Health and Safety Advisor

Grade and Salary Grade E €49,252 - €73,877

Job Description

We are Uisce Éireann. Every day, we are responsible for the delivery of secure, safe, and sustainable water services for the people of Ireland. As Ireland’s national regulated water utility, our vision is a sustainable Ireland where water is respected and protected, for the planet and all the lives it supports.

Our purpose at Uisce Éireann is to rise to the challenge of delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive. That means we are proud to take on the responsibility of protecting our water supply and passing on a safe and secure water system to a rapidly growing population and empowering Ireland’s social and economic growth. 

So, we’re passionate about helping our people to do the best work of their lives, to enable them to make a positive difference to communities all over Ireland. Our aim is to attract and develop talented and skilled people with diverse backgrounds and an evolving range of expertise and insight. We believe that such a strong workforce will help us achieve our goals and allow us to continue investing in, and advancing, Ireland’s water services. 

The Role:

The Health and Safety area is responsible for ensuring & supporting compliance with company, national & European level health, safety, quality & environmental standards for Uisce Éireann. The team provides governance and specialist advice across the business areas and manages the maintenance and assurance of the quality, environment and energy management systems to ensure appropriate H&S compliance with regulatory requirements.

The Health and Safety Team support the operational areas of the business to deliver on their health and safety responsibilities. They support the implementation of the safety management systems and roll out tools including processes and procedures to support health and safety compliance. They support the development of a safety culture appropriate to our organisational values which facilitates us to deliver on our Work Safe Home Safe vision and beliefs. The team also provide governance and specialist health and safety advice across assigned business areas and are the visible presence of safety in the regions. The team work with the business and the broader health and safety team to monitor the implementation of safety management systems and investigate and respond appropriately to internal health and safety trends and developments and external requirements such as legislative changes and regulatory requirements and expectations.

Reporting to the Health and Safety Technical Lead, the Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for providing comprehensive health and safety advice and support, within the region, to facilitate the systematic identification, evaluation, control and monitoring of risks; to contribute to the development and implementation of Health & Safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance with our safety management system, legislation and strategic business objectives.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the implementation of Health and Safety plans, policies and procedures in their respective area/region to ensure compliance with all applicable Uisce Éireann specific regulations.

• Support employees by providing H&S advice and guidance to assist them to comply with Uisce Éireann H&S requirements and safety management system.

• Communicate new Health & Safety plans, policies, and procedures in respective areas/ regions to ensure compliance with all applicable Uisce Éireann specific regulations.

• Support the communication of Health & Safety strategies, programmes etc regionally.

• Work collaboratively with the Health & Safety Technical Lead, and the Health and Safety team in reviewing feedback on the implementation of H&S plans, Safety Management System and supporting the implementation of adjusted Health & Safety plans as required.

• Keep up to date with developments in Health & Safety legislation and industry best practice.

• Provide teams with Health & Safety practical support in effective Health & Safety management of the day-to-day operations of the area/ region to support and promote a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly working environment.

• Ensure that any processes conducted at an area/ regional level incorporate appropriate Health & Safety standards and regulations.

• Conduct audits and inspections of work activities and equipment as required /as per regulatory requirements, report on findings and check compliance with corrective and preventive actions. 

• Support and track all hazard identification/risk assessment/incident investigation processes for the respective area/ region.

• Responsible for supporting the Health & Safety Technical Lead in ensuring that statutory reporting of accidents is undertaken in accordance with current legislation. 

• Provide Health & Safety reports and key area/ regional metrics as required to the Health and Safety Manager/s in relation to Health & Safety aspects of Uisce Éireann’s work in their respective region/ area.

• Work with 3rd party contractors and any other relevant parties to ensure adherence to Health & Safety policies where relevant.

• Support the tracking of all Health and Safety incidents, analyse trends and work closely with the Health & Safety Technical Lead to identify opportunities for improvement (i.e. action plans, ‘Lessons Learnt’).

• Provide communication and guidance to teams on Health & Safety matters as required and ensure training and coaching on Health & Safety policies and accident/injury prevention is provided to managers and their teams where required.

• Support the Health & Safety manager / Health & Safety Technical Lead as required implementing the Health & Safety plans and procedures for a diverse workforce.

• Assist in the identification, discussion, and development of Uisce Éireann-wide programmes and initiatives designed to prevent accidents and incidents in the workplace. Promote occupational health and safety programs and awareness. Liaise and collaborate with functional managers to support all activities.

• Provide support and advice on Health & Safety matters to all business functions within Uisce Éireann.

• Support the development of methodologies to monitor safe systems of work and ensure compliance in respect of Incident Reporting and Investigation.

• Liaise with various parts of the business to devise, implement, maintain and update Health & Safety plans, policies, and procedures.

• Support the development, maintenance, monitoring and revising of Health & Safety plans by interfacing with various key stakeholders within the Uisce Éireann business. 

• Support all business areas to ensure all construction activity undertaken on behalf of Uisce Éireann is in accordance with our safety management system.

• Support all Operational teams to ensure that operational, maintenance and repair activities are undertaken in compliance with health and safety standards and our safety management system. 

• Responsible for duties under the Construction Regulations, including carrying out role of safety advisor as per the construction regulations.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with key internal stakeholders across the UÉ business, including but not limited to, Leadership, Risk teams, Integrated Management Systems Teams and Human Resources 

• Responsible for promoting and delivering health and safety commitments across UÉ and its supply chain, reinforcing positive behaviours and delivering health and safety objectives and requirements to the highest industry standards. 

• Support the delivery of the Uisce Éireann Transformation Programme, driving results required within the Directorate and supporting organisation-wide objectives.

• Conducts duties and responsibilities in accordance with Uisce Éireann’s Information Security policies, standards, processes and controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of UÉ business information and delivery of critical services, in accordance with the NIS Directive and any other relevant cybersecurity regulation

• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant third level qualification and or accreditation is desirable and or relevant experience

• A minimum of 3 years’ Experience in the water, utilities or similar industries is desirable

• Ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with key stakeholders internally and externally

• Proven track record with dealing with complex issues, proactively and in a timely fashion along with the ability to communicate information to others

• Highly motivated individual, working to the highest professional standards and with proven ability to deliver results

• Strong analytical skills and ability to identify and analyse problems and potential improvements, and propose and implement solutions

• Demonstrate adaptability and the ability to change focus and direction in line with business strategy and requirements

• Proactively identifying new areas of improvement and using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job.

CLICK THE APPLY BUTTON TO GO TO THEIR CAREERS PAGE WHERE YOU CAN CHECK THIS JOB AND ALL OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.