Specialist Health and Safety Advisor Dartford, England
Job description
To provide expert support, training and advice to the Trust and Trust staff on all aspects of Health and Safety and Fire Legislation ensuring that the Trust is able to demonstrate full compliance with this legislation and to prevent incidents and protect Trust employees.
This post is predominantly to cover all health and safety services we offer in our prison settings. These prisons are located in Kent, London, Bristol, Devon and Dorset. There will be a need for extensive travel between these prison sites, and occasional need for overnight stays in hotel accommodation. Therefore the post holder must have a valid UK driving license and access to a legally compliant vehicle.
We are looking for an a Health and Safety professional who has an extensive knowledge and experience in Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; The Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999; good quality Health and Safety Management systems and their practical implications and application in varied healthcare environments.
Oxleas has a well established Health and Safety Team, which is led by our Head of Safety and Compliance and Health and Safety Manager. The team consists of a group of Specialist Health and Safety Advisers, a Fire Safety Advisor and covers all aspects of health and safety, emergency planning and Fire Safety.
Ensure good standards of health and safety are implemented and maintained across a large and complex Trust. Ensuring legislative compliance, and the continuing development and provision of a safe environment for staff, patients and the public.
To provide expert support, training and advice to the Trust and Trust staff on all aspects of health and safety and associated legislation, ensuring that the Trust is able to demonstrate full compliance with this legislation and to prevent incidents and protect Trust employees.
To keep accurate up-to-date records on various aspects of H&S. Proficiently undertake the compliant program of annual health and safety auditing for healthcare premises and Trust teams and communicate the findings to the appropriate managers.
To promote a positive health and safety culture and ensure all works are undertaken with the highest regard to the safety of patients, staff, visitors and contractors.
Actively participate in the design, schedule and delivery of Trust wide health and safety promotional and training programmes to meet the needs of all the individuals in the Trust, including night staff and bank workers.
To work as part of a well-established team of health and safety professionals, working with each team member who are committed and working towards shared goals, in line with our health and safety strategy.
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We’re Kind
- We’re Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
To provide competent advice to all Oxleas staff on the requirements of current Health and Safety legislation, initiatives and guidelines.
To be the competent person for the Trust when required.
To lead the Trust in ligature compliance, providing specialist advice to the Trust on risk assessments and controls.
To promote a positive Health and Safety culture and ensure all works are undertaken with the highest regard to the safety of patients, staff, visitors and contractors.
To assist the Health and Safety Manager to review Health and Safety Policies and Procedures (e.g. security, fire safety, food safety, major incident etc.) Where there is joint or multi-occupancy of buildings, to ensure that satisfactory and documented agreed procedures are in place.
Implement robust processes to ensure best practice Health and Safety procedures.
To ensure that managers and safety leads conduct and document risk assessments and local procedures in all areas following appropriate training, advice and guidance.
Support Lead Safety Officers and ensure completion of annual checklists and identification, assessment and mitigation of hazards.
To be responsible for ensuring health and safety compliance for allocated sites.
Initiate and co-ordinate the investigation and follow-up of level 4 incidents and ensure RIDDOR reportable incidents have been reported as appropriate. To assist Oxleas managers to implement Health and Safety and Fire policies and procedures/protocols and ensure that all staff understand their responsibilities.
To develop systems and provide advice to improve the personal safety of NHS staff whilst at work on site, including lone workers, contractors and agency staff.
To make sure that security incidents are recorded, reported to the appropriate bodies and analysed to ensure that the appropriate preventative measures can be put in place.
Ensure adequate numbers of fire wardens and first aiders.
Ensure Oxleas staff are aware of and understand Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) plans and procedures, lockdown procedures and plans, and local business continuity processes to ensure effective implementation in the event of an emergency. Ensure these plans are developed and implemented across the Trust. Act decisively in any emergency situations.
Prepare reports monitoring compliance as required.
To implement relevant aspects of the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy and Policy.
Undertake specific and detailed risk assessments on behalf of the Trust that culminates in robust risk reduction and mitigation and monitoring to ensure effectiveness via compliance and risk registers.
Ensure compliance with estate related CQC standards.
To plan, prepare and lead formal health and safety audits.
Review and refine site fire evacuation plans and related ‘Fire Team’ procedures and practices in liaison with Oxleas Fire Safety Advisor.To ensure that fire policies and agreed documented procedures/protocols are in place in all site buildings.
To plan a comprehensive annual Health and Safety Inspection programme of all site buildings, providing reports and action plans. To ensure that comprehensive, up to date records are maintained. To coordinate detailed responses from managers and tenants and ensure that follow-up mechanism are incorporated into this system.
Monitor incidents, including near misses on site, identify trends and lessons learnt, arrange training needs or remedial works as appropriate to prevent recurrence where within Oxleas control and improve the Trust ‘s safety performance.
To maintain an up to date professional knowledge in respect of Health and Safety and risk assessment legislation, best practise, recommendations and national guidance.
To support health and safety, fire safety and emergency preparedness and resilience across other Trust sites if required.
To analyse incident trends from Datix, investigate incidents as appropriate and identify practical solutions for health and safety incidents and share lessons learnt with tenants as appropriate.
Represent the Trust and establish and maintain good relationships with all tenants, lead EPRR contacts, Fire Team members, Authorised Persons etc. promoting a positive health and safety culture.
Ensure site wide Health and Safety procedures and risk assessments are produced, agreed and implemented in multi-occupied sites where the Trust is the landlord.
