Health and Safety Advisor (Highways and Transportation) - REQ000242

Job title: Health and Safety Advisor (Highways & Transportation)

Salary: PO4

Hours: 37 Hours

Contract: Permanent

Location: Hybrid Working

As a Health and Safety Advisor, working within Highways and Transportation, you’ll thrive on keeping people safe, ensuring safety standards remain high and legislation is adhered to.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Health and Safety Advisor, you will bring to the role:

Professional health and safety advice across the Highways & Transportation service, supporting managers and staff to manage risks
Develop and implementing health and safety management systems, including performance standards and guidance.
Contribute to corporate health and safety projects and work closely with trade unions and key stakeholders.
Support the Health & Safety Manager in developing local and corporate strategies and ensure robust monitoring and compliance.
Lead on accident investigations, ensuring improvements are identified and shared.

About the role

As our next Health and Safety Advisor, you will provide expert health and safety advice, guidance, and support to service managers, ensuring compliance with legislation and promoting a proactive safety culture.

You will advise on best practices and compliance, conduct audits and risk assessments, manage consultations and develop performance metrics and reporting frameworks to assess health and safety management.

You’ll also oversee accident investigations and share findings to promote continuous improvement, lead corporate health and safety projects and facilitate local health and safety committees.

It’s a busy role in a dynamic environment, and you’ll be making a real difference to the safety of people in Leeds.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Jason Boasman at Jason.Boasman@leeds.gov.uk

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job Purpose

The role of the Health and Safety Manager is to provide health and safety advice to the Highways & Transportation Service within the City Development directorate. Working closely with management / leadership teams, chief officers and service managers, they will identify issues and provide appropriate health and safety solutions through strategic planning. They will help ensure compliance with health and safety legislation and good practice, through the provision of effective guidance, advice, monitoring and review. Most importantly, this role fulfils that of one of the organisation’s ‘competent people’, pursuant to the statutory requirement to have access to professional and technical health and safety advice.

This will be done through:

Building a rapport and establishing credibility with service managers within allocated service areas on all occupational safety and health matters;
Managing the delivery of the health and safety service within Highways & Transportation - anticipating, influencing, and ultimately delivering against defined business needs;
Providing advice, guidance and support to managers on all health and safety and related matters including fire safety, well-being, occupational health and reducing sickness absence, identifying risks and opportunities and working to produce creative and pragmatic solutions to issues raised;
Supporting the Head of Health and Safety to deliver excellent health and safety services across the council; &
Contributing to organisation-wide health and safety (and related) projects and initiatives.

Key Accountabilities

To provide professional, flexible, timely and high quality health and safety advice and support to service managers and staff within allocated service areas.
To lead on the investigation of accidents and incidents within Highways & Transportation, ensuring that improvements to prevent a recurrence are identified and shared with service managers.
To meet performance objectives and standards as agreed with the Head of Health and Safety.
To ensure consistent implementation and interpretation of the health and safety policy and health and safety performance standards/guidance across the council, but with the ability to think creatively wherever possible and to share approaches to accrue wider benefit.
To build the competency and confidence in terms of the provision of health and safety services.
To develop excellent relationships with key stakeholders, in particular managers at all levels, Trade Unions and the Business Support Centre. This would also include liaising with HM Inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive and other enforcement bodies as necessary.
To input into the Health and Safety Management Team to establish effective networks with peer groups across the Council to ensure that developments in relevant functional areas are shared, and best practice and learning is disseminated.
To facilitate local health and safety committees and local Trade Union consultation and negotiation.
To take a corporate lead on health and safety projects as co-ordinated by the corporate health and safety team.
To support the Head of Health and Safety in developing and maintaining a robust health and safety management system across the council and taking a Highways & Transportation lead on the proactive and reactive monitoring.
To support the Head of Health and Safety in developing the Council’s Health and Safety Strategy and Health and Safety Plan and taking a Highways & Transportation lead in working with service managers to develop local health and safety plans.
To keep abreast of legislation, case law and developments in health and safety and professional practice and communicate developments and relevant information within Highways & Transportation as required.
To advise that work is stopped if it contravenes agreed standards and systems and is putting people at risk.
To provide timely and accurate information and data in relation to health and safety performance, that supports the effective operation of the service and assists line management to meet their health and safety responsibilities.
To co-ordinate and/or contribute to council wide change initiatives and projects, especially as it relates to the health and safety agenda.
To carry out active and reactive monitoring to assess compliance with corporate and local procedures.
To be responsible for ensuring and promoting the health, safety, and well-being of team members.
To be responsible for promoting equality and diversity through this role and that as a line manager.
To deputise for the Head of Health and Safety Highways & Transportation as required.
Once established, to expand the role to other areas within the directorate.

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Experience of working with senior managers and other key stakeholders across a range of service
The ability to support managers to achieve the Council’s priorities by providing appropriate health and safety advice.
Use workforce information to assist decision making in services or corporately.
Chartered Membership of IOSH or equivalent.
Contribute towards Trade Union, key partner or stakeholder discussions and negotiations on health and safety issues.
Experience of interpreting and applying health and safety legislation and / or best practice in a large, complex organisation.
Experience of developing and implementing health and safety management systems – including producing performance standards and guidance.
Experience of reactive and pro-active monitoring in a large, complex organisation – including serious accident/incident investigations.
Demonstrate a commitment to continuously develop professional knowledge and skills.
Ability to manage staff to ensure work is carried out efficiently and effectively and that deadlines are
To be able to communicate with managers across the council confidently, persuasively and
To be able to analyse and interpret varied and complex information or situations and produce appropriate health and safety solutions or strategies to difficult problems.
Demonstrate the ability to communicate orally or in writing complex and contentious information with a wide range of audiences.
To be able to work using discretion and initiative and deal with problems confidently.
Ability to work flexibly and demonstrate a commitment to developing a ‘One HR’ approach across the Council.
To actively promote and support the Council’s policies and practices on Equal Opportunities in relation to employment issues.
An understanding of the manager’s responsibility for Health & Safety.
To be able to engage managers and employees in considering health and safety issues making change happen using change management skills and tools.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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