflect changes in, or to, your job.

Proposed changes would be subject to consultation.

Person specification

• Job-related education, qualifications, and knowledge
• Qualified Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional, (Nebosh general certificate or NVQ level 3 education (or equivalents)
• Tech IOSH/Professional Membership of a relevant Health, Safety and Wellbeing body, or working towards.
• Able to evidence the maintenance and development of skills, knowledge and experience, to ensure skills remain current (equivalent to 30 hours CPD each year) or able to demonstrate a growing foundation of health, safety, and wellbeing qualifications in preparation for Nebosh certificate completion.
• Understanding of HSG65 or equivalent Health, Safety and Wellbeing management approach, and its application.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a health and safety practitioner in a front-line operational setting preferably within the sector matching the job work location.
• Demonstrable experience of designing, developing and delivering bespoke training
• Proven track record working with health, safety and wellbeing topics and delivery to agreed service standards.
• Experience in identifying, and interpreting Health, Safety and Wellbeing legislation and guidance, and consolidating information into policies, procedures, or staff guidance

Skills and abilities

• Motivated, enthusiastic, tenacious and results orientated, shows an ability to work under pressure on a wide variety of significant projects to meet tight timescales, often with limited supervision and changing priorities.
• Able to carry out effective investigations of safety incidents and near misses in the service and liaise with other staff as appropriate to gather evidence and identify improvements needed.
• Ability to challenge activities, identify problems, and influence decision-making at various levels of the service.
• Good verbal and written communication skills and ability to champion workplace initiatives, contribute to team meetings, work with cross-departmental teams, and write reports, communicating ideas, persuading and motivating those involved.
• Strong networking and negotiation skills, with the ability to build effective links and partnerships with people across the widest possible range of backgrounds, to help find innovative solutions, using negotiation and influencing skills to resolve detailed problems while adapting to new ideas
• Confident with using computer software programmes, understanding performance data, and producing written reports
• Health and safety knowledge
• Commitment to acquiring awareness and knowledge of Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policies and practice as it applies in their area of work.
• Ability to co-operate and adhere to Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policies, practices, and instructions.
• Diversity and inclusion
• Demonstrate a genuine commitment to the council’s values in relation to embracing diversity and provide a service based on fairness and inclusion.
• Other requirements
• Required to work outside occasionally in adverse weather conditions and visit sites around the city which can be steep and without vehicular access.
• Ability to travel to all council locations across the city including those with little to no public transport
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