HM Specialist Inspector - Electrical, Control & Cyber Security in Aberdeen

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.

Our role goes beyond worker protection to include public assurance. We work to ensure people feel safe where they live, where they work and, in their environment. Great Britain’s health and safety record is the envy of much of the world. Central to this is our work to protect people by managing risk in a proportionate and effective way, supporting innovation and increasing productivity.

HSE leads the way but doesn’t act alone. Working in partnership is one of our strengths. It’s at the heart of how we protect workers and the public. We are firm and fair when using our legal powers. Inspection helps us check that serious risks are managed sensibly. When things go wrong, investigation helps us get to the truth and learn lessons. We hold employers to account for their failures and get answers for victims and make workplaces safer. The benefits that our work brings to business, workers and the UK economy are clear. Improved health and safety risk management protects workers and translates into reduced sickness absence, lower healthcare and welfare costs, and better productivity.

Chemicals, Explosives and Microbiological Hazards Division (CEMHD) is responsible for the GB-wide regulation of onshore high hazard premises and installations as well as the chemicals manufacturing sector as a whole. This involves delivering regulatory interventions in workplaces, engaging with key industry stakeholders and providing assurance that major accident risks are being properly managed.

Your main responsibility is to address major accident hazards in relation to Electrical, Control and Cyber Security at onshore major hazard installations, which includes oil refineries, oil and gas storage, chemicals production, and some nuclear sites.

Key Responsibilities:

• Inspect a variety of major hazard installations, either on your own or as part of an expert team, to make sure risks associated with industrial control systems are suitably managed and that operators comply with the law.
• Carry out technical assessment of Safety Reports provided by major hazard sites (both new and existing).
• Investigate safety related accidents and incidents involving industrial control systems in the major hazards industries.
• The production of technical inspection reports that identify risk gaps and failure(s) to comply with the law.
• Taking suitable enforcement action to address significant risk gaps on operator’s sites e.g., prohibiting processes or activities.
• Forensic analysis of the electrical or control systems elements of accidents in major hazards industries in order to identify root causes and where necessary, leading the technical aspects of the investigation, calling in other expert support and supporting legal enforcement action to prevent a recurrence.
• Provide expert opinion on the management of industrial control systems and, when required, work as a specialist investigator or expert witness at tribunals, inquests and legal proceedings.
• Assessment of Safety Reports submitted by organisations to ensure effective management of risk and identify priority areas for inspection.
• Advise colleagues on technical matters out with their area of expertise e.g., standards for electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres, and how the conditions compare with minimum legal requirements and relevant good practice.
• Liaise with other Government departments, the public, industry, professional bodies and trade associations in order to secure intelligence, share information and contribute towards policy, research and guidance on functional safety, electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres and cyber security for Industrial Automation and Control Systems (IACS).
• Using your expertise and experience to drive improvements in technical and operational standards nationally and to promote better health and safety at UK forums, and at relevant conferences.

Training requirements:

Whilst working for the HSE and in order to fully understand the legal and enforcement requirements of this role, you will be expected to develop your expertise by completing role specific training. For Cyber Security specifically, HSE will provide a full development package to equip the successful candidate to assess this topic in line with HSE Operational Guidance (OG86) and other relevant standards e.g. IEC 62443.

Given that HSE regulates sites across the whole of the United Kingdom you will be expected to spend short periods working away from home which will include overnight stays.

Inspectors are required to work as part of a national team, with travel around UK to land-based high hazard sites, typically spending a day or two at duty holder sites both in an office environment and also out on the process plant. This is typically followed by a period analysing the inspection findings and producing a technical report.

Essential Skills and criteria:

• Previous experience in a Technical Engineering role.
• Experience in communication and influence across different levels, including senior management within an organization, effectively translating technical details for the intended audience.
• Experience of producing detailed and clear technical reports, and present complex technical information, including those for a non-technical audience.
• Ability to think strategically, identify underlying issues, and persuade and influence individuals at all levels.
• Have a breadth and depth of experience of working in Major Hazards / High Consequence / COMAH environment.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.

There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.

Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Licences:

A full driving license that permits driving within the UK. However, we are willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants with disabilities that would allow them to do the job by other means.

Qualifications:

A relevant degree in Electrical, Electronic or Control Engineering.

Memberships:

Chartered by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) or hold the necessary qualifications, skills and experience to become chartered by the IET (or chartered Professional Body). If you hold the necessary qualifications, skills and experience to become chartered whilst in post, please answer YES to this question within your application form.

Behaviours:

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills:

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• A proven track record in the selection, design, commissioning, operation and maintenance of process control and safety instrumented systems (SIS) in a relevant industry e.g., petrochemical (or similar onshore major hazard installation).
• Practical experience of the selection, design, installation, commissioning, inspection and maintenance of electrical equipment in explosive atmospheres (Ex).
• An in-depth knowledge and application of Relevant Good Practice (RGP) in the process industry sector or equivalent e.g., BS EN 61511, BS EN 60079 etc.

Benefits:

Alongside your salary of £73,335, Health and Safety Executive contributes £21,245 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role, an environment with flexible working options, and a culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

We invest in our people with competitive rates of pay, access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97%, family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career, carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture, 185 hours annual holiday increasing to 222 hours after 5 years' qualifying service, plus public holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave (recorded as 7.4 hours) in addition to your annual leave balance, parental leave benefits, and access to a wide range of fantastic benefits such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards, and Vouchers via our partner EdenRed.