Health and Safety Advisor

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• •    Provide Specialist and Professional Advice on Health and Safety Matters. Providing advice on a range of complex situations. Make judgements on facts and situations which require analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options to reduce and manage risks to health and safety. 
  •    Communicate sometimes complex and contentious information with staff at all levels in relation to health and safety. Ability to persuade and influence staff at all levels to reduce risks to health and safety using tact and diplomacy where there may be significant opposition and resistance. 
  •    Provide specialist advice, reports and professional recommendations to managers at all levels on matters of health and safety, to enable the Trust to meet its statutory duties and reduce risks to staff, patients and others. 
  •    Work with the Employee Health and Wellbeing Service and other specialist advisers to provide advice on healthy lifestyles, employee risk assessments and the reduction of work-related accidents and ill health. 
  •    Produce general and specialist risk assessments (e.g. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, Display Screen Equipment etc.) on own initiative and on request to enable the Trust to comply with statutory health and safety requirements.
  •    Conduct specialist risk assessments, where complex issues need to be considered and judgements involve complex and complicated situations requiring analysis and interpretation. 
  •    Provide guidance and training as necessary to those responsible for undertaking local risk assessments to reduce the risks to staff, patients and others. 
  •    Contribute to the Trust’s Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy and Procedures.
  •    Investigate incidents sometimes relating to highly sensitive and complex issues and produce recommendations on any remedial actions necessary to prevent recurrence.
  •    Investigation of incidents may result in occasional direct/indirect exposure to distressing and contentious situations. 
  •    Work with colleagues in the Trust’s Health and Safety Team to report incidents to the Health and Safety Executive as required by the RIDDOR regulations. 
  •    Investigate incidents relating to civil and criminal legal cases against the Trust and liaise with other professionals within and external to the Trust (e.g. Legal Services Department, NHS Litigation Authority, appointed Solicitors and representing Barristers etc.) to produce reports and give specialist advice based on professional judgement. Where necessary, representing the Trust in court. 
  •    To work collaboratively with the Trust’s designated Fire Safety Manager to maintain appropriate fire safety standards and to ensure Trust actions are managed.
  •    Work with colleagues in the Trust’s Health and Safety Team to identify training requirements related to health and safety. 
  •    Assist to devise, develop and deliver core health and safety training programmes and other specialist health and safety training. This will be guided by an annual learning needs assessment and may include delivery of face to face sessions to a group or individual, review and assurance of Electronic Learning Modules and liaison with external training providers. 
  •    Assist in designing, adapting and managing the Health and Safety pages of the Trust Intranet (the Hub). Ensuring the Health and Safety Intranet site is kept up-to-date and to facilitate its use by all staff as the primary system for the provision of health and safety information across the Group.
  •    Where necessary, work with the Estates and Facilities department to liaise with contractors on fire, health and safety issues to ensure that appropriate standards are deployed and maintained. This may include site meetings, inspections and agreeing risk assessments (method statements), policies and procedures. This may include occasional exposure to highly unpleasant working conditions (e.g. safe removal and disposal of contaminated materials or medical sharps). 
  •    To attend such meetings as is necessary so as to provide advice on health and safety issues. 
  •    Work towards achieving (and/or maintaining) Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner status by undertaking the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ‘Continuous Professional Development’ scheme. 
  •    Network with other Risk / Health and Safety Professionals within the NHS and associated organisations (including Private Finance Initiative partners) via attendance at appropriate meetings, seminars and other events. 
  •    Attend presentations, lectures and training events as necessary to remain up-to-date with current events, new and changing health and safety legislation

Please refer to the attached Job Description for full list of responsibilities