Seasonal General Operatives

Wages: Scale 1: SCP 3 - 5 £12.85 - £13.26 per hour The Council applies the Living Foundation Wage of £13.45 per hour to applicable grades

Wages will be paid on a monthly basis.

Main Purpose of Job:

To work individually or as part of a team in undertaking a range of general environmental work, including grass cutting, grounds maintenance, horticulture, refuse collection including wheelie bins and food caddies, waste disposal, and litter collection.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Undertake work in public parks, playing fields, landscaped areas, and similar open spaces, i.e. general maintenance such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, sweeping, hoeing, raking, edging, and removal of litter and rubbish.
• Assist in all areas of grounds maintenance and horticultural service and undertake horticultural operations, e.g. planting, pruning, and seeding.
• Removal of weeds from channels and footpaths and salting and gritting of footpaths, as required.
• Operate machinery as required, including grass and hedge cutting equipment.
• Take responsibility for tools and equipment and ensure safe use to protect self, other employees, and the general public at all times.
• Inspect and clean playgrounds, clean and open public toilets, and report any defects.
• Collect litter on roads, footpaths, verges, and public areas, including manual handling of heavy items, emptying of litter bins, and the removal of posters and graffiti as required.
• Place filled litter sacks on grass verges or village/town footpaths, either bringing them to central locations or placing them as instructed.
• Assist, as required, with refuse collection, including loading wheeled bins and food caddies onto vehicles and returning bins to where they were found without blocking entrances or inhibiting sight lines.
• Assist the driver in safe manoeuvring, acting as a reversing assistant at all times on the round or at the transfer station or landfill site. Assist the driver, where requested, to upload data onto in-cab devices and inform the office of any changes.
• Operate the bin lifting mechanism and ensure any defects to either the lifting gear or wheelie bins are reported to the driver and office.
• Report any damaged, lost, or bins not collected to the driver and office.
• Removal and return of bins where back door collections are required.
• Assist with the communication of any alterations to normal service via direct communication with the public.
• Inform office staff of problem areas along the route to enable the office to address queries from the public, e.g. roads closed, non-collection of bins for any reason, or illegal dumping.
• Provide accurate advice to the public regarding Council services, particularly relating to recycling, and promote the Council’s recycling initiative by the delivery of stickers or flyers, inspect bins to ensure that materials are compliant, report any non-compliance, apply stickers to bins, and report any issues to the driver and office.
• Carry out dynamic risk assessments on new situations which may arise in the daily delivery of the service.
• Tidy up and assist with the segregation of waste at civic amenity sites; open and close as appropriate.
• Erect and dismantle sports equipment, marquees, and any other Council equipment, as required.
• Work overtime when necessary.
• Assist and cooperate with members of the public.
• Report any accidents, dangerous occurrences, and near misses.
• Comply with health and safety regulations and instructions and follow all safe systems of work in operation, including the wearing of protective clothing and reflective waistcoats, and follow health and safety procedures at all times.
• Be aware of the working environment, including traffic, cyclists, pedestrians, heavy plant, and equipment, while complying with safe systems and procedures in operation.
• Ensure attendance at all necessary training related to customer care development, health and safety, risk assessments, manual handling, reversing assistant (banksman), etc.
• Drive a Council vehicle if required, as appropriate to the task, and undertake associated vehicle checks as required.

General:

• Ensure full compliance with all Health and Safety at Work legislation in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety at Work policy and all associated procedures and guidance, and be an advocate for high standards of Health and Safety performance.
• Implement the Council’s Human Resources policies and procedures.
• Comply with all the Council’s policies and procedures, including the Employee Code of Conduct and the Employee and Councillor Working Relationship Protocol.
• Promote the Council’s equal opportunities policies and avoid all forms of discrimination as an employer and a service provider.
• Implement all Financial and Procurement policies and procedures.
• Comply with employee responsibility in relation to all records held, created, or used as part of the Council’s business. All records, paper or electronic, are public records and accessible by the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environment Regulations 2004, and the Data Protection Act 1998.
• Undertake the duties of the post at all times in a manner that enhances and promotes the positive image of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.
• The postholder will be expected to be flexible and adaptable to meet the changing needs and requirements of the organisation. The above list should not be seen as an exhaustive list of duties, and the postholder will be expected to undertake other relevant duties as required.

Essential Criteria:

Please provide evidence of any skills, qualities, or experience relevant to any of the below:

a) Refuse collection b) Litter collection and responsibility for keeping an outdoor area clean and tidy c) Grass cutting, horticultural and grounds maintenance experience in a medium to large scale setting, including the use of strimmers and ride-on grounds machinery d) General maintenance of buildings or outdoor areas, e.g. paths, parks, etc. e) Cleaning or maintenance of toilets used by the public

Effective communication skills and experience of dealing with members of the public

Availability to work weekends and public holidays

Desirable Criteria:

Hold a valid UK Driving Licence, Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) Licence, or other machine operator licence with relevant experience.