Health and Safety Consultant

Job title:

Health and Safety Consultant

Company

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

Job description

Health and Safety ConsultantEmployerKingston CouncilLocation(s)KingstonContract TypePermanentWorking HoursFull TimeGradeIHours Per Week36Salary Range£44,019 – £49,083Salary BasisPer annumLeave Entitlement30 daysApplication Deadline06/09/2024, 23:55Anticipated Interview Date(s)To Be ConfirmedAbout the BoroughThis special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else – it is where the first kings of England were crowned.Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston’s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.About the RoleAre you an enthusiastic, highly motivated and solution focused individual with experience in delivery Health and Safety services?Reporting to the Health and Safety Manager, we have a great opportunity for a Health and Safety Consultant to support the delivery of Kingston Council’s statutory Health and Safety obligations.Focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for its communities, the Council needs employees who thrive in an agile and networked organisation and who can support continuous improvement within a constructive organisational culture.You will provide high quality, effective and efficient Health and Safety technical support and advice to managers and employees of Kingston Council, our partnership agencies and external customers. The role includes acting as an advisory consultancy service to all corporate services and maintained schools plus our client schools that purchase our health and safety service level agreement, helping to ensure they comply with appropriate Council policies and procedures through training, support and guidance.If you are an individual who likes a challenge, with excellent negotiation and persuasion skills, this role can offer you the opportunity to make a real difference towards removing barriers, and promoting health and safety across Kingston.The team works in a hybrid way and typically works in the office/Kingston community two days per week.About UsYou will be joining a supportive, experienced and committed team. The Health and Safety team is part of the wider Property Team within Place and supports all directorates across the Council.We provide a high standard of health, safety and well-being advisory services both internally and externally to public sector organisations who purchase traded health and safety services from us.As the competent source of health and safety advice for the Council, the team:

• identifies the health and safety priorities of the Council;
• provides guidance, policies and set standards for complying with Health & Safety legislation;
• provides advice on Health & Safety issues for managers and staff;
• monitors the accident rate within the organisation;
• liaises with the HSE on all Health & Safety matters affecting RBK;
• identifies the Health & Safety training needs of the Council (training is organised and coordinated by People and OD);
• investigates accidents;
• provides a Health and Safety advice service to 80 schools.

About YouYou will have expert knowledge of statutory requirements, Codes of Practice and current legislation relating to Health and Safety management, with great communication skills and the ability to operate effectively at all levels. You will have strong negotiation skills and you’ll be adept in handling a varied workload.To be successful in the role of Health and Safety Consultant, you will be able to demonstrate the following competencies (not limited to):

• Hold a recognised professional safety qualification such as NEBOSH or equivalent.
• Chartered Membership of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is desirable – if this is not held then Graduate Membership or a willingness to work towards Graduate /Chartered membership.
• Practical or professional experience and understanding of a specialist area or supporting service teams and/or providing support to the public.
• Detailed understanding of Health and Safety legislation.
• Be a team player, contributing to the delivery of a high quality safety service, working collaboratively with team colleagues and colleagues across the Council.

To support the team and delivery against our statutory responsibilities, the successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Experience in carrying out Health and Safety Audits
• Experience in supporting managers in incident and accident investigations
• Knowledge of undertaking policy research and review, promoting best practice
• Providing advisory Health and Safety consultancy services and ensuring compliance

Our Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application ProcessPlease apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the ‘Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme’ at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we’re incredibly proud of.Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.Additional InformationWe are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.Important Information – Criminal RecordsThis post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Expected salary

£44019 – 49083 per year

Location

Kingston upon Thames

Job date

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 01:08:04 GMT

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