We are looking for a hands-on, organised, and proactive Health & Safety Officer to support our busy production environment across both Oakpark Foods sites. This is a practical, site-based role with a strong focus on the day-to-day delivery of Health & Safety, including workplace inspections, risk assessments, incident management, training, audits, and continuous improvement.
Working closely with the Operations Manager, managers, and supervisors, you will provide practical Health & Safety support and guidance, help identify and address risks, and ensure safe working practices are consistently applied across the business.
This is an operational Health & Safety role, with the emphasis on being visible and engaged across the sites, working alongside employees and operational teams, and helping to build a strong and proactive safety culture. The role will suit someone who enjoys being close to operations, is confident challenging unsafe practices and can manage competing priorities in a fast-paced production environment.
Key responsibilities
· Day-to-day Health & Safety: Provide practical Health & Safety support across both sites, working closely with the Operations Manager, managers, and supervisors to ensure Health & Safety requirements are effectively managed and embedded into day-to-day operations.
· Workplace inspections and safety walks: Carry out regular planned and unplanned workplace inspections and safety walks across production, warehouse, yard, maintenance, and other site areas. Identify hazards and unsafe practices and work with the relevant manager or supervisor to address them.
· Risk assessments and safe systems of work: Develop, review, and maintain risk assessments and safe systems of work, ensuring they reflect actual working practices. Work with managers, supervisors, and employees to identify appropriate control measures and monitor their effectiveness.
· Policies and procedures: Support the ongoing development, implementation and review of Health & Safety policies, procedures, SOPs, and the company Safety Statement, ensuring they are practical, understood and consistently applied.
· Incident and accident management: Support and, where appropriate, lead the investigation of accidents, incidents and near misses. Identify root causes, recommend corrective actions, and ensure actions are followed through to completion.
· Corrective actions: Maintain an effective system for recording and monitoring Health & Safety actions arising from inspections, audits, incidents, risk assessments, and other safety activities. Work with managers and supervisors to ensure actions are completed within agreed timescales.
· Training and safety awareness: Coordinate and support Health & Safety training and induction activities, ensuring employees are appropriately trained and competent for their roles. This will include areas such as manual handling, forklift/PPT operation, SOPs, and other role-specific requirements. Deliver toolbox talks and safety briefings as required.
· Manual Handling Instruction: Be the onsite Manual Handling Instructor. If you are not currently qualified as a manual handling instructor, you will be supported in achieving your instructor certification.
· Employee engagement: Build positive relationships with employees across the sites and encourage a proactive approach to reporting hazards, near misses and safety concerns. Promote individual responsibility for Health & Safety and encourage employees to contribute to improvements.
· Manager and supervisor support: Work closely with the Operations Manager, managers, and supervisors to provide practical advice and support on Health & Safety matters, helping them to understand and fulfil their responsibilities and address issues effectively.
· Audits and compliance: Plan and carry out regular Health & Safety audits and inspections. Monitor compliance with company policies, procedures and relevant legislation and identify opportunities for improvement.
· Safety meetings and reporting: Coordinate and chair Health & Safety meetings and provide regular updates on key issues, risks, incidents, actions, and improvement initiatives. Prepare a monthly Health & Safety report for the Operations Manager.
· External liaison: Liaise with the company's insurers, the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) and other relevant external agencies as required. Support external inspections, audits and investigations and ensure recommendations are appropriately actioned.
· Health & Safety reporting and KPIs: Monitor and report relevant Health & Safety KPIs, including inspections, incidents, near misses, training, risk assessments, and corrective actions, using this information to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
· Continuous improvement: Identify practical opportunities to improve Health & Safety standards, processes, and behaviours. Challenge the status quo where appropriate and work with operational teams to implement sustainable improvements.
Work Location: In person
