Executive Health & Safety Officer

BACKGROUND

The Health, Safety & Wellbeing Unit (HSWU), Human Resources (HR) Department, works with all Departments to provide a safe and healthy work environment, by developing the safety, health and wellbeing culture in the City Council through enhancing safety structures and systems, working closely with all to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, promoting best practice and facilitating employee consultation and involvement in occupational safety and health.

Within each Department, senior managers are responsible (as outlined in the relevant safety statements), for the health, safety and welfare of employees and workplaces under their control.

The HSWU advises management on Safety, Health and Welfare (SHW) matters and, monitors and reports on the levels of compliance with health and safety legislation across the organisation.

Executive Health & Safety Officers are assigned by the HR Department across Departments and Sections to support the embedding of SHW systems and practices. The HSWU coordinates with Departmental Senior Managers in the implementation of the Council’s Safety Management System.

THE JOB

Reporting to the Senior Executive Health & Safety Officer, the Executive Health & Safety Officer (EHSO) has responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy workplace in the City Council by developing and implementing safety policies and procedures, by promoting a positive safety culture and by ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and regulations.

The holder of the post will be required to contribute to the development and implementation of Health and Safety Management Systems, in conjunction with their assigned SEHSO, Health, Safety & Wellbeing Unit and Human Resources Department.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE SHALL

• have satisfactory experience in the area of health and safety management, including technical experience in Health and Safety Regulations and implementation of National Health and Safety policy and legislation, their implications for the organisation and the employee, and their application in the workplace;

• be self-motivated and be able to work within a multi skilled team to ensure a best practice health and safety management system is continuously developed in the assigned work activity;

• working knowledge and experience of the development and implementation of a Safety Management System that operates in compliance with ISO 45001:2018;

• have a good working knowledge or demonstrate an ability to acquire a good working knowledge of the legal, regulatory and governance framework within which the City Council operates and adhere to corporate policies, protocols and procedures;

• have a satisfactory knowledge of public administration in Ireland and demonstrate relevant administrative experience at a sufficiently high level;

• have strong interpersonal and communication skills including building strong relationships with stakeholders;

• possess excellent organisational and IT skills.

• demonstrate strong proficiencies in report writing and have the ability to present in a clear and concise manner.

On the date of application, the successful candidate must possess a current unendorsed full driving licence (Category A1, A and/or B) as they may be required to drive in the course of their duties.

QUALIFICATIONSCHARACTER:

Each candidate shall be of good character.

HEALTH:

Candidates shall be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, ETC.:

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed applications:-

(a) (i) Hold a minimum Level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications in Health and Safety

Or

(ii) Hold an Honours degree (Level 8 in the National Framework of Qualifications) in Engineering, Architecture, and / or Science, and a minimum Level 7 in the National Framework of Qualifications in Health and Safety.

(b) Have a satisfactory knowledge of the following:

• effective communications and liaison with officials from the regulatory authorities;

• the management of risks from fire such as fire prevention and the carrying out of fire drills;

• risk management in relation to hazardous substances and occupational diseases;

• providing the required input for health and safety related training course/s and manuals for the organisation;

• understanding of Local Government and the construction industry;

• health and safety legislation, statutory requirements, their implications for the workplace and an appreciation of the legal process.

(c) Have at least three years satisfactory relevant experience, including adequate experience in the areas specified below:

• the management of an appropriate audit process;

• planning practical and effective methods, both preventative and remedial, of promoting work practices that comply with health and safety requirements;

• of working with committees;

• the preparation and regular revision of Health and Safety statements and strategies;

• staff supervision and relevant administration;

• maintaining accurate records, particularly of inspection findings, of incidents and accidents, and the preparation of reports, and statistical data required by management and the HSA;

• the regular review of work methods and processes, which identify and take account of all relevant hazards;

• supporting line managers in the preparation, implementation and regular review of safety related documentation including risk assessments, including advising on how risks can be reduced;

• operating a safety management system.

(d) Possess a full clean driving licence.

DUTIES

The duties of the post include, but are not limited to, the following:-

• Assisting and supporting Senior Executive Health & Safety Officer [SEHSO] and Departmental Management by;

• providing regular reports on Safety, Health and Welfare (SHW), including reporting outcomes from analysis of SHW data undertaken, and making recommendations for improvements and implementation;

• advising key external stakeholders (e.g. the Health and Safety Authority, Health Services Executive, Fire Services and Gardaí), and external advisors as required;

• overseeing, monitoring and coordinating the Health and Safety programmes in the Department/function to which they are assigned and co-operate with other Departments to ensure a co-ordinated approach to SHW matters;

• ensuring that sites/workplaces are inspected on a regular basis in accordance with the Council’s approved inspection policy and, as required, independently inspecting, or overseeing independent inspections of work activities, sites and offices, to ensure that safety standards are being complied with and making recommendations for improvement where appropriate in matters concerning SHW;

• ensuring the development, implementation and operation of policies and procedures in the Health and Safety Management System that operates in compliance with ISO45001 requirements;

• working with the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Unit (HSWU) to ensure safety audits are carried out as required and ensuring that safety audit outcomes are implemented on a priority basis;

• ensuring that incidents involving City Council activities or operations are investigated and reported on appropriately in line with agreed procedures;

• monitoring, as required, City Council Fire Precaution Systems in co-operation with the Chief Fire Officer to ensure that fire precautions are appropriate and adequate for City Council’s work premises and activities;

• drafting of safety statements, risk assessments, training material, policy documents, service plans and budgets relevant to safety, health & welfare.

Other duties include:

• implementing best practice and procedures in safety, health and welfare across the assigned Departments/Divisions and assisting the development, delivery and evaluation of training courses for employees in Safety, Health and Welfare;

• keeping up-to-date with developments, and legislation in the area of occupational health and safety;

• being available outside of normal working hours in emergency situations to deal with any matter or incident involving the health and safety of City Council employees’;

• ensuring by way of regular review that Ancillary and Local Safety Statements address all the risks identified in the relevant area/activity;

• ensuring that accident records are created as and when they should be and are maintained properly within the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Unit and are available to other relevant Departments as may be required;

• ensuring that the City Council’s statutory obligations to investigate and report on notifiable accidents and dangerous occurrences are strictly complied with and the relevant authorities advised in a timely fashion;

• managing and supervising the administration of Immunisation and Health Screening Programmes and organising Occupational Health Surveillance initiatives and activities for groups of workers related to specific occupational health hazards, as may be required from time to time;

• carrying out such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The particular duties and responsibilities attached to the post may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibilities entailed. The post holder may therefore be required to perform duties appropriate to the post, other than those detailed above, and to take instructions from and report to, an appropriate Officer or such designated Officer as may be assigned from time to time by the City Council.

The duties of the post are to give to the local authority and to

(a) The local authorities or bodies for which the Chief Executive is Chief Executive, and

(b) To any other local authority or body with which an agreement has been made by the local authority or by any of the authorities or bodies referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph under the general direction and control of the Chief Executive or of such officers as the Chief Executive may from time to time determine, such appropriate computing, technical, management, administrative, executive, supervisory, advisory and ancillary services as may be required by any local authority or body hereinbefore mentioned in the exercise and performance of any of its powers, functions and duties and to exercise such powers, functions and duties as may be delegated to them by the Chief Executive from time to time including the duty of servicing all committees that may be established by any such local authority or body. The holder of the post will, if required, act for an officer of a higher level.

SELECTION PROCESS

• Posts of Executive Health and Safety Officer will be filled from this publicly advertised competition. Selection shall be by means of a competition conducted by or on behalf of Dublin City Council.

• Candidates should note that the information provided by them in their application form and assessment questions will form the basis on which eligibility and short listing is conducted.

• Dublin City Council reserves the right to undertake eligibility and / or shortlist candidates in the manner it deems most appropriate.

• A panel may be formed on the basis of interviews. A candidate whose name is on a panel and who satisfies the Council that they possess the qualifications declared for the post and that they are otherwise suitable for appointment may, within the life of the panel, subject to the appropriate Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage sanction, be appointed as an appropriate vacancy arises.

• The life of the panel shall be for a period of one year from the date of its formation.

• Dublin City Council shall require any person to whom an appointment is offered to take up such appointment within a period of not more than one month and if they fail to take up appointment within such period, or such longer period as the Council in its absolute discretion may determine, the Council shall not appoint them.

SHORTLISTING

Dublin City Council reserves the right to shortlist candidates to proceed to the interview stage of the competition. Shortlisting of candidates will be on the basis of information supplied on the Application Form, in conjunction with the answers given in the assessment question(s). It is therefore in your own interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your qualifications/experience in your application.

The shortlisting process will provide for the assessment of each applicant’s application form against predetermined criteria that reflect the skills and depth of experience considered to be essential for a position at this level.

INTERVIEW

The interview will be competency based and marks will be awarded under the following competencies;

• Management & Change • Delivering Results • Performance through People • Personal Effectiveness • Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Please see page 9 of the Candidate Information Booklet for more details.

SALARY

The salary scale for the position of Executive Health & Safety Officer is;

€59,658; €61,829; €64,000; €66,175; €68,349; €70,521; €72,696; €74,857; €77,043; €79,209; (Maximum); €81,706 (1st LSI) (after 3 years satisfactory service on the Maximum); €82,929 (2nd LSI) (after 3 years satisfactory service on the 1st LSI).

Entry point to this scale will be determined in accordance with Circulars issued by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. In accordance with Departmental Circular letter EL 02/2011, a person who is not a serving public service employee on or after 1st January 2011, will enter the scale for the position at the minimum point.

Rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government Policy.

Under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013, the working hours for newly appointed/promoted staff are 35 hours per week.

All applicants must refer to the Additional Candidate Information Booklet which can be found at https://careers.dublincity.ie for additional relevant information pertaining to the salary scale and the recruitment process.

PARTICULARS OF POSITION

(a) The post is permanent, whole time and pensionable.

(b) Dublin City Council reserves the right to, at any time, assign an employee to any Department now or in the future.

(c) A period of one year’s probation applies where a person is permanently appointed to Dublin City Council.

CITIZENSHIP

Candidates must, by the date of application be;

a) A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, or

b) A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK), or

c) A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons, or

d) A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or UK or Swiss citizen and has a stamp 4 visa, or

e) A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a stamp 4 visa, or

f) A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA member state or the UK or Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa.

Dublin City Council welcomes all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds to join its diverse workforce and we hereby reserve the sole discretion to vary the above requirements from time to time subject to the business needs and staffing requirements.

IRISH PROFICIENCY

As part of our ongoing commitment to support the Irish language, our leadership on the Gaeilge365 programme and to comply with the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, we are gathering information on candidates’ capacity to speak Irish.

Under this legislation, public bodies are required to ensure that 20% of new recruits are capable of performing their duties through Irish by 2030. While this position is not an Irish language speaking role, we are asking all applicants to indicate their current level of Irish language ability.

This information will be used for workforce planning purposes only and will not form part of the selection process for this competition.

ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

• The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 to 2016 came into effect on 29th April 2016. The Act places a statutory obligation on Dublin City Council to ensure that any work or activity which is carried out by a person, a necessary and regular part of which consists mainly of a person having access to, or contact with children or vulnerable persons, will be the subject of Garda Vetting.

• Subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014, applications will be treated in strict confidence.

• Any attempt by a candidate themselves or by any person(s) acting at the candidate’s instigation, directly or indirectly, by means of written communication or otherwise, to canvass or otherwise influence in the candidate’s favour, any employee of the City Council or person nominated by the City Council to interview or examine applicants, will automatically disqualify the candidate for the position being sought.

• It is important to remember that this is a competitive process for a role where integrity is paramount. Sharing information on the selection / interview process e.g. through social media or any other means, may result in a candidate being disqualified from the competition.

• Dublin City Council does not allow the unsanctioned use of any type of recording equipment on its premises. This applies to any form of sound recording and any type of still picture or video recording, whether including sound recording or not, and covers any type of device used for these purposes.

• An applicant who is found to be ineligible at any stage of the competition will not be further considered. Provision of inaccurate, untrue or misleading information will lead to disqualification from the competition, withdrawal of employment offer or dismissal.

• A candidate who does not attend for interview when and where required by the City Council, or who does not, when requested, furnish such evidence as the City Council requires in regard to any matter relevant to their candidature, will have no further claim to consideration.

• The City Council will not be responsible for any expenses candidates may incur in connection with their candidature.

• The onus is on the candidate to keep a regular check on their Email Account as email notifications of updates may sometimes be filtered into Junk/Spam email folders. Dublin City Council accepts no responsibility for communication not accessed or received by an applicant.