Visiting Officer / Regulatory Contact Officer(Band 5/EO) London, England
Job description
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About the job
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Location
About the job
Job summary
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the independent regulator for work-related health and safety. Our purpose is to protect people and the environment – we save lives.
HSE is highly regarded both nationally and internationally. 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.
Our collective goal is to help make Great Britain one of the best, safest and healthiest places to live and work in, through influencing health and safety attitudes and behaviours, which helps to reduce death, injury and ill health.
Job description
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, 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.
The work of our Visiting Officers/Regulatory Contact Officer is focused on HSE’s operational priorities. They work alone, and alongside inspectors and specialists supporting their work. They assist with inspector-led workplace inspections; investigations of work-related incidents affecting workers and the public, health and safety related enforcement activity; and campaigns and promotional activities designed to improve the management of health and safety in the workplace.
Visiting Officers are typically managed by Operational Team Leaders and work as part of a team.
Construction Division
Construction Division (CD) regulates health and safety in the building industry, construction engineering and in licensed asbestos removal work. CD’s visiting officers work in CD’s 21 construction teams across Great Britain delivering interventions in construction workplaces and with industry stakeholders, and work alongside inspectors and construction engineering specialists supporting their inspection, investigation and enforcement activities.
CD currently has a total of 1 post in London.
Field Operations Division:
Field Operations Division (FOD) regulates health & safety across a range of industries, including general manufacturing, agriculture, fairgrounds, crown, fire, police, and health services across the whole of Great Britain (this list is not exhaustive). As one national delivery division, FOD is organised into 3 teams who cover every area of GB, supported by national Specialist & Occupational Health Teams. FOD’s visiting officers work alongside all of these teams, delivering interventions in workplaces and with industry stakeholders to support investigation and enforcement activities. Visiting officers are also expected to carry out their own investigations and interventions with direction and support of their principal inspector.
Field Operations Division currently have 3 posts in London.
All roles require regular travelling and occasional stays away from home.
Responsibilities:
- Making enquiries into reported incidents to inform the operational team leader’s investigation decision
- Taking voluntary witness statements and victim personal statements to support enforcement action by inspectors and specialists
- Securing and processing evidence and contributing to its proper management
- Visiting workplaces to make judgements about matters of concern and identify where an inspector intervention may be justified, consulting with the operational team leader or an inspector as necessary
- Attending court hearings and inquests to take notes and provide feedback or to give evidence on matters relating to VO/RCO involvement in the case
- Interacting with a wide group of duty holders, employees, trade union representatives, Local Authority officers, members of the public and other interested parties including the Police and solicitors in the course of reactive support work
- Develop awareness and knowledge of HSE’s work and organisational structure
- Acquire an understanding and knowledge of relevant operational and legal procedures and to become familiar with a range of work activities, industrial processes and the associated hazards and precautions
Person specification
Essential Skills and Criteria:
Work as part of a team with colleagues to deliver the key responsibilities of the post in a flexible and responsive manner responding positively to changes of priority as work demands dictate
- Good communication and influencing skills
- Take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner. Sound analytical skills to include being able to critically review and capture numerous pieces of information and identify significant findings.
- Understand how your work and the work of your team supports wider objectives and meets the diverse needs of stakeholders
- You should have a NEBOSH certificate or be willing to obtain this qualification within a reasonable length of time which we consider to be around 18 months.
The NEBOSH course is run through Civil Service Learning as an intensive two week course, further appropriate study time will be allowed during work hours. HSE will support and coach you throughout your study.
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- 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 27.1% far more than in the private sector
- Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
- 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
- Competitive parental leave benefits
Allowances
This post is eligible for Excess Fares Allowance. A successful internal candidate currently based at another office may be entitled to Excess Fares Allowance in line with HSE policy (http://intranet/finance/expenses/excess-fares-allowance-policy.htm)
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1 - Civil Service Verbal Test - Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) You must pass the test to in order to continue with your application and complete full application form. Therefore, we would advise you to leave plenty of time to continue with your application once submission of the test.
If you successfully pass the online test you will then be invited to complete the full application form which will include completing a CV that displays your career history skills experience and qualifications.
You will also be invited to submit 250 words on each of the behaviours: Working Together and Communication and Influencing.
Sift
At sift, you will be assessed on the two behaviours Working Together and Communicating and Influencing. Please note that your CV will be used for information purposes only.
Interview
At interview, you will be assessed on the four behaviours detailed within the job advert.
The closing date for applications is 24th February 2023
A sift will take place between 27th February 2023 and 10th March 2023
Interviews will take place with effect from 20th March 2023
Please note: a reserve list will be held for the period of up to 12 months.
Information
It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached document.
Any move across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018 may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.
If you have a disability and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: [email protected].
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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